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Ancient Egyptians - Snefru |
Profile of Pharaoh Snefru Profile of Snefru History Time Period: Old Kingdom Dynasty: 4th DynastyPredecessor: Huni Parents: King Huni and MeresankhDates of his Reign: 2575–2551 BC Principal Wife: Queen HetepheresSuccessor: Khufu aka Cheops King Snefru Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Snefru: Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt was also known as Sneferu. His name means "He of Beauty" and he was also known as the "Beneficent Ruler". Fact 2 on Snefru: History: Snefru ruled as the king of Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom and was the pharaoh and founder of the 4th dynasty of kings which he founded. He succeeded his father, Pharaoh Huni, to the throne of Egypt. Fact 3 on Snefru: Family: His father was King Huni and his mother was Meresankh. King Huni also had a daughter called Hetepheres who would become the consort of her brother, or half brother, Snefru. It was acceptable for the pharaoh to practise incest in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline. Fact 4 on Snefru: Family: Snefru married Hetepheres, whose status and titles included "King's Principal Wife", "God’s Daughter of his body", "Attendant of Horus", "King’s Mother" and "Mother of the Dual King". Their son and heir to the throne was the Crown Prince Khufu (aka Cheops) and their daughter was also named Hetepheres after her mother Fact 5 on Snefru: The king had two 'lesser wives' but their names are unknown. It was acceptable for the king of Egypt to practise Polygamy, meaning he had more than one wife at the same time. Having several wives or concubines in the Royal Harem enabled the pharaoh to maintain the 4th dynasty and ensure the line of succession of his family. Fact 6 on Snefru: Children of the King: Snefru had many other children as well as Khufu and Hetepheres. Sons KhufuAnkhhaf Kanefer Nefermaat Netjeraperef Rahotep Ranefer Iynefer Daughters HetepheresNefertkau Nefertnesu Meritites I Henutsen Fact 7 on Snefru: His many children guaranteed the continuance of the 4th dynasty and the king ensured that the highest ranking positions in the government were held by his children. Fact 8 on Snefru: Nepotism (favoritism granted to relatives) was practised by all of the kings of the 4th dynasty who followed the lead of Snefru ensuring that the wealth and power of the kingdom remained in the family. Fact 9 on Snefru: The name of the High Chancellor (Vizier) to Huni was a man called Kagemi who continued in this prestigious position under the new king. Kagemi was a man of extraordinary talent, often referred to as a 'Sage' and was famous for his sound judgment and prudence. Fact 10 on Snefru: The first action of Snefru and his ministers was to revue the plans for construction, including the future tomb of the pharaoh. The Meidum Pyramid, started in the reign of King Huni, was completed at Meidum, on the edge of the Faiyum, near Crocodilopolis (see map below). Fact 11 on Snefru: The construction of the Meidum pyramid was highly significant as it marked the transition from 'stepped' pyramid structures to that of a “true” pyramid structures in which the sides were made smooth with a layer of limestone. continued... Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet Pharaoh Snefru King Snefru
The Bent Pyramid of Snefru Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet Fact 12 on Snefru: The future, highly ambitious, construction projects of Snefru would include the building of the Bent Pyramidand then the magnificent Red Pyramid (The name derives from the color of the limestone used to build the pyramid). Fact 13 on Snefru: The Bent Pyramid was located at Dahshur, situated 50 km (31 miles)south of Cairo. Dahshur would become the new location of the royal necropolis, and was the first attempt at a smooth sided pyramid. The Red pyramid was the final version. Fact 14 on Snefru: The 'Bent Pyramid' was designed to have very steep sides. But the monument lacked stability and the slope of the building made it too steep to continue. The architects therefore changed the angle of the monument halfway through its construction resulting in the 'bent' shape. It was enclosed with the white limestone from the Stone quarry at Tura. Fact 15 on Snefru: The slope of the lower part of the Bent pyramid had a 55-degree inclination, but the top section was built at the shallower angle of 43 degrees. Fact 16 on Snefru: The architects learnt from the mistakes of the Bent Pyramid and the new Red Pyramidconstruction was designed from the start with the shallower angle of 43 degrees. By the time it was completed, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. Fact 17 on Snefru: The Stone Quarries were of enormous importance to the king enabling the extraction of stone building materials required for his extensive building projects. The stone quarries, together with the copper, turquoise, and malachite mines were located in the desert area surrounding Egypt. Fact 18 on Snefru: The nomadic Bedouin tribes were fiercely fought by the ancient Egyptians in order to keep control of the quarries and mines in the desert areas of the Sinai, Canaan, Syria and Arabia. Fact 19 on Snefru: Military campaigns were launched against Nubia, Libya and Syria. The captives were used to increase the work force who labored in the quarries and mines of King Snefru. Fact 20 on Snefru: Native Egyptians were only conscripted to work for the pharaoh or a few weeks in every year, ensuring the agriculture and commerce of ancient Egypt was not unduly effected. Fact 21 on Snefru: The military efforts of Snefru in Libya led to the capture of 11,000 prisoners and 13,100 head of cattle. Fact 22 on Snefru: The military efforts of the king in Nubia led to the capture of 7,000 prisoners and 200,000 oxen and sheep. His military campaigns against the Nubians were recorded on the Palermo Stone. Fact 23 on Snefru: The area of the Sinai proved to be extremely troublesome and the Bedouin nomads were confronted and defeated by the Egyptians in a series of military campaigns in the Sinai. Fact 24 on Snefru: Snefru also built an Egyptian navy to enable trading expeditions to the neighboring countries on the Mediterranean Sea. A successful trading expedition was sent to the city of Byblos in ancient Phoenicia (modern Lebanon) to obtain cedarwood that used for building ships, making temple doors and expensive coffins refer to Trade in ancient Egypt. Fact 25 on Snefru: One of the cedar wood ships built during his reign was called the 'Praise of the Two Lands' and is the first recording of a ship being referred to by name. Fact 26 on Snefru: King Snefru received the sound advice from his Vizier Kagemi. Another important man in his court was Djedi who held the influential position of the court physician, prophet and magician. (Medicine and magic were inseparable and inherently linked by the Egyptians). The Westcar Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian text containing stories about miracles performed by magicians including those of Djedi. Fact 27 on Snefru: Sneferu was the first king to use the oval cartouche, as opposed to the rectangular serekh, to frame his name when it was written down. Fact 28 on Snefru: The king was succeeded by his son Khufu (aka Cheops) who would build one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Pyramid at Giza. Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet King Snefru and the 4th Dynasty 4th Dynasty Name - Dates of Reign King Snefru - 2575–2551 BC King Cheops aka Khufu - 2551–2528 BCKing Djedefre aka Radjedef - 2528–2520 BC King Khafre or Khafra aka Chephren - 2520–2494 BCKing Menkaure aka Mycerinus - 2490–2472 BC King Shepseskaf - 2472–2467 BCSuccession of the Kings Snefru Snefru |
