| Prehotep II | |
|---|---|
| Vizier | |
 Block statue of vizier Prehotep, from Abydos | |
| Successor | Prehotep I (Vizier) |
| Dynasty | 19th Dynasty |
| Pharaoh | Ramesses II |
| Father | Pahemnetjer |
| Mother | Huneroy |
| Wife | Huneroy |
| Children | Mery, Deputy of the House of Life |
| Burial | Sedment |
Theancient Egyptian noblePrehotep II (also known asRahotep, Parahotep, Prehotep the Younger, Parehotp) wasVizier in the latter part of the reign ofRamesses II, during the19th Dynasty.[1][2]
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| Prehotep inhieroglyphs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Parahotep was the son of theHigh Priest of PtahPahemnetjer and his wife Huneroy. Parahotep had an older brother named Didia who also served as aHigh Priest of Ptah. A seated statue, now in theBritish Museum (BM712), depicts the vizier (Pa)Rahotep and on the seat his son Mery, Deputy of the House of Life, his wife Huneroy, who is a chief of the harem of Herishef and his mother-in-law Buia named Khat'nesu are mentioned. Prehotep's wife Huneroy was the daughter of the High Priest ofAnhur, named Minmose.[1]
Prehotep's fatherPahemnetjer becameHigh Priest of Ptah about year 20 ofRamesses II (ca. 1259 BC). Prehotep may have still been young at that time. It seems that by about year 35 (ca. 1244 BC) – after being in office for 15 years –Pahemnetjer died or at least stepped down as high priest. That position went to Prehotep's elder brotherDidia. In year 45 (ca. 1233 BC) Didia is no longerHigh Priest of Ptah, but the priestly appointment does not go to Prehotep. It isKhaemwaset, the son ofRamesses II who takes on that role inMemphis, Egypt. About 5 years later (ca. 1228 BC) Prehotep is appointed as Northern Vizier. At the same timeNeferronpet is Vizier of the South and between the two of them these men head the civil administration of Egypt.
In year 55 (ca. 1223 BC),Khaemwaset dies and following in the footsteps of his father and older brother Prehotep becomesHigh Priest of Ptah inMemphis, Egypt. Prehotep also takes on the position of High Priest ofRa in Heliopolis. That position he seems to have taken over after the death of princeMeryatum, the son ofRamesses II andNefertari, who had been in office for almost 20 years. Prehotep held the positions of vizier and high priest of Ptah and Ra until the end of the reign of Ramesses II, thereby serving as vizier for at least 17 years and as high priest for at least 12 years.[2]
There is not yet any full agreement in Egyptology whether there were two or just one viziers with the name Prehotep. Indeed, some scholars regard Prehotep I and Prehotep II as one person, others as two. WhenFlinders Petrie excavated the tomb of Prehotep at Sedment, he found two sarcophagi in the burial chamber and distinguished between Prehotep and Rehotep. However, the second, not well preserved sarcophagus belonged to the wife of the vizier named Huneroy (Hel).Wolfgang Helck saw two viziers with these slightly different names. However, Cerny in a review of Helck's book draw attention to a scribe at Deir -el-Medina with the same name who appears sometimes as Prehotep, sometimes as Rehotep and concluded that there is only one vizier with the name Prehotep and the variation of the name Rehotep.[3] De Meulenaere saw the main reason for dividing the sources onto two people in the canopic jars of Prehotep. Indeed, there are five canopic jars with his name and titles, while Egyptians in general had only four of them. It was argued that the fifth jar comes from acenotaph of the vizier. Supporter for one vizier with that name also argue that there is only one tomb of a vizier Prehotep known and that the sources (so far about 45 objects) better fit to just one person.[4]
