Antef VII
Encyclopedia
Nubkheperre Intef was an Egyptian
king of the Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt
at Thebes during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was divided by rival dynasties including the Hyksos
in Lower Egypt. He is known to be the brother of Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef and perhaps the son of Sekhemre Shedtawy Sobekemsaf I
. Nubkheperre Intef is one of the best attested kings of this Dynasty who restored numerous damaged temples
in Upper Egypt as well as constructing a new temple at Gebel Antef.
Nubkheperre Intef is sometimes referred to as Intef VII, in other sources as Intef VI, and even as Intef V.
Nubkheperre Intef ruled from Thebes
, and was buried in a tomb in the necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga'
. The grave was originally covered with a small pyramid (approximately 11 m at the base, rising to a height of approx. 13 m.) Auguste Mariette
found two broken obelisks with complete Fivefold Titulary
, which was then subsequently lost when being transported to the Cairo Museum.
Nubkheperre Intef's wife was Sobekemsaf, who perhaps came from a local family based at Edfu
. On an Abydos stela mentioning a building of the king are the words king's son, head of the bowmen Nakht. He might be a son of Nubkheperre Intef although this is far from certain.
and show him crowned by Horus
and by another god. The reliefs are executed in raised and sunken relief. Also at Koptos, a decree
was found on a stela referring to the actions of Nubkheperre Intef against an unnamed enemy. At Abydos several stone fragments were found, including columns which attest to some kind of restoration work. Finally, a block was found near Luxor
with the king's name on it. On this block Nubkheperre Intef is called the son of king Sobekemsaf, who was perhaps Sekhemre Shedtawy Sobekemsaf I. On a stela found at Abydos, mention is made of a House of Intef. This most likely refers to a building belonging to Nubkheperre Intef.
Nubkheperre Intef's tomb was rediscovered by Daniel Polz, the deputy director of the German Archaeological Institute
in 2001. A Reuters
report dated 29 June 2001 concerning the discovery of his royal tomb (see 'Egyptian royal tomb discovered.') states:
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
king of the Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt
Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt
The Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Second Intermediate Period. The Seventeenth Dynasty dates approximately from 1580 to 1550 BC.-Rulers:...
at Thebes during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was divided by rival dynasties including the Hyksos
Hyksos
The Hyksos were an Asiatic people who took over the eastern Nile Delta during the twelfth dynasty, initiating the Second Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt....
in Lower Egypt. He is known to be the brother of Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef and perhaps the son of Sekhemre Shedtawy Sobekemsaf I
Sobekemsaf I
Sobekemsaf I was an Egyptian king of the Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt who reigned during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was ruled by multiple kings...
. Nubkheperre Intef is one of the best attested kings of this Dynasty who restored numerous damaged temples
Egyptian temple
Egyptian temples were built for the official worship of the gods and commemoration of pharaohs in Ancient Egypt and in regions under Egyptian control. These temples were seen as houses for the gods or kings to whom they were dedicated...
in Upper Egypt as well as constructing a new temple at Gebel Antef.
Nubkheperre Intef is sometimes referred to as Intef VII, in other sources as Intef VI, and even as Intef V.
Nubkheperre Intef ruled from Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
, and was buried in a tomb in the necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga'
Dra' Abu el-Naga'
The necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga' is located on the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes, Egypt, just by the entrance of the dry bay that leads up to Deir el-Bahri, and north of the necropolis of el-Assasif....
. The grave was originally covered with a small pyramid (approximately 11 m at the base, rising to a height of approx. 13 m.) Auguste Mariette
Auguste Mariette
François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette was a French scholar, archaeologist and Egyptologist, the designer of the rebuilt Egyptian Museum under Maximilian of Austria orders when the later had gained control of the artifacts collected to that point.-Early career:Born at Boulogne-sur-Mer, Mariette...
found two broken obelisks with complete Fivefold Titulary
Fivefold Titulary
The royal titulary or royal protocol of an Egyptian Pharaoh is the standard naming convention taken by the kings of Ancient Egypt. It symbolises worldly power and holy might and also acts as a sort of mission statement for the reign of a monarch .The full titulary, consisting of five names, did not...
, which was then subsequently lost when being transported to the Cairo Museum.
Nubkheperre Intef's wife was Sobekemsaf, who perhaps came from a local family based at Edfu
Edfu
Edfu is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna and Aswan, with a population of approximately sixty thousand people. For the ancient history of the city, see below...
. On an Abydos stela mentioning a building of the king are the words king's son, head of the bowmen Nakht. He might be a son of Nubkheperre Intef although this is far from certain.
