| Intef III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Inyotef III, Antef III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Intef III on theSilsileh petroglyph. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 8 regnal years 2069–2061 BC,[1] 2068—2061BC,[2] 2063–2055 BC,[3][4] 2016–2009 BC[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Intef II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Mentuhotep II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Consort | Iah, Henite[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Mentuhotep II,[7]Neferu II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Intef II[7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Neferu-Khayet[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Saff tomb inEl-Tarif known as Saff el-Baqar. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | 11th dynasty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Intef III was the thirdpharaoh of theEleventh Dynasty of Egypt during the lateFirst Intermediate Period in the 21st century BC, at a time when Egypt was divided in two kingdoms. The son of his predecessorIntef II and father of his successorMentuhotep II,[7] Intef III reigned for 8 years overUpper Egypt and extended his domain North against the10th Dynasty state, perhaps as far north as the 17thnome. He undertook some building activity onElephantine.[8] Intef III is buried in a large saff tomb atEl-Tarif known as Saff el-Barqa.[9]
Intef III was the son of his predecessor Intef II. This is indicated by the stela of Tjeti, chief treasurer during the reigns of Intef II and Intef III. Tjeti's stele mentions the death of Intef II and goes on describing how Tjeti served Intef II's son who acceded to the throne upon the death of his father:
Intef III possibly married his sisterIah, described as aking's mother (mwt-nswt),king's daughter (sȝt-nswt) andpriestess of Hathor (ḥmt-nṯr-ḥwt-ḥr).[10] This indicates that Intef III's successor, Mentuhotep II, was his son. This is further confirmed by the stele of Henenu (Cairo 36346), an official who served under Intef II, Intef III and his "son", which the stele identifies as Horus Sankhibtawy (s-ˁnḫ-[jb-tȝwy]),[11][12] Mentuhotep II's firstHorus name.Another piece of evidence for this parentage is a relief on theGebel el-Silsileh in the Wadi Shatt er-Rigal, known as the Silsileh petroglyph, depicting Mentuhotep II surrounded by Iah and Intef III.[8]
Additionally, Mentuhotep II's royal wifeNeferu II bore the title ofking's daughter, and an inscription in her tomb names her mother as Iah.[13] This establishes that she was Intef III's daughter and the sister of Mentuhotep II.[14]
Intef III's father and predecessor reigned for 49 years and Intef III might thus have acceded to the throne a middle-aged[8] or even elderly man.[1] Although Intef III's name is lost in a lacuna of theTurin canon, a king list compiled in the earlyRamesside period, its reign length is still readable on column 5, row 15,[15] and given as 8 years.[8][16][17]
The relative chronological position of Intef III as the successor of Intef II and predecessor of Mentuhotep II is secured by his established parentage to these two kings as well as the Turin canon and two blocks from thetemple of Montu atTod.[8] These blocks show the succession of kings from Intef I to Mentuhotep II and while Intef III's horus name is damaged, its position is certain.[8] The absolute dating of Intef III's reign is less certain and several dates have been proposed: 2069–2061 BC,[1] 2063–2055 BC[4] and 2016–2009 BC.[5]
Intef III inherited a large and relatively peaceful domain in Upper Egypt.[8] Over his 8 years of reign, Intef was militarily active.[1] He successfully defended the territory that his father Intef II had won, as is attested by the tomb of an official of the time, Nakhty, located atAbydos and in which a doorjamb bearing Intef III's names was discovered.[8] He also conquered territories north of Abydos, in particularAsyut[1] and extended his domain perhaps as far as the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt thereby "imposing his family’s control over most of Upper Egypt".[4] Alternatively, this might have been achieved by his son Mentuhotep II, early in his reign.
A doorjamb bearing Intef III's name was uncovered onElephantine in the sanctuary ofHekayeb, a deified nomarch of the6th Dynasty, which shows that he must have ordered work there.[18] Another doorjamb was discovered in thetemple of Satet, also on Elephantine, which attests to building activity on the site.[8]
Coordinates:25°44′12″N32°38′11″E / 25.73667°N 32.63639°E /25.73667; 32.63639
The necropolis of the kings of the 11th Dynasty is located inEl-Tarif, on the opposite bank of the Nile fromThebes. Several saff-tombs of imposing dimensions are found there but, until the excavations of theGerman Archaeological Institute under the direction ofDieter Arnold from 1970 until 1974, it was unclear to whom some of these tombs belonged.[9]
Although no inscriptions could be found in the tombs (except that ofIntef II) to confirm their ownership, their positions, together with the much later-attested chronological succession of the rulers of the 11th Dynasty, led to the attribution of the tomb known today as Saff el-Baqar[9] to Intef III. The tomb resembles that of his predecessorIntef II[8] and consists of a 75 m (246 ft) wide and 85–90 m (279–295 ft) long courtyard on a northwest - southeast axis facing a canal. The courtyard is surrounded, on all sides but the east, by many chambers dug into the rock.[8][9][20] The courtyard leads to a large double-pillared facade totalling 48 columns behind which many more chambers are located.
In spite of the ruined state of the tomb, the 1970s excavations have shown that its walls must once have been lined with sandstone and adorned with decorations.[21]Nowadays, the tomb lies beneath the constructions of a village.
| Preceded by | Pharaoh of Egypt Eleventh Dynasty | Succeeded by |
