Trade official of the Sixth Dynasty
He served pepi i (r. 2289-2255 b.c.e.), merenre (r. 2255-2246 b.c.e.), and pepi ii (r. 2246-2152 b.c.e.). Harkhuf was a leader of expeditions below the first cataract of the Nile. Eventually he was named the overseer of foreign soldiers in the service of the throne and the governor of the region south of aswan. On one such journey he captured a dancing dwarf and sent word to the ruler, pepi ii, who was a child at the time. Harkhuf informed pepi ii that he was bringing home the little one as a gift. pepi ii responded with a letter detailing the care and comfort to be extended to the dwarf. He stated that the official would be handsomely rewarded if the dwarf arrived “alive, prosperous and healthy.” The governors of the various territories on the Nile were also notified by pepi ii to offer hospitality to Harkhuf and his cherished traveling companion. The text of Pepi II’s letter is on a wall of Harkhuf’s tomb at qubbet el-hawwa at Aswan.
Harmachis (1) (fl. eighth century b.c.e.)
Prince of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty
He was the son of shabaka (r. 712-698 b.c.e.) and served as the first prophet of amun during his father’s reign. The presence of a royal prince in the Amunite temple in thebes unified the religious and political aspects of Shabaka’s claim to the throne. A quartzite statue of Harmachis was found in karnak.
Harnakhte (1) (fl. 10th century b.c.e.)
Prince of the Twenty-second Dynasty
He was the son of shoshenq i (r. 945-924 b.c.e.). Little is known of Harnakhte’s life or duties in the court of his father, but his tomb was discovered at tanis. The burial site had been plundered, but Harnakhte’s mummy was intact.
Harnakhte (2) (fl. 10th century b.c.e.)
Prince of the Twenty-second Dynasty
He was the son of osorkon ii (r. 883-855 b.c.e.). The prince was named high priest of amun but died young. Buried at tanis with his father, Harnakhte was placed in a coffin that dated to the reign of ramesses ii (1290-1224 b.c.e.). Unfortunately, the sarcophagus was too small, so Harnakhte’s legs and feet reportedly were amputated to make him fit into the funerary container. Both his tomb and that of osorkno ii were despoiled by robbers.
Harnedjheriotef (fl. c. 1760 b.c.e.)
Ruler of the Thirteenth Dynasty, probably succeeding Amenemhet V Harnedjheriotef resided in itj-tawy, the dynastic capital near the faiyum. His origins are undocumented, and in some lists he is called “the Asiatic,” which would attest to a Canaanite ancestry. A statue and a stela bearing his name were found in the Delta, and a commemorative stela was discovered in the city of jericho.
Haronophis (fl. second century b.c.e.)
Egyptian who led a revolt against Ptolemy V Epiphanes (205-180 b.c.e.) He was a Theban who tried to restore a native dynasty in the former capital of thebes and enlisted the aid of Upper Egypt’s nomarchs. His rebellion, aided by charonnophis, was short-lived and confined to the southern territory See also rebels of egypt.
Harpson (fl. eighth century b.c.e.)
Official and sage of the Twenty-second Dynasty
He served shoshenq v (r. 773-735 b.c.e.) as a counselor at court. Harpson could trace his lineage to the reign of shoshenq i and was a Libyan. He served as a prophet of the goddess neith (1) in the Delta.
Harris Papyrus Called the Great, this is a document discovered in a cliff tomb at deir el-medina under a pile of mummies and dated to the reign of ramesses iv (1163-1156 b.c.e.). The most elaborate of extant papyri, this document measures some 133 feet and contains 117 columns. The Harris Papyrus provides a detailed account of the donations made to temples in Egypt by ramesses iii (1194-1163 b.c.e.) and was deposited by ramesses iv, his son, as part of the mortuary rituals involved in the burial of the ruler. The papyrus provides information about three decades of Ramesses iii’s reign. it was written by three scribes and contains sections concerning Ramesses Ill’s patronage of thebes, heliopolis, and mem-phis. The document was dated “the Sixth of Epiphi,” the day of Ramesses iii’s death. it is now in the British Museum, in London. The papyrus was offered to Mr. A. c. Harris of Alexandria, hence its name.