Building program
The best preserved building from Nubkheperre Intef's reign is the remains of a small chapel at Koptos. Four walls that have been reconstructed show the king in front of MinMin
Min may refer to:*Min , an Egyptian fertility god*Min , a modern working copy of an Ancient Egyptian ship of Hatshepsut's time*Min , a South Korean celebrity most popularly known as a member of miss A*Min *Min River...
and show him crowned by Horus
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
and by another god. The reliefs are executed in raised and sunken relief. Also at Koptos, a decree
Coptos Decree
The Coptos Decree of Nubkheperre Intef is a legal ruling written in hieroglyphic on the wall of the Min-temple in Coptos.-Content of the Decree:...
was found on a stela referring to the actions of Nubkheperre Intef against an unnamed enemy. At Abydos several stone fragments were found, including columns which attest to some kind of restoration work. Finally, a block was found near Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
with the king's name on it. On this block Nubkheperre Intef is called the son of king Sobekemsaf, who was perhaps Sekhemre Shedtawy Sobekemsaf I. On a stela found at Abydos, mention is made of a House of Intef. This most likely refers to a building belonging to Nubkheperre Intef.
Tomb discovery
German Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
in 2001. A Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
report dated 29 June 2001 concerning the discovery of his royal tomb (see 'Egyptian royal tomb discovered.') states:
- "In a [historic] first, a joint team of German and Egyptian archaeologists has unearthed a royal tomb dating back to the 17th Dynasty which likely belonged to a king whose great-grandsons swept out foreign rulers and paved the way for the New Kingdom - Ancient Egypt's "Golden Age". The German Institute of Archaeology in Cairo (DAI), in announcing the find, said they are convinced the 3500-year-old tomb belonged to Nub-Kheper-Ra Intef, a monarch of the late 17th Dynasty. A time of political turmoil and confusion, the 17th Dynasty has failed to provide archaeologists with a royal tomb for study-until now....The tomb is located across the Nile from modern-day Luxor in the northern portion of the Theban necropolis, at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. The area, referred to as Dra' Abu el-Naga'Dra' Abu el-Naga'The necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga' is located on the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes, Egypt, just by the entrance of the dry bay that leads up to Deir el-Bahri, and north of the necropolis of el-Assasif....
, has long been felt to be the burial place of kings and private individuals of the 17th and early 18th dynasties.
- According to archaeologists, the "remnants of the tomb consist of the lower part of a small mud-brick pyramid surrounded by an enclosure wall, also built of mud bricks." In front of the pyramid lies a burial shaft where the toppled head of a life-size royal sandstone statue of the pharaoh was found. The pyramid-complex and the burial shaft is unequivocally that of Nub-Kheper-Ra Intef, according to Dr Daniel Polz, the lead excavator and deputy director of DAIGerman Archaeological InstituteThe German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
.
- Other discoveries included "a small funerary chapel of a private individual" adjacent to the pyramid, but outside the enclosure wall. The inner walls of the chapel were decorated with depictions of its owner, as well as his name and titles. According to these inscriptions the tomb owner, Teti, was a "treasurer" or "chancellor" of the king. On one of the walls, there remains a large cartouche (the royal name-ring) showing the name of king Nub-Kheper-Ra Intef. The 17th Dynasty at the end of the Second Intermediate Period - the era between the Middle and New Kingdoms - was characterized by the rule of the Hyksos, foreign invaders of an Asiatic origin who ruled in the northern part of Egypt contemporaneously with the kings of the 17th Dynasty in Thebes.
- Following numerous military campaigns against them, the Hyksos rulers were eventually expelled from Egypt by KamoseKamoseKamose was the last king of the Theban Seventeenth Dynasty. He was probably the son of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep I and the full brother of Ahmose I, founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reign fell at the very end of the Second Intermediate Period...
, the last king of the 17th Dynasty and his brother, AhmoseAhmose IAhmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II Seqenenre and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose...
, the first king of the 18th Dynasty which saw a unified Egypt rise to unprecedented wealth and power. It is believed that Nub-Kheper-Ra Intef, one of the immediate predecessors of Kamose and Ahmose, could actually have been their great-grandfather. Experts said the discovery of King Nub-Kheper-Ra Intef's tomb, the first find of a royal tomb from the 17th Dynasty, along with its location, architecture and contents, could shed new light on the hitherto unknown burials of those Egyptian kings who laid the foundations of Egypt's "Golden Age" - the New Kingdom.
- [The] German archaeologist Polz and his team were led to the tomb by information obtained from a 3000-year-old papyrus and the works of an American archaeologist who made reference to the tomb, but never found it himself. The papyrus mentioned an attempt by robbers to plunder the royal tomb by digging a tunnel from another tomb belonging to a private individual. The robbers, however, failed to reach the royal tomb. Then in the 19th Century, another group of robbers found the royal tomb, removed the golden casket and sold it without disclosing where they found it-the casket eventually ended up in the British Museum in London.
- Polz and his team also found what appeared to be evidence of the removal of two obelisks from the tomb of King Nub-Kheper-Ra Intef. The obelisks were reportedly removed from the tomb in 1881 on orders of the then French director of the Council of Antiquities in Cairo, who wanted them transferred to old Cairo Museum. Unfortunately, the boat with the heavy obelisks sank in the Nile, some 10 kilometres from Luxor. Polz and his team plan to continue excavation work on the tomb in October to discover what lies in another room believed to be located below the burial shaft.