| Ankhhaf | |
|---|---|
| Prince ofEgypt Vizier | |
 | |
| Dynasty | 4th |
| Pharaoh | Khufu Djedefre Khafre |
| Burial | Mastaba G 7510,Giza |
| Spouse | Hetepheres A |
| Father | Sneferu |
Ankhhaf was an Egyptian prince and served as an overseer during the reign of the PharaohKhufu, who is thought to have been Ankhhaf's half-brother. One of Ankhaf's titles is also as a vizier, but it is unknown under which pharaoh he would have held this title. He lived during Egypt's4th Dynasty[1] (c. 2613 toc. 2494 BC).
Ankhhaf was likely a son of the pharaohSneferu and an unknown wife.[2] Ankhhaf's tomb inGiza (G 7510) depicts his sister-wifePrincess Hetepheres. Hetepheres is thought to have been the eldest daughter of Sneferu and QueenHetepheres I and thus Ankhhaf's half-sister.[3] Hetepheres had the titles "eldest king's daughter of his body", "the one whom he loves" (sat nswt n khtf smst mrt.f) and "Priestess of Sneferu" (hmt-nTr Snfrw).[4] Ankhhaf and Hetepheres had a daughter, who was the mother of their grandsonAnkhetef.[5]
Ankhhaf had the titles "eldest king's son of his body" (sanswtnkhtfsmsw), "vizier" and "the great one of Five of the house ofThoth" (wrdjwpr-Djehuti).[4]
Ankhhaf is thought to have been involved with the building of theGreat Pyramid of Giza and likely played a role in the construction of theSphinx[citation needed]. In 2013 a collection of papyri fragments, theDiary of Merer, was discovered at the ancient Harbor of Khufu atWadi al-Jarf. The logs from an inspector named Merer appear to date from the 27th year of Khufu's reign and record months worth of operations transporting limestone from Tura to Giza. The records refer to an administrative center namedRo-She Khufu which was under the authority of the Vizier Ankhhaf. According to EgyptologistPierre Tallet, this would place him in charge of the construction of the pyramid towards the end of the project. Though the diary does not specify, Tallet believes the operations refer to the delivery of theTuralimestone used for the casing.[6] In the papyrus Ankhkhaf is callednobleman (iry-pat) andoverseer of Ra-shi-Khufu. The latter place was the harbor at Giza where the stones for the pyramid building arrived.[7]
Ankhaf'smastaba tomb, G 7510, was one of the largest in the eastern cemetery at Giza.[5] The tomb was dated to the reign ofKhafre by Reisner. More recently a study of the architecture, iconography and titles of the occupants has led to a reassessment and the tomb likely spans the reigns of Khufu,Djedefre and Khafre.[4]
A superb and realistic paintedlimestone portraitbustof Ankhhaf discovered in his tomb is considered the work "of a master" ofancient Egyptian art from the time of theOld Kingdom, and can be seen at theMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston.[8] Its catalog number is Museum Expedition 27.442.
