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{{Short description|Egyptian princess}}
{{For-text| Neferhetepes, the wife of Userkaf|[[Neferhetepes (wife of Userkaf)]] although she (unlikely) may be the same person – see text}}
{{For-text|another princess with the same name [[Neferhetepes (princess)]]}}


[[File:Louvre 032007 22.jpg|thumb|170px|Statue of Neferhetepes]]
'''Neferhetepes''' (''nefer-hetep-es''; ''[[wiktionary:nfr#Egyptian|nfr]]-[[wiktionary:ḥtp#Egyptian|ḥtp]]-[[wiktionary:s#Egyptian|s]],'' "Her Peace/Grace Is Beautiful") was an [[ancient Egypt]]ian princess of the [[Fourth dynasty of Egypt|4th Dynasty]]; a daughter of Pharaoh [[Djedefre]] who ruled between his father [[Khufu]] and his brother [[Khafre]]. Her mother was [[Hetepheres II]].

== Biography ==
The name of Neferhetepes is known to us from a statue fragment found in [[Abu Rawash]] where her father had a pyramid complex built. She had the titles ''King's Daughter of His Body'' and ''God's Wife''.<ref>{{dodson}}, p. 60</ref>

Neferhetepes was also a [[Priestess of Hathor]], mistress of the [[sycamore]] (''hemet-netjer-hut-hor nebet-nehet, [[wiktionary:ḥmt-nṯr#Egyptian|ḥmt-nṯr]]-[[wiktionary:ḥwt-ḥr|ḥwt-ḥr]] [[wiktionary:nb#Etymology_2_2|nb]][[wiktionary:-t#Egyptian|.t]]-[[wiktionary:nht#Egyptian|nht]]''). She is the earliest attested priestess of Hathor. The title appears on the base of a statue from Abu Rawash.<ref>Robyn A. Gillam, Priestesses of Hathor: Their Function, Decline and Disappearance, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, Vol. 32 (1995), pp. 211-237</ref>
{{hiero|Neferhetepes<ref>Hermann Ranke: Die ägyptische Persönennamen. Verlag von J. J. Augustin in Glückstadt, 1935, p.198</ref>|<hiero>nfr-Htp:t*p-s</hiero>|align=left|era=ok}}

Neferhetepes has been proposed as the mother of pharaoh [[Shepseskaf]] by Ariel Kozloff,{{sfn|Kozloff|1982|p=220}} although for Vivienne Gae Callender there is no evidence in support of this hypothesis.{{sfn|Callender|1994|p=101}}

Until recently, Egyptologists thought it as possible that Neferhetepes was identical to a woman of the same name who was buried in a small pyramid next to the pyramid of [[Userkaf]], the first king of the [[Fifth dynasty of Egypt|5th Dynasty]]. In a document mentioning her funerary cult, Neferhetepