View source for Hetepheres II

{{For|other women with this name|Hetepheres}}
{{Infobox royalty
|type         = 
|consort      = yes
|name         = Hetepheres II<br>{{center|<hiero>Htp:t*p-Hr:r-s</hiero>}}
|more         = 
|image        = Group of Hetepheres II and Meresankh III-30.1456-IMG 4560-white.jpg
|image_size   = 190
|succession   = [[Queen consort]] of [[First Dynasty of Egypt|Egypt]]
|moretext     = 
|reign        = c. 2560 BC
|spouse       = [[Kawab]]<br/>[[Djedefre]]
|spouse-type  = Spouse
|issue        = [[Mindjedef]]<br/>[[Meresankh III]]<br/>[[Neferhetepes]]
|father       = [[Khufu]]
|mother       = Possibly [[Meritites I]]
|birth_date   = c. 2590 BC
|death_date   = c. 2500 BC (aged c. 90)
|death_place  = 
|date of burial = 
|place of burial = Mastaba G 7350, [[Giza East Field]] (?)
Mastaba G 7110-7120, Giza East Field (?)
|religion     = [[Ancient Egyptian religion]]
}}

'''Hetepheres II''' ({{Circa}} 2590 BC - {{Circa}} 2500 BC)<ref name=":0"/> was a queen of [[ancient Egypt]] during the [[4th Dynasty]].

==Biography==
===Birth and family===
Queen Hetepheres II may have been one of the longest-lived members of the royal family of the [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt]], which lasted from c. 2723 to 2563 BC. She was a daughter of [[Khufu]]<ref name=":0">[[Aidan Dodson]] & Dyan Hilton, ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt'', Thames & Hudson (2004), p. 57. {{ISBN|0-500-05128-3}}.</ref> and was either born during the reign of her grandfather [[Sneferu]] or during the early years of her father's reign. She was named after her grandmother, [[Hetepheres I]] and she had an aunt named [[Hetepheres (princess)|Hetepheres A]]. A fragmentary titulature found in the tomb of [[Meritites I]] may indicate that she was the mother of Hetepheres II.
{{clear left}}

;Titles of Hetepheres II
*Daughter of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Khufu (''zat-nesut-biti-Khufu,'' ''[[wiktionary:zꜣt-nswt#Egyptian|zꜣt nswt]] [[wiktionary:bjtj#Egyptian|bjtj]] [[wiktionary:ḫw.f-wj#Egyptian|ḫw.f-wj]]'')
*King’s beloved daughter of his body (''zat-nesut-khetef-meretef, [[wiktionary:zꜣt-nswt#Egyptian|zꜣt nswt]] [[wiktionary:ẖt#Egyptian|ẖt]][[wiktionary:.f#Egyptian|.f]] [[wiktionary:mrt#Etymology 2|mrt]][[wiktionary:.f#Egyptian|.f]]'')
*King’s Daughter (''zat-nesut, [[wiktionary:zꜣt-nswt#Egyptian|zꜣt nswt]]'')
*King’s wife (''hemet-nesut, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nswt#Egyptian|ḥmt nswt]]'')
*King’s wife, his beloved (''hemet-nesut-meretef, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nswt#Egyptian|ḥmt nswt]] [[wiktionary:mrt#Etymology 2|mrt]][[wiktionary:.f#Egyptian|.f]]'')
*Beholder of [[Horus]] and [[Set (deity)|Seth]], (''maat-hor-setesh, [[wiktionary:mꜣꜣ#Egyptian|mꜣꜣt]] [[wiktionary:ḥr#Etymology 2|ḥr]]-[[wiktionary:stš#Egyptian|stš]]'')
*Follower of Horus (''xt [[wiktionary:ḥr#Etymology 2|ḥr]]'')
*Intimate of Horus (''Tist [[wiktionary:ḥr#Etymology 2|ḥr]]'')
*Companion of Horus (''semer[et]-hor,'' ''[[wiktionary:smr#Egyptian|sm]]<nowiki/>[[wiktionary:smr#Egyptian|r]][<nowiki/>[[wiktionary:-t#Egyptian|t]]] [[wiktionary:ḥr#Etymology 2|ḥr]]'')
*Consort of him who is beloved of the Two Ladies (''sem<nowiki/>ayet-meret-nebti, [[wiktionary:s-#Egyptian|s]][[wiktionary:mꜣy#Egyptian|mꜣy]][[wiktionary:-t#Egyptian|t]] [[wiktionary:mrt#Etymology 2|mry]] [[wiktionary:nbtj#Proper noun|nbtj]]'')
*Great favorite (''[[wiktionary:wrt#Egyptian|wrt]] Hts'')
*Controller of the butchers of the acacia house (''kherep-seshem-shendjet, [[wiktionary:ḫrp#Egyptian|ḫrp]] [[wiktionary:sšm#Noun 3|sšm]][tyw] [[wiktionary:šn#Egyptian|šn]][[wiktionary:ḏt#Etymology 3|ḏt]]'')
*Priestess of [[Thoth]] (''hemet-netjer-djehuti, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nṯr#Egyptian|ḥmt-nṯr]] [[wiktionary:ḏḥwtj#Egyptian|ḏḥwtj]]'')
*Priestess of [[Ba-Pef|Bapefy]] (''hemet-netjer-bapef, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nṯr#Egyptian|ḥmt-nṯr]] [[wiktionary:bꜣ|bꜣ]][[wiktionary:pf#Egyptian|pf]]'')
*Priestess of Tjasep (''[[wiktionary:ḥmt-nṯr#Egyptian|ḥmt-nṯr]] TA-sp'')

