Henutsen
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| Henutsen in hieroglyphs | ||||||
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Personal name:
Henutsen ḥnw.t-sn | ||||||
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Henutsen is the name of an ancient Egyptian queen consort who lived during the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom Period. She was the second or third wife of pharaoh Khufu and most possibly buried at Giza.
Life
Little is known about Henutsen's life. Some scholars believe, that she was the daughter of pharaoh Sneferu,[1] but this is not commonly accepted. Henutsen is not known to have ever borne the title "king's daughter" or "king's bodily daughter", both titles which would have unmistakably designated her as a princess. The only document describing her as a princess is the famous Inventory Stela from the 26th Dynasty (Saite Period). The artifact is identified by scholars as a contemporary fake created by Saitic priests, thus the information about Henutsen's royal status as a princess are questioned.[2] The only royal title that is proven for her is the title of a "king's wife".[3]
Children
Henutsen is known to have given birth to at least two princes, Khufukhaf and Minkhaf. In case that Khufukhaf was not identical to king Khafre, Henutsen maybe was Khafre's mother, too. All her sons are buried at Giza. The mastaba tomb of Khufukhaf was partially destroyed during the Middle Kingdom Period in attempt to make place for a temple of the goddess Isis.[3][4]
