Intef II
| Intef II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Inyotef II, Antef II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Funerary stele of Intef II, on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
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| Pharaoh of Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 2118–2069 BC, 11th dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Intef I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Intef III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Children | Intef III, Iah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Mentuhotep I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Neferu I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2069 BC[citation needed] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Intef II was a Pharaoh of the Eleventh dynasty during the First Intermediate Period. His capital was located at Thebes. At this time, Egypt was split between several local dynasties.
After the death of the nomarch Ankhtifi, Intef II was able to unite all the southern nomes down to the First Cataract. After this he clashed with his main rivals, the nomarchs of Herakleopolis Magna for the possession of Abydos. The city changed hands several times, but Intef II was eventually victorious, extending his rule north to the thirteenth nome.
After these wars, more friendly relations were established and the rest of Intef's reign was peaceful. The discovery of a statue of Intef II, wrapped in a sed festival robe, in the sanctuary of Heqaib at Elephantine suggests that this king's authority extended to the region of the First Cataract and, perhaps, over part of Lower Nubia by his 30th year.[2] This impression would appear to be confirmed by an expedition led by Djemi from Gebelein to the land of Wawat (i.e.: Nubia) during his reign.[2] Consequently when Intef II died, he left behind a strong government in Thebes which controlled the whole of Upper Egypt and maintained a border just south of Asyut.[2]
The earliest attested dating of the god Amun at Karnak occurs during his reign. The surviving sections of the Turin Canon for the Middle Kingdom with Intef II; it assigns this king a reign of 49 years.[3]
[edit] Burial
Intef's tomb in El-Tarif at Thebes is a saff tomb. Saff stands for "row" in Arabic and refers to the rows of columns and entry ways which are part of the court yard. [4]
The tomb had a large trapezoidal courtyard, with a chapel at the eastern end. This chapel may have been intended to serve the same purpose as a valley temple. According to a Ramesside inscription, a pyramid was part of the funerary complex, but no remains of the pyramid have been found.[5] The Abbott Papyrus mentions that the pyramid was "crushed down upon" the tomb. A stela mentioning the king's dogs was said to be set up before the tomb. A stela mentioning a dog named Beha was discovered, but it was found near the offering chapel, and there is doubt if there was really ever a pyramid. [4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Clayton, Peter A. Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. p72. 2006. ISBN 0-500-28628-0
- ^ a b c Nicholas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford: Blackwell Books, 1992), p. 145
- ^ The Ancient Egypt Web Site, Antef II, (accessed September 7, 2007)
- ^ a b Lehner, Mark. The Complete Pyramids. Thames & Hudson. 2008 (reprint). ISBN 978-0-500-28547-3, pp 165
- ^ Dodson, Aidan. The Tomb in Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson. 2008. ISBN 987-0-500-05139-9, pp 186-187
[edit] Further reading
- W. Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History,Archaeology and Society, Duckworth, London 2006 ISBN 0-7156-3435-6, 12-15
| Preceded by Intef I |
Pharaoh of Egypt Eleventh Dynasty |
Succeeded by Intef III |
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