===Marriages===
During the reign of Khufu, Hetepheres II married her brother, the Crown Prince [[Kawab]],<ref>Rice, Michael. ''[https://ia601900.us.archive.org/2/items/WhosWhoInAncientEgyptByMichaelRiceBySamySalah/Who%2527s%20Who%20in%20Ancient%20Egypt%20by%20Michael%20Rice%20By%20Samy%20Salah.pdf Who's Who in Ancient Egypt]'', Routledge London & New York, (1999). p. 67. {{ISBN|0-415-15448-0}}.</ref> with whom she had at least 2 children, a daughter named [[Meresankh III]] and a son named [[Mindjedef]]. After the death of her first husband, she married another of her brothers, [[Djedefre]] who later succeeded Khufu as king of Egypt.

She was widowed a second time when [[Djedefre]] died. <!--She then married [[Ankhhaf]], another member of the 4th Dynasty royal family. // In Dodson's book a different Hetepheres married Ankhhaf.--> The marriage of her daughter, Meresankh III, to her late second husband's successor [[Khafre]] made Hetepheres II the mother-in-law of the new king. She would later out-live Meresankh III. A mark of her affection for Meresankh III may be seen in the fact that Hetepheres II had her own [[mastaba]] in the eastern cemetery of [[Giza]] converted into a tomb for her daughter's use. Hetepheres II herself was probably buried in tomb G7350 even though she possessed a joint tomb with her first husband, Kawab (G7110 and 7120 respectively).<ref>Dodson, p. 57.</ref>

While marriage within the royal family was common, multiple marriages to this extent was not. It has been suggested her subsequent marriage to Djedefre was honorary in nature and done in order to maintain her position at court.<ref>[[Joyce Tyldesley|Tyldesley, Joyce]]. ''Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt''. p. 46. Thames & Hudson. (2006). {{ISBN|0-500-05145-3}}.</ref> She never produced an heir to the throne in her second marriage and was never given the title of ''King's Mother''.<ref>Tyldesley, p.46.</ref>

Hetepheres finally died early in the reign of [[Shepseskaf]], the son and successor of [[Menkaura]], and had thus witnessed the reigns of at least five and perhaps six (if she was born during the reign of Sneferu) kings of the fourth Dynasty.
==Children==
[[Image:Sphinx of Hetepheres II - fourth dynasty of Egypt.jpg|thumb|right|Hetepheres II depicted as a sphinx, possibly the first, from [[Abu Rawash]] pyramid of [[Djedefre]] – Cairo Museum]]

===Children with Kawab===
*[[Mindjedef]]: "King’s son of his body", "Hereditary prince", "Treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt", etc. His wife was named Khufu-ankh. His tomb is located in Giza: G 7760.
*[[Meresankh III]]: Wife of [[Khafre]].<ref name="ReferenceA" />

===Children with Djedefre===
*[[Neferhetepes]]<ref>Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, pg 72</ref>

===Possible children with Kawab===
*[[Duaenhor]]  <hiero>dwA n Hr</hiero> (Manuel de Codage: ''dwAnHr'') – "King’s son of his body", "Companion of his father". Buried in G 7550.<ref name="ReferenceA">Porter and Moss, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings; Part III.</ref>
*[[Kaemsekhem]]: "King’s son", "Director of the Palace". The wife of Kaemsekhem is named Ka'aper <hiero>kA a:p*r</hiero> (Manuel de Codage: ''kAapr''). He may be the father of Rawer and Minkhaf. His tomb was located in Giza: G 7660.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Queens of Ancient Egypt}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hetepheres 02}}
[[Category:Queens consort of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:3rd-millennium BC births]]
[[Category:3rd-millennium BC deaths]]
[[Category:26th-century BC women]]
[[Category:Children of Khufu]]
[[Category:Djedefre]]