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Khentkaus II facts for kids

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Khentkaus II in hieroglyphs
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t		 kA kA
kA		 s

Khentkaus
M23
X1		 L2
X1		 M23
X1		 L2
X1		 G14

Mut-nesut-bity-nesut-bity
Mw.t-nsw-bi.tj-nsw-bi.tj
Title of Khentkaus I and Khentkaus II
Náprstek Museum - NM Prague 60.JPG
Khentkaues II on the throne
(from: National Museum (Prague))

Khentkaus II was an important royal woman in Ancient Egypt. She lived around 2475 BC to 2445 BC. Khentkaus II was the wife of an Egyptian king named Neferirkare Kakai. He was a ruler from the Fifth Dynasty. She was also the mother of two future kings, Neferefre and Nyuserre Ini.

Life of Khentkaus II

Khentkaus II was the wife of King Neferirkare Kakai. Work on her pyramid complex, which was her tomb, began when her husband was still king. At that time, her title was "king's wife" (hmt nswt).

Building her tomb stopped, probably when her husband died. Later, construction started again when her son became king. After this, her title changed to "king's mother" (mwt nswt). A stone block shows Khentkaus II with her husband Neferirkare and a son named Ranefer B. This son later became Pharaoh Neferefre.

Important Titles of Khentkaus II

Khentkaus II held many important titles. One special title was Mwt-neswt-bity-neswt-bity. She shared this title with another queen named Khentkaus I. This title is a bit mysterious. It might mean "mother of the dual kings" or "dual king and mother of the dual king."

Here are some other titles Khentkaus II had:

  • Great one of the hetes-sceptre (wrt-hetes)
  • She who sees Horus and Seth (m33t-hrw-stsh)
  • Great of praises (wrt-hzwt)
  • King's wife (hmt-nisw)
  • King's wife, his beloved (hmt-nisw meryt.f)
  • Priestess of Bapef (hmt-ntr-b3-pf)
  • Priestess of Tjazepef (hmt-ntr-t3-zp.f)
  • Attendant of Horus (kht-hrw)
  • God's daughter (s3t-ntr)
  • Companion of Horus (smrt-hrw and tist-hrw)

Khentkaus II is also mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings called the Abusir Papyri.

Her Pyramid Tomb

Pyramides Neferirkare Khentkaous II 2
The pyramid complex of Neferirkare Kakai and the smaller complex of his wife Khentkaus II in Abusir.

Khentkaus II had her own pyramid complex in Abusir, Egypt. It was built next to the larger pyramid complex of her husband, Neferirkare Kakai.

Archaeologists first explored her pyramid in 1906. At that time, they thought it was a different type of tomb. About 70 years later, a team from the Czech Institute carefully excavated the site.

The building of her pyramid likely started when her husband, Neferirkare Kakai, was still alive. It was finished during the rule of her son, Nyuserre Ini. Sadly, the pyramid was robbed during a time called the First Intermediate Period. Later, in the Middle Kingdom, the pyramid was opened again. The stone coffin, called a sarcophagus, was reused for a young child's burial. By the end of the New Kingdom, many stones were taken from the site to be used for other buildings.

The temple next to Khentkaus II's pyramid was decorated with carvings. These carvings showed scenes like offerings, a funeral meal, farming, and her family greeting her.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jentkaus II para niños

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