Prehotep II (Vizier)
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Egypt
ian Noble Prehotep II (also known as Rahotep, Parahotep, Prehotep the Younger, Parehotp) was Vizier
, in the latter part of the reign of Ramesses II
, during the 19th dynasty
.
Pahemnetjer
and his wife Huneroy. Parahotep had an older brother named Didia who also served as a High Priest of Ptah
. A seated statue, now in the British Museum
(BM712), depicts the vizier (Pa)Rahotep and on the seat his son Mery, Deputy of the House of Life, his wife Huneroy, who is a chief of the harem of Herishef and his mother-in-law Buia named Khat'nesu are mentioned. Prehotep's wife Huneroy was the daughter of the High Priest of Anhur
, named Minmose.
became High Priest of Ptah
about year 20 of Ramesses II
(ca. 1259 BC). Prehotep may have still been young at that time. It seems that by about year 35 (ca. 1244 BC) - after being in office for 15 years - Pahemnetjer
died or at least stepped down as high priest. That position went to Prehotep's elder brother Didia
. In year 45 (ca. 1233 BC) Didia is no longer High Priest of Ptah
, but the priestly appointment does not go to Prehotep. It is Khaemwaset, the son of Ramesses II
who takes on that role in Memphis, Egypt
. About 5 years later (ca. 1228 BC) Prehotep is appointed as Northern Vizier. At the same time Neferronpet
is Vizier of the South and between the two of them these men head the civil administration of Egypt.
In year 55 (ca. 1223 BC) Khaemwaset dies and following in the footsteps of his father and older brother Prehotep becomes High Priest of Ptah
in Memphis, Egypt
. Prehotep also takes on the position of High Priest of Ra
in Heliopolis. That position he seems to have taken over after the death of prince Meryatum
, the son of Ramesses II
and Nefertari
, who had been in office for almost 20 years. Prehotep held the positions of vizier and high priest of Ptah and Ra until the end of the reign of Ramesses II
, thereby serving as vizier for at least 17 years and as high priest for at least 12 years.
saw two viziers with these slightly different names. However, Cerny in a review of Helck's book draw attention to a scribe at Deir -el-Medina with the same name who appears sometimes as Prehotep, sometimes as Rehotep and concluded that there is only one vizier with the name Prehotep and the variation of the name Rehotep. De Meulenaere saw the main reason for dividing the sources onto two people in the canopic jars of Prehotep. Indeed, there are five canopic jars with his name and titles, while Egyptians in general had only four of them. It was argued that the fifth jar comes from a cenotaph
of the vizier. Supporter for one vizier with that name also argue that there is only one tomb of a vizier Prehotep known and that the sources (so far about 45 objects) better fit to just one person.
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...
ian Noble Prehotep II (also known as Rahotep, Parahotep, Prehotep the Younger, Parehotp) was Vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
, in the latter part of the reign of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses 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...
, during the 19th dynasty
Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt
The 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...
.
Family
Parahotep was the son of the High Priest of PtahHigh Priest of Ptah
The High Priest of Ptah was sometimes referred to as the Greatest of the Masters of the Craftsmen . This title refers to Ptah as the patron god of the craftsmen.The office of the High Priest of Ptah was located in Memphis...
Pahemnetjer
Pahemnetjer
Pahemnetjer was a High Priest of Ptah during the reign of Ramesses II. Pahemnetjer succeeded Huy as High Priest of Ptah and was in turn succeeded by his son Didia.Pahemnetjer was the son of a dignitary named Mahu according to a block from Florence...
and his wife Huneroy. Parahotep had an older brother named Didia who also served as a High Priest of Ptah
High Priest of Ptah
The High Priest of Ptah was sometimes referred to as the Greatest of the Masters of the Craftsmen . This title refers to Ptah as the patron god of the craftsmen.The office of the High Priest of Ptah was located in Memphis...
. A seated statue, now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
(BM712), depicts the vizier (Pa)Rahotep and on the seat his son Mery, Deputy of the House of Life, his wife Huneroy, who is a chief of the harem of Herishef and his mother-in-law Buia named Khat'nesu are mentioned. Prehotep's wife Huneroy was the daughter of the High Priest of Anhur
Anhur
In early Egyptian mythology, Anhur was originally a god of war who was worshipped in the Egyptian area of Abydos, and particularly in Thinis...
, named Minmose.
Life
Prehotep's father PahemnetjerPahemnetjer
Pahemnetjer was a High Priest of Ptah during the reign of Ramesses II. Pahemnetjer succeeded Huy as High Priest of Ptah and was in turn succeeded by his son Didia.Pahemnetjer was the son of a dignitary named Mahu according to a block from Florence...
became High Priest of Ptah
High Priest of Ptah
The High Priest of Ptah was sometimes referred to as the Greatest of the Masters of the Craftsmen . This title refers to Ptah as the patron god of the craftsmen.The office of the High Priest of Ptah was located in Memphis...
about year 20 of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses 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...
