High Priest of Re
Encyclopedia
The High Priest of Re, or the High Priest of Ra, was known in Egyptian as the wr-m3w which translates as Greatest of Seers.
The main cult of Re, or Ra
, was in ancient Heliopolis
, northeast of present day Cairo
. The high priests of Ra are not as well documented as the high priests of other deities such as Amun
and Ptah
.
(c. 2686 BCE – 2181 BCE)
(c. 2055 BCE—1550 BCE)
(c. 1550 BCE—1069 BCE)
The Al-Masalla area of the Al-Matariyyah
district, the site of Heliopolis, contains the underground tombs of High Priests of Re of the Sixth Dynasty
(2345 BCE—2181 BCE), which were found in the southeast corner of the great Temple of Re
—Atum
archaeological site. The ancient Masalla Obelisk, or El-Misalla , in Al-Matariyyah is the only surviving element standing of the Re—Atum Temple, constructed by Pharaoh Senusret I
(1971 BCE—1926 BCE) of the Twelfth Dynasty
.
The main cult of Re, or Ra
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
, was in ancient Heliopolis
Heliopolis (ancient)
Heliopolis was one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, the capital of the 13th Lower Egyptian nome that was located five miles east of the Nile to the north of the apex of the Nile Delta...
, northeast of present day Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. The high priests of Ra are not as well documented as the high priests of other deities such as Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
and Ptah
Ptah
In Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ptah was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead cosmogony, which was more literally referred to as Ta-tenen , meaning risen land, or as Tanen, meaning submerged land, though Tatenen was a god in his...
.
Old Kingdom
Old KingdomOld Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
(c. 2686 BCE – 2181 BCE)
- ImhotepImhotepImhotep , fl. 27th century BC was an Egyptian polymath, who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis...
, time of DjoserDjoserNetjerikhet or Djoser is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt. He commissioned his official, Imhotep, to build the first of the pyramids, a step pyramid for him at Saqqara...
— Third dynastyThird dynasty of EgyptFor the Sumerian Renaissance, see Third Dynasty of Ur.The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth... - Prince RahotepPrince RahotepPrince Rahotep was a Prince in Ancient Egypt during the 4th dynasty. He was probably a son of pharaoh Sneferu and his first wife, although Zahi Hawass suggests his father was Huni.-Biography:...
, possibly son of SneferuSneferuSneferu, also spelled as Snephru, Snefru or Snofru , was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt. Estimates of his reign vary, with for instance The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt suggesting a reign from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC, a reign of 24 years, while Rolf Krauss suggests a 30-year reign...
— Fourth dynastyFourth dynasty of EgyptThe fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
Middle Kingdom
Middle KingdomMiddle Kingdom of Egypt
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty, between 2055 BC and 1650 BC, although some writers include the Thirteenth and Fourteenth dynasties in the Second Intermediate...
(c. 2055 BCE—1550 BCE)
- Nubkaura-ankh, from offering table and rock inscription
- Khakaureemhat, papyrus from Lahun
- Maakherure-emhutaat, seal
- Ra, seal
- Khentyhetep Iyemiatib, seal
- Iuefsenef, seal
New Kingdom
New KingdomNew Kingdom
The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
(c. 1550 BCE—1069 BCE)
- Eighteenth dynastyEighteenth dynasty of EgyptThe eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt...
- AhmoseAhmose (18th dynasty)Ahmose was an Ancient Egyptian prince and High Priest of Re during the eighteenth dynasty.-Life:Ahmose was probably a son of Pharaoh Amenhotep II. He was in office as High Priest of Re in Heliopolis during the reign of his brother Thutmose IV...
, son of Amenhotep IIAmenhotep IIAmenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...
. Served during the reign of Thutmose IVThutmose IVThutmose IV was the 8th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt, who ruled in approximately the 14th century BC... - Pawah served during the reign of AkhenatenAkhenatenAkhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
- Ahmose
- Nineteenth dynastyNineteenth dynasty of EgyptThe Nineteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt was one of the periods of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Founded by Vizier Ramesses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne, this dynasty is best known for its military conquests in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.The warrior kings of the...
- Bak (High Priest of Re) Bak was a royal charioteer and later high priest of Re.
- Amenemope, son of the high priest of AmunAmunAmun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
, Parennefer called WenneferParennefer called WenneferParennefer also called Wennefer was a High Priest of Amun during the reigns of Tutankhamen and Horemheb . He was previously thought to date to the time of Ramesses II, but he is now dated to the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty... - MeryatumMeryatumMeryatum was an Ancient Egyptian prince and High Priest of Re, the son of Pharaoh Ramesses II and Nefertari.He is shown as 16th on the processions of princes, and is likely to have been the last child born to Ramesses and Nefertari...
son of Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
and NefertariNefertariNefertari also known as Nefertari Merytmut was one of the Great Royal Wives of Ramesses the Great. Nefertari means 'Beautiful Companion' and Meritmut means 'Beloved of [the Goddess] Mut'. She is one of the best known Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut... - Rahotep served as Vizier as well as high priest of Re during the reign of Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
.
- Twentieth dynastyTwentieth dynasty of EgyptThe Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, New Kingdom. This dynasty is considered to be the last one of the New Kingdom of Egypt, and was followed by the Third Intermediate Period....
- Meryatum IIMeryatum IIMeryatum was an Ancient Egyptian prince and High Priest of Re, the son of Pharaoh Ramesses III. Meryatum was the brother of pharaohs Ramesses IV, Ramesses VI, and Ramesses VIII. He was the uncle of pharaohs Ramesses V and Ramesses VII. His name can also be found as Ramesses Meryatum.Meryatum is...
served during the Twentieth Dynasty - NebmaatreNebmaatre (prince)Nebmaatre was an ancient Egyptian prince and High Priest of Re in Heliopolis during the 20th dynasty. He is likely to have been a son of Ramesses IX since they are mentioned together on a door lintel in a Heliopolis temple...
, likely a son of Ramesses IXRamesses IXRamesses IX was the eighth king of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. He was the third longest serving king of this Dynasty after Ramesses III and Ramesses XI...
- Meryatum II
High Priests of Re archaeological elements
Al-Matariyyah
Al-Matariyyah, Mataria or El Matariya is a district in the northern region of Greater Cairo, east of the Nile, in Egypt. The district is unrelated to the El Matareya coastal region in the Dakahlia Governorate...
district, the site of Heliopolis, contains the underground tombs of High Priests of Re of the Sixth Dynasty
Sixth dynasty of Egypt
The sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and V under the group title the Old Kingdom.-Pharaohs:...
(2345 BCE—2181 BCE), which were found in the southeast corner of the great Temple of Re
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
—Atum
Atum
Atum, sometimes rendered as Atem or Tem, is an important deity in Egyptian mythology.- Name :Atum's name is thought to be derived from the word 'tem' which means to complete or finish. Thus he has been interpreted as being the 'complete one' and also the finisher of the world, which he returns to...
archaeological site. The ancient Masalla Obelisk, or El-Misalla , in Al-Matariyyah is the only surviving element standing of the Re—Atum Temple, constructed by Pharaoh Senusret I
Senusret I
Senusret I was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC, and was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty. He was the son of Amenemhat I and his wife Nefertitanen. His wife and sister was Neferu. She was also the mother of the successor Amenemhat II...
(1971 BCE—1926 BCE) of the Twelfth Dynasty
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
The twelfth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XIII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom.-Rulers:Known rulers of the twelfth dynasty are as follows :...
.