Harsaphes
A sacred ram deity bearing the Greek derivation of the original god, Her-shef, the cult center of Harsaphes was at herakleopolis magna since ancient times. A shrine was erected in his honor as early as the First Dynasty (2920-2770 b.c.e.). His Egyptian name meant “He Who is on His Lake,” and traditions of his cult depict him as a creator god who arose out of the primeval waters. He is mentioned in the Palermo stone and was associated with the cults of the gods re and osiris.
Harsiese (fl. ninth century b.c.e.)
Prince of the Twenty-second Dynasty
He was the son of shoshenq ii (r. 883 b.c.e.) and Queen nesitanebetashru (i) and was made the high priest of amun. Harsiese also served shoshenq iii (r. 835-783 b.c.e.) until pedubaste i (r. 828-803 b.c.e.) founded the Twenty-third Dynasty. The prince sided with Pedubaste and then tried to establish himself as the ruler. Ambitious and popular because of his lineage, he caused difficulties for the royal family in control of Egypt, but he died without having won his cause. He was buried at medinet habu, at thebes.
Harsiese’s mummified skull has a hole in the forehead, made some years before his death and signaling the fact that the medical treatment that he received allowed him to survive the trauma. He was buried in a granite coffin taken from the tomb of henutmire, the sister of ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 b.c.e.). This coffin had a hawk-headed lid.
Harsomtus
He was a divine being resulting from the mystical union of the deities hathor and horus.A mam-misi, or birth house, was erected for Harsomtus at Edfu by ptolemy viii euergetes ii (r. 170-163, 145-116 b.c.e.).
Hat-Aten
This was the title of the villa of the god aten in the city of akhetaten, the ‘amarna site founded by akhenaten (Amenhotep IV; r. 1353-1335 b.c.e.). Queen nefertiti is recorded as living in the Hat-Aten when she moved out of the royal residence after the death of one of her daughters.
Hathor
A major Egyptian deity whose name meant “the House of horus,” in the Early Dynastic Period (2920-2575 b.c.e.), she was esteemed as the consort of a necropolis god called “the Bull of Amenti.” She then became associated with Egypt’s solar cult and was worshiped as the daughter of re and the consort of horus. harsomtus, popular in the Ptolemaic Period (304-30 b.c.e.) was the result of the divine union between Hathor and Horus.
Columns honoring the goddess Hathor at Dendereh.
This goddess was associated with the sky and with the desert. She also served as “the mother” of the pharaohs in early historic periods. Her titles included: Lady of the Sky, Lady of Byblos, Lady of Turquoise, Lady of Faience, Lady of the sycamore, and Lady of the West. When the sun set at night, Hathor protected it from the evils of the darkness and sent it on its path each dawn. in this role she assumed the image of the celestial cow. she was depicted as a cow or as wearing a crown of horns.
Her earliest cultic traditions describe Hathor as sekhat-Hor, an ancient forest deity who nursed the child Horus and kept him safe from the god set. she turned herself into a cow to offer the young god better protection. A reference to her forest origins was reflected in a temple of her cult near modern damanhur in the western Delta. The temple was called “the House of the Lady of the Palm Trees.” As the daughter of Re, Hathor became a lioness who slew humans until she was tricked into a drunken stupor and awoke benevolent again.
The Dendereh temple of the goddess Hathor, once a thriving cult center.
The sistrum, or seses, was her favorite instrument, and the goddess played it to drive evil from the land. The protectress of women, Hathor was also the patron of love and joy. she was a mistress of song and dance and a source of royal strength. In the daily royal RiTES,as shown on temple reliefs, Hathor nursed the ruler or his priestly representative from her breasts, thus giving him the grace of office and the supernatural powers to protect Egypt. she had a mortuary role as well that made her the protectress of the necropolis regions of the Nile. Many New Kingdom (1550-1070 b.c.e.) shrines were erected for her cult, and her most important temple was at dendereh. The inscriptions there give lavish accounts of this goddess, dating to the late periods.
