Huni
Encyclopedia
Huni was the last Pharaoh
of Egypt
of the Third dynasty
. He was the successor to Khaba
.
, the wife of Sneferu
who was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty
. Huni was succeeded by Sneferu according to the Papyrus Prisse ("The Instructions by Kagemni"), but it is not known if Sneferu was a son of Huni.
, and if this was indeed the same man as this pharaoh, it is possible that Huni came to the throne at a very venerable age. He is credited with a 24-year reign in the Turin King List
.
Huni established a fortress on the island of Elephantine
, securing the southern border of Egypt at the First Cataract
.
Huni's vizier
was a man named Kagemi.
Huni is sometimes credited with building a great stepped pyramid
at Meidum
which was to be larger than that of Djoser. It was supposedly left unfinished at the time of his death, thus his successor Sneferu
, it is said, completed it near the beginning of his reign. If this view arises from the desire amongst historians to have a significant monument attributed to Huni, there is no evidence that the Meidum pyramid was his burial place. The name of Sneferu, however, has been found at Meidum, and many of Sneferu's children, particularly princes Nefermaat and Rahotep, have been buried in mastaba
s at the Meidum necropolis
. Thus it seems more likely that it was Sneferu who had the pyramid built and, later on during his reign, transformed it from the stepped pyramid into a true pyramid by having its sides smoothed. The pyramid has since collapsed, leaving only its core.
Another pyramid exists which was very likely built by Huni, but this is a small ceremonial pyramid. The ruins of this pyramid have been found at Elephantine. This pyramid was not a tomb, nor did it have a surrounding necropolis or temple complex. Its real function and religious significance remain unknown. However, many similar small, ceremonial, pyramids have been found, built by Old Kingdom
pharaohs throughout Egypt.
The Horus name of the king is not known with any confidence. However, in the late 1960s, the Louvre bought a relief showing a king Horus Qahedjet. For stylistical reasons the relief belongs to the Third Dynasty and it seems possible that it belongs to Huni, whose Horus-name it provides.
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
of the Third dynasty
Third dynasty of Egypt
For 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...
. He was the successor to Khaba
Khaba
Khaba was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom and is generally considered to have reigned near the end of the Third Dynasty. He was successor to Sekhemkhet, and he was probably a son of Sekhemkhet...
.
Family
Huni was the father of Hetepheres IHetepheres I
Queen Hetepheres I was a Queen of Egypt during the 4th dynasty.- Biography :Hetepheres I may have been a daughter of pharaoh Huni. Her title God's Daughter suggests she was the daughter of a king and the most likely candidate is Huni, the predecessor of Sneferu...
, the wife of Sneferu
Sneferu
Sneferu, 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...
who was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty
Fourth dynasty of Egypt
The fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
. Huni was succeeded by Sneferu according to the Papyrus Prisse ("The Instructions by Kagemni"), but it is not known if Sneferu was a son of Huni.
Reign
Huni is mentioned amongst the names of high officials from the court of DjoserDjoser
Netjerikhet 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...
, and if this was indeed the same man as this pharaoh, it is possible that Huni came to the throne at a very venerable age. He is credited with a 24-year reign in the Turin King List
Turin King List
The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is a hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio at Turin...
.
Huni established a fortress on the island of Elephantine
Elephantine
Elephantine is an island in the River Nile, located just downstream of the First Cataract at the southern border of Ancient Egypt. This region is referred to as Upper Egypt because the land is higher than that near the Mediterranean coast. The island may have received its name because it was a...
, securing the southern border of Egypt at the First Cataract
Cataracts of the Nile
The cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths of the Nile between Aswan and Khartoum where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones protruding out of the river bed, as well as many rocky islets. Aswan is also the Southern boundary of Upper Egypt...
.
Huni's vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
was a man named Kagemi.
Huni is sometimes credited with building a great stepped pyramid
Step pyramid
Step pyramids are structures which characterized several cultures throughout history, in several locations throughout the world. These pyramids typically are large and made of several layers of stone...
at Meidum
Meidum
Located about 100 km south of modern Cairo, Meidum or Maidum is the location of a large pyramid, and several large mud-brick mastabas.-Pyramid:...
which was to be larger than that of Djoser. It was supposedly left unfinished at the time of his death, thus his successor Sneferu
Sneferu
Sneferu, 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...
, it is said, completed it near the beginning of his reign. If this view arises from the desire amongst historians to have a significant monument attributed to Huni, there is no evidence that the Meidum pyramid was his burial place. The name of Sneferu, however, has been found at Meidum, and many of Sneferu's children, particularly princes Nefermaat and Rahotep, have been buried in mastaba
Mastaba
A mastaba, or "pr-djt" , is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt's ancient period...
s at the Meidum necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
. Thus it seems more likely that it was Sneferu who had the pyramid built and, later on during his reign, transformed it from the stepped pyramid into a true pyramid by having its sides smoothed. The pyramid has since collapsed, leaving only its core.
Another pyramid exists which was very likely built by Huni, but this is a small ceremonial pyramid. The ruins of this pyramid have been found at Elephantine. This pyramid was not a tomb, nor did it have a surrounding necropolis or temple complex. Its real function and religious significance remain unknown. However, many similar small, ceremonial, pyramids have been found, built by Old Kingdom
Old 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...
pharaohs throughout Egypt.
The Horus name of the king is not known with any confidence. However, in the late 1960s, the Louvre bought a relief showing a king Horus Qahedjet. For stylistical reasons the relief belongs to the Third Dynasty and it seems possible that it belongs to Huni, whose Horus-name it provides.