(ca. 1259 BC). Prehotep may have still been young at that time. It seems that by about year 35 (ca. 1244 BC) - after being in office for 15 years - Pahemnetjer
Pahemnetjer
Pahemnetjer was a High Priest of Ptah during the reign of Ramesses II. Pahemnetjer succeeded Huy as High Priest of Ptah and was in turn succeeded by his son Didia.Pahemnetjer was the son of a dignitary named Mahu according to a block from Florence...
died or at least stepped down as high priest. That position went to Prehotep's elder brother Didia
Didia
Didia was High Priest of Ptah during the reign of Ramesses II. Didia succeeded his father Pahemnetjer into the office of High Priest of Ptah....
. In year 45 (ca. 1233 BC) Didia is no longer High Priest of Ptah
High Priest of Ptah
The High Priest of Ptah was sometimes referred to as the Greatest of the Masters of the Craftsmen . This title refers to Ptah as the patron god of the craftsmen.The office of the High Priest of Ptah was located in Memphis...
, but the priestly appointment does not go to Prehotep. It is Khaemwaset, the son of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses 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...
who takes on that role in Memphis, Egypt
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
. About 5 years later (ca. 1228 BC) Prehotep is appointed as Northern Vizier. At the same time Neferronpet
Neferronpet
Neferronpet was Vizier and the High Priest of Ptah during the reign of Ramesses II.-Life:The Berlin genealogy dating to the 22nd/23rd dynasty states that Neferronpet was the son of Ptahemakhet. The Pyramidion from Liverpool names Neferronpet's son the God's Father of Ptah Bakenptah, Neferronpet's...
is Vizier of the South and between the two of them these men head the civil administration of Egypt.
In year 55 (ca. 1223 BC) Khaemwaset dies and following in the footsteps of his father and older brother Prehotep becomes High Priest of Ptah
High Priest of Ptah
The High Priest of Ptah was sometimes referred to as the Greatest of the Masters of the Craftsmen . This title refers to Ptah as the patron god of the craftsmen.The office of the High Priest of Ptah was located in Memphis...
in Memphis, Egypt
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
. Prehotep also takes on the position of High Priest of 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...
in Heliopolis. That position he seems to have taken over after the death of prince Meryatum
Meryatum
Meryatum 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...
, the son of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses 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 Nefertari
Nefertari
Nefertari 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...
, who had been in office for almost 20 years. Prehotep held the positions of vizier and high priest of Ptah and Ra until the end of the reign of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses 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...
, thereby serving as vizier for at least 17 years and as high priest for at least 12 years.
Identity with Prehotep I
There is not yet any full agreement in Egyptology whether there were two or just one viziers with the name Prehotep. Indeed, some scolars regard Prehotep I and Prehotep II as one person, others as two. When Flinders Petrie excavated the tomb of Prehotep at Sedment, he found two sarcophagi in the burial chamber and distinguished between Prehotep and Rehotep. However, the second, not well preserved sarcophagus belonged to the wife of the vizier named Huneroy (Hel). Wolfgang HelckWolfgang Helck
Hans Wolfgang Helck was a German Egyptologist, considered one of the most important Egyptologists of the 20th century. From 1956 until his retirement in 1979 he was a Professor at the University of Hamburg...
saw two viziers with these slightly different names. However, Cerny in a review of Helck's book draw attention to a scribe at Deir -el-Medina with the same name who appears sometimes as Prehotep, sometimes as Rehotep and concluded that there is only one vizier with the name Prehotep and the variation of the name Rehotep. De Meulenaere saw the main reason for dividing the sources onto two people in the canopic jars of Prehotep. Indeed, there are five canopic jars with his name and titles, while Egyptians in general had only four of them. It was argued that the fifth jar comes from a cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
of the vizier. Supporter for one vizier with that name also argue that there is only one tomb of a vizier Prehotep known and that the sources (so far about 45 objects) better fit to just one person.
- compare Prehotep IPrehotep I (Vizier)The Ancient Egyptian Noble Prehotep I was Vizier, in the latter part of the reign of Ramesses II, during the 19th dynasty.-Family:...
Monuments
- Stela from Qantir
- Great granite stela now in the Cairo Museum (JdE 48845)
- A naophorous kneeling statue from SaqqaraSaqqaraSaqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...
. - Stela from MemphisMemphis, EgyptMemphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
now in the British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
(BM 183) - The tomb in Sedment which has a statue group of the Vizier and his wife, a sarcophagus, a stela (Cairo JdE 47001), an offering table (Philadelphia Inv. 15413), a column, several tomb scenes and two fragmentary canopic jars.
- A stela from AbydosAbydos, EgyptAbydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
- A squatting Statue from AbydosAbydos, EgyptAbydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
- A votive Pot with the High Priest of AnhurAnhurIn early Egyptian mythology, Anhur was originally a god of war who was worshipped in the Egyptian area of Abydos, and particularly in Thinis...
, Minmose from AbydosAbydos, EgyptAbydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana... - Several other statues of unknown provenance