posted 07 March 2005 11:42 AM            

We have neither the mummy of Hetehephres not or Meresankh III. We do have tomb depictions which over the years have faded due to neglect of upkeep.

See the following examples:

This underground chapel of Queen Meresankh III was discovered by the Museum Expedition.

The first photograph, taken on May 8, 1927, shows two pillars with figures of Meresankh, with wall statues of the queen in the adjoining chamber.

On the architrave (cross-beam) above, the painted hieroglyphic "ankh" sign, forming part of the name of "Mer-es-ankh," is visible.

The second photograph of the same view, taken on April 20, 1999, shows how valuable modern color photography is to archaeological documentation. [Back]

This is an old photo of Meresankh III

a newer photo of Meresankh III

http://www.mfa.org/egypt/explore_ancient_egypt/arch_then3.html

posted 07 March 2005 12:57 PM            

Beginning in January 1998, the three queens? pyramids alongside the Great Pyramid were opened to the public.

Tourists are now being told that one of the three originally was built to hold the remains of Khufu?s mother.

As Dr. Zahi Hawass10, Under Secretary for Giza Monuments, stated:

The three small pyramids to the east of Khufu?s pyramid are generally considered to belong to Khufu?s queens. --- Each originally had a small chapel on its side.

The southmost pyramid is the best preserved, retaining much of its core and some of its casing. The central pyramid is generally believed to belong to an unknown queen of Libyan origin, as suggested by George Reisner.

The function of the northern pyramid is the least clear. Because of its proximity to the mastaba of the crown prince Kawab, it is sometimes assigned to his mother, Meritites, who would have been Khufu?s main queen. However, Mark Lehner proposes that it was originally built for Queen Hetepheres I, Khufu?s mother, but was later reassigned as the king?s ritual pyramid when the architectural plans changed. Lehner suggests that the middle pyramid was then used for Hetepheres I.

In an interview given to The Associated Press11 on January 2, 1998, Dr. Hawass made the remarkable statement that: One description of Meryetes said she had blonde hair, adding that she may have come from Libya. But we don?t even know that for sure. Actually it was Reisner who attributed the Libyan origin to the mother of the blond-haired Hetepheres II, but that mistaken notion was dispelled decades ago by Reisner?s colleague and co-author Stevenson Smith12, who pointed out:

. . . The evidence for the Libyan origin of this queen rests only on the red or yellow hair of her supposed daughter, Queen Hetep-heres II, shown in the tomb of Queen Meresankh III. Caroline Ransom Williams long ago pointed out that the red lines across the yellow surface of her headdress must be interpreted as conventional drawing lines, while I have called attention to a similar headdress worn by Zoser?s queen, the lady of the Bankfield Stela, and the mother of Khufu-khaf. Since Reisner has identified the lady represented with Khufu-khaf in G 7140 as Henutsen, the owner of the adjoining Pyramid G I-c, it is unlikely that her hair as well as her dress would so much have resembled those of Hetepheres II unless they were the fashion of the period. Mariette also describes the figure of Merytyetes on her stela as having a pointed shoulder to her dress like that in G7140. It would seem that we are dealing with a wig somewhat like the king?s head cloth in shape and that it is unsafe to give an ethnic interpretation to the yellow coloring which happens to be preserved only in the case of Hetep-pheres II.

30

Like a modern dragoman performing his ages-old calling, Zahi Hawass appears to revel in spinning entertaining tales for those who come to the Giza Plateau to listen. Unfortunately, such tales as one of Khufu?s queens, Merytyetes, having blonde hair and a Libyan heritage and one of the three queen?s pyramids belonging to Khufu?s mother lack veracity. The first is an amplification of Reisner at his worst and the second is a wrong-way revision of one of Reisner?s more solid findings.

But where did Khufu re-bury his mother if Khufu?s three principal wives (his full sister Hetepheres, Merytyetes, and ?Henutsen?) are buried alongside his Pyramid? Good question. We?ll arrive at an answer shortly. But first, What do we know about the burial place of Khufu?s father? Well, we know that Seneferu built both the Red (Northern) and the Bent (Southern) Pyramids at Dahshur. An analysis of the state of completion of pyramid complexes from Dynasty IV kings and related Dynasty III and V rulers is presented in Table 3. From this exhibit, it can be seen that Seneferu?s Northern Pyramid complex is surprisingly incomplete. Certainly, this state of completion is not consistent with: (1) a 50-year reign for Seneferu (See Table 1), or with (2) Seneferu being buried in the Red Pyramid. Khufu simply had too much to finish with the Red Pyramid complex, including the necessary satellite pyramid, valley temple, and causeway, for it to be a burial site appropriate for his illustrious father. Nor could Khufu simply ignore the desires of Seneferu?s other sons and leave the pyramid complex unfinished while burying Seneferu in the Red Pyramid. Khufu?s reign had just begun, and he was very fortunate to be wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt rather one of Seneferu?s first-born sons such as Kanofer or Ankh-haf. It appears that Seneferu was, indeed, buried in the Bent Pyramid at the end of his 24-year reign.

Certainly, the eminent Egyptian archeologist, Dr. Ahmed Fakhry, believed that Seneferu was buried in the Bent Pyramid. Fakhry, who began his excavation of the Bent Pyramid complex in 1951, noted13 that the satellite pyramid of Seneferu, located about 55 meters south of the center of the Bent Pyramid, was cleared in 1946-47 by Abdel-Salam Hussein. Its interior was:

: . . . found to be empty. A quarry mark on one of the stones was incorrectly read as part of the name of Queen Hetepheres, Sneferu?s wife, and some attributed this building to her. But the reading was a mistake, and the chamber inside is so small that it could never have contained a burial, much less the elaborate funerary equipment which was later removed from her original (and still undiscovered) tomb and re-buried near the great pyramid of her son Khufu at Giza. This small pyramid yielded only fragments of broken pottery, and no trace of a burial of any kind.

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hoppes/pyramidc.html

Family Feud?

"Libyan Branch" Theory

Borchardt's theory: death of Kawab brings Djedefre who maries Hetepheres II

Hetepheres II = Libyan princess = blond in tomb scene

Khafre reasserts main line which continues down to Sheseskhaf

Shepseskhaf's sons = Sahure & Neferirkare

Userkaf = prince of "Libyan Branch"

Marries Khentkawes to reconcile feud

All this is based on a tomb scene with Hetepheres II with Blond Hair! = WIG!

Elaborate theory = attempt to discover political history where none is preserved

inappropriate evidence

highly speculative & romantic interpretations

http://cas.memphis.edu/~pbrand/Egypt%20Lecture%20Outlines/4th_dynasty.htm

His wife Meresankh III outlived him, and was buried in a splendid tomb close to her husband's pyramid.

Its wall scenes show the queen with her hair cropped short, wearing the leopard-skin robes denoting her additional priestly role.

Close beside her stands her powerful mother, the dowager queen Hetepheres II, in a bright yellow wig and fashionable dress with peaked shoulders.

Both these royal ladies reflect the prominent roles played by women at Khafra's court.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/khafra.shtml