Hetepheres I

Hetepheres I is believed by some to have been a daughter of Huni, the last king of the 3rd Dynasty, despite the fact that she never seems to have had the title 'daughter of the king'. At least, no monument has been found where she actually is called 'daughter of the king'.
If she indeed was a daughter of Huni, then her marriage to Snofru, who may have been her (half?) brother, reinforced the latter's position as successor of Huni. She bore Snofru at least one son, Kheops, who would come to power after his father's death.

Chair from the Giza cache tomb of Hetepheres I.

Although there is no evidence for her actually been buried there, it is sometimes assumed that Hetepheres' original tomb must have been located at Dashur, near the pyramids of her husband, Snofru.

Cache tomb G7000X, discovered in February 1925 by George Reisner to the North East of the pyramid of Kheops at Giza, contained some furniture and jewellery belonging to the queen. The sarcophagus found in this tomb was sealed, yet empty. A set of canopic jars contained the mummified remains of organs, assumed to be hers. They are among the oldest canopic jars to have been found thusfar.

One of the Queen's Pyramids near the Pyramid of Kheops at Giza is also believed to have been intended for her.


© Jacques Kinnaer 1997 - 2023