Keminub Explained

Keminub was an ancient Egyptian queen with the title king's wife.[1] She lived during the Late 12th Dynasty or Early 13th Dynasty of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom.

Burial

Tomb

At Dahshur, the tomb of Keminub was next to the pyramid of Amenemhet II. For that reason, it has been suggested she was his wife.[2] The tomb had been heavily plundered by robbers, leaving only fragments of the coffins, which allowed the archaeologists to identify the names and titles of the Keminub. The tomb is characterized by a long vaulted corridor, mud-brick walls, and a thoroughly looted burial chamber.[3]

Coffin

The style of her coffin and burial is close to burials of the 13th dynasty. She may therefore have been a queen of this dynasty instead. The name of her husband is so far unknown.[4] Keminub was buried together with a treasurer named Amenhotep, who is dated to the 13th Dynasty.

Book of the Dead

On the fragments of her coffin appears one of the earliest attestations of chapter 151 of the Book of the Dead.

Literature

Notes and References

  1. Grajetzki, Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Golden House Publications, London, 2005,
  2. Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004.
  3. Morgan 1903
  4. K. S. B. Ryholt, Adam Bülow-Jacobsen, The political situation in Egypt during the second intermediate period, c. 1800-1550 B.C., Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997