Hathor was associated with several minor goddesses, who were also represented as cows. she was called the mother of Re in some rites because she carried the sun between her horns. Hathor was called the daughter of Re because she was assimilated with the stars, which were Re’s children. She is sometimes seen in tomb paintings as a cow with stars in her belly. in every way Hathor was the benefactress of the nation, and the Egyptians celebrated her annual reunion with Horus by taking her image from Dendereh to edfu, where the divine couple was placed in a chamber for a night. Associated with Hathor’s cult was a group of divine beings called the seven hathors. These deities dwelt in the tree of heaven and supplied the blessed deceased with celestial food in paradise.
Hathorhotep (fl. 19th century b.c.e.)
Princess of the Twelfth Dynasty
She was the daughter of amenemhet iii (r. 1844-1797 b.c.e.). A canopic jar bearing her name and rank was found in Amenemhet’s burial complex at dashur. Hathorhotep’s remains have not been identified.
Hat-mehit
A deity of the city of mendes in the Delta, represented as a Nile carp or as a woman with a fish emblem on her head, Hat-mehit was obscured by the ram-god ba’eb djet at mendes. She was eventually regarded as his consort.
Hatnofer (fl. 15th century b.c.e.)
Courtier of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the mother of senenmut, a counselor of Queen-Pharaoh hatshepsut (r. 1473-1458 b.c.e.). Hatnofer was married to Ramose and was possibly the mother of senenmen, Amenemhet, Minhotep, and pairy. she also had two daughters, ‘Ah’hotep and Nofrethor. The mummy of Hatnofer was adorned with a scarab inscribed with the name of Hatshepsut as “the God’s Wife.” Two amphorae bearing the queen-pharaoh’s throne name, Ma’atkare, were also found in the tomb. Hatnofer was buried in western Thebes, in the seventh regnal year of tuthmosis iii (1479-1425 b.c.e.).
Hatnub
A quarry for travertine, called “Egyptian alabaster,” near ‘amarna in Upper Egypt. The name meant “House of Gold.” The quality of the stone and the yield of the site made Hatnub popular in all dynasties. An inscription dates quarrying activities at Hatnub to the reign of snefru (2575-2551 b.c.e.), and it was active throughout the centuries and in the Roman Period. There were three main quarries at Hatnub. Also on the site are remains of enclosure walls, stoneware, and a worker’s necropolis. The alabaster mined here was used for royal monuments and temples.
Hatshepsut (Ma’atkare) (d. 1458 b.c.e.)
Most successful queen-pharaoh in Egypt’s history, the fifth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She reigned as pharaoh from 1473 b.c.e. until retiring or dying. Her name meant “Foremost of the Noble ones,” and she was the surviving daughter of tuthmosis i and Queen ‘ahmose. She married her half brother, tuthmosis ii, and gave birth to a daughter, neferu-re. Tuthmosis Il’s heir, tuthmosis iii, was the child of a lesser harem lady, iset (1).
When Tuthmosis II died in 1479 b.c.e. from a severe systemic illness, Hatshepsut stood as regent for the heir, who was very young. contemporary records state that she “managed affairs of the land.” Six years later, however, she put aside Tuthmosis III (r. 1479-1425 b.c.e.) and declared herself pharaoh, adopting masculine attire on occasions and assuming the traditional titles. It is possible that she assumed pharaonic titles as early as Tuth-mosis iii’s second regnal year. A tablet in the Red chapel dates it to “Year Two, 2 Perit 29, Third Day of the Festival of amun.” She had the full support of the Amunite priests and the court officials and was accepted by the people as a ruler called “Beautiful to Behold.”
Hatshepsut was well educated and skilled in imperial administration. It is possible that she led military campaigns in nubia and Palestine, and she sent a famous expedition to punt (probably modern Ethiopia). In Egypt, Hatshepsut renovated large sections of karnak and maintained an apartment there. she also erected the Red Chapel, a pair of granite obelisks, a formal route for religious processions, and the eighth pylon in the southern axis of the complex. Near beni hasan, Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III erected the speos artemidos, later called “the Stable of Antar” (after a warrior poet of modern Islam). This was a rock-cut temple of the goddess pakhet. Her cartouches at the Speos were hammered out by seti i (r. 1306-1290 b.c.e.) and replaced with his own.
Hatshepsut also erected her major monument at deir el-bahri on the western shore in thebes. This is a temple with three low, broad porticos, ramps, and terraces. The upper terrace has square pillars that were originally faced with osiride statues of Hatshepsut. in the middle terrace she constructed chapels for the gods Hathor and Anubis. This terrace also contains reliefs concerning the expedition that was sent to Punt. Hatshepsut’s divine birth legend is also depicted here. The bottom terrace has bas-reliefs heralding the raising of her obelisks at Karnak, and the court in front of the terraces had two pools and myrrh trees in ceramic pots. Deir el-Bahri was called Dje-seru-djeseru, “the Holy of Holies,” and was dedicated to Amun-Re, Re-Horakhty, hathor, and anubis.
The reserved area for Queen Hatshepsut in the complex of Karnak. (S. M. .)
Her tomb in the valley of kings, never used, was one of the longest in that necropolis. corridors form half circles from the entrance to the burial chamber. The tomb was not decorated, but limestone slabs, inscribed in red, are featured. A quartzite sarcophagus was part of the funerary material. Tuthmosis I (1504-1492 b.c.e.) was also buried in Hatshepsut’s tomb for a time.
Neferu-Re, her daughter, was groomed as Hatshepsut’s successor and as a “god’s wife of amun.” Some scholars believe that Neferu-Re married Tuthmosis III and bore him a son. Her presence in Hatshepsut’s reign added considerable support. When Neferu-Re died in Hatshepsut’s 11th regnal year, followed by the death or disgrace of senenmut, a trusted ally, the queen-pharaoh became vulnerable.
During her reign, Egypt remained secure, and Hat-shepsut initiated many building projects. Although she professed hatred for the Asiatics in her reliefs, Hatshepsut apparently did not sponsor punitive campaigns against them. When kadesh and its allies started a revolt c. 1458, Tuthmosis III led the army out of Egypt and Hatshepsut disappeared. Her statues, reliefs, and shrines were mutilated in time, and her body was never found. There is some speculation concerning a female corpse discovered in the tomb of amenhotep ii (1427-1401 b.c.e.) and also speculation about a female mummy discovered in the tomb of Hatshepsut’s former nurse, but no identification has been made. it is believed that Hatshepsut’s corpse was hidden from the Tuthmossid allies, and her mummified liver was found in a quartzite box in 1881. A tomb found in Wadi Siqqet Taga el-Zeid contains her crystalline limestone sarcophagus, but there is no evidence of burial there.
The famous “feud” between Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III has been exaggerated over the centuries. The destruction of Hatshepsut’s images did not take place until the 10th regnal year of Tuthmosis III, and the policy was possibly an Amunite rejection of female rule. Hat-shepsut’s own chapel depicts Tuthmosis III paying honors to her as a deceased.
Hattusilis I (Labarnas II) (d. c. 1620 b.c.e.)
Hittite ruler and rival of Egypt
His name meant “Man of Hattusas.” He came to power c. 1650 b.c.e. during Egypt’s Second Intermediate Period (1640-1550 b.c.e.). Hattusilis started his empire by conquering various states around Hattusas, the hittite capital. During a battle at Aleppo, he received a fatal wound and died. He was succeeded on the Hittite throne by his grandson, mursilis i.
Hattusilis III (Khattushilish) (d. c. 1250 b.c.e.)
Hit-tite ruler and ally of Egypt in the Nineteenth Dynasty
He was a usurper who overthrew his nephew, Mursilus iii. involved in wars with Assyria and Egypt, Hattusilis III signed a treaty with ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 b.c.e.), a document that included an extradition clause. hittite royal women were sent to Egypt as part of this treaty, and Egyptian priest-physicians, respected throughout the region, were provided to Hattusilis iii. His wife was Queen pedukhipa, who carried out a long correspondence with nefertari, the consort of Ramesses II. ma’at-hornefrure, probably the daughter of Hattusilis, married Ramesses II.
Haukhet
A divine being, part of the ogdoad of heliopolis, involved in the cosmological traditions of Egypt, Haukhet was depicted as a woman with the head of a serpent. She was the consort of heh, the deity of eternity.
Hawara
This was a royal necropolis in the southern region of the faiyum used by the Twelfth Dynasty. The pyramidal complex of amenemhet iii (r. 1844-1797 b.c.e.), a monument called the labyrinth that served as the mortuary temple of the pyramid, was erected on the site. The temple reportedly contained 3,000 chambers connected by winding passages, shafts, and corridors on subterranean levels. The burial chamber was fashioned out of a single piece of quartzite, estimated by herodotus (in Egypt c. 450 b.c.e.) as weighing several tons.
The Labyrinth had 12 covered courts, facing south and north. Herodotus toured the upper and lower levels and named the complex. All of the walls were decorated with reliefs, and white marble pillars were used throughout. No causeway or valley temple was erected. sobekne-feru (r. 1787-1783 b.c.e.), a possible daughter of Amenemhet iii, completed the pyramid for her father. Little remains of the structure. A nearby necropolis contained wax portraits and graves dating to the later Greco-Roman periods.
Hawawish
This was the necropolis for the city of akhmin, a site on the eastern shore of the Nile, opposite modern Sohag. Old Kingdom (2575-2134 b.c.e.) and Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 b.c.e.) rock-cut tombs were discovered there.
hawk
A symbol of the incarnation of the spirit of Heaven in ancient Egypt, associated in most periods with the god horus. The eyes of the hawk were viewed as the sun and the moon, and the creature was deemed the offspring of the god tem (1). The hawk was worshiped as a divine soul in Tema-en-Hor (modern damanhur) in Lower Egypt and in hierakonpolis in upper Egypt.
headrests
The ancient Egyptian wooden or stone form used as a pillow, the earliest surviving headrest dates to the Third Dynasty (2649-2575 b.c.e.), although they were used from the earliest times in the Nile valley. pillows were not used in Egypt until the later dynastic periods. The headrests, however, were sometimes padded for comfort, as were the formal chairs of court ceremonies.
Hearst Papyrus
A medical document discovered in deir el-ballas, a Seventeenth Dynasty complex, several miles north of thebes, the text dates to the Seventeenth (1640-1550 b.c.e.) or Eighteenth Dynasty (1550-1307 b.c.e.) and repeats much of what was found in the ebers papyrus. A section on the treatment of injured bones is especially interesting. Bites, ailments of the fingers, and other medical matters were discussed in the document. The Hearst Papyrus is now in the possession of the University of california at Berkeley.
heart
The physical organ called hat as a material bodily entity and ab as a spiritual body. The heart was considered the seat of reason, faith, and essence by the Egyptians and was normally left in the body during mummification. A heart scarab was included in the wrappings because the heart testified at the judgment halls of osiris. The heart was weighed there against a feather of the deity ma’at to determine the worthiness of the deceased. Heart amulets were popular in the New Kingdom (1550-1070 b.c.e.) and were fashioned out of carnelian or glass.
Heart,
Divine
An attribute of the god horus the Elder. In some traditions, re was also believed to have a Divine Heart. Two companions, wa and aa, remained always with the Divine Heart.
heb
The ancient Egyptian word for festival. The hieroglyph for the heb is a primitive reed hut on a bowl, depicting vegetation or reed growth in the hut and purity in the bowl. All festivals contained two distinct aspects in Egypt. They were reenactments of past events in history or in traditions, and they were channels for divine graces and aspects of spiritual existence that were manifested in the lives of the participants.
Hebenu
This was a site in upper Egypt, probably the foundation for the modern village of zawiet el-Meiten, that served as a cult center for the falcon, worshiped as the soul of horus. Called bik in Egyptian, the falcon was revered especially in Hierakonpolis as the hawk. The falcon or hawk was an important pharaonic insignia. Hebenu was one of the oldest settlements on the Nile. An unidentified pyramid was erected in Hebenu’s necropolis.
heb-sed
The five-day jubilee celebration of the 30th year of a pharaoh’s reign, this festival was depicted in the step pyramid of djoser (r. 2630-2611 b.c.e.) in saqqara, in the southern tomb area. Djoser was portrayed running a race, being crowned, sitting on the throne of Lower Egypt and then on the throne of upper Egypt, and dispensing gifts to the local priesthoods. The heb-sed demonstrated a ruler’s vigor after three decades and was associated with the god sed, a canine integrated into the cult of wepwawet. Later rulers did not always wait 30 years before celebrating the heb-sed. And some long-lived pharaohs such as pepi ii (r. 2246-2152 b.c.e.) and ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 b.c.e.) celebrated more than one.
Hecataeus of Abdera (fl. fourth century b.c.e.)
Greek historian who authored an Egyptian history c. 300 b.c.e. He was in Egypt in the reign of ptolemy i soter (304-284 b.c.e.). Hecataeus visited the mortuary complex called the ramesseum at thebes and translated the inscriptions on the remains of a colossal seated statue of ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 b.c.e.). He wrote the name of Ramesses as Ozymandias. The statue was originally 66 feet high and weighed 1,000 tons. diodorus siculus copied a great deal from Hecataeus’s history when he composed his work in the mid-first century b.c.e.
Hedjhekenu (fl. 25th century b.c.e.)
Royal woman of the Fourth Dynasty
She was a lesser ranked wife of khafre (Chephren; r. 2520-2494 b.c.e.) and the mother of Prince Sekhenkare. Queen Hedjhekenu was entombed in Khafre’s pyramidal complex in giza.
Heh
The god of eternity, one of the deities of the ogdoad of heliopolis. The consort of haukhet, he was depicted as a man kneeling and holding notched palm ribs, the symbol of years. An ankh, the life sign, sometimes hangs on his arm. The word heh meant millions. Heh’s cult center was at hermopolis magna, and he was the protector of the pharaohs. in some depictions he is shown holding a solar boat.
Heh, the god of eternity, shown seated on a sacred djeba, or perch, carrying rods of life and the ankh, the symbol of life. He wears a solar disk, surmounted by cobras, the protectors of Lower Egypt and the kings of Egypt.
Hekaib (fl. 22nd century b.c.e.)
Official of the Sixth Dynasty and a commander of Egyptian military forces He served pepi ii (r. 2246-2152 b.c.e.) as a military adviser and as a commander of troops. He also led expeditions to the Red sea, where Egypt maintained shipyards that constructed seagoing vessels. Hekaib was murdered while on an expedition to the port of kuser on the Red sea. His body was recovered by his son and returned to elephantine Island in aswan. Hekaib was declared a god by the priests of the temples of Aswan after his death, and a series of small brick shrines were erected with a sanctuary in his honor. A statue recovered depicts Hekaib in the robes of a court official. He was also called “He Who is Master of His Heart,” a reference to his dignified, stately decorum and his public service.
heker
This was the hieroglyph for “decoration” that was used as a vivid border design in the tomb of tuthmosis iii (r. 1479-1425 b.c.e.) in the valley of the kings of thebes. A ceiling of stars completed the adornments in the tomb, along with figures of the am duat, a version of the topic of the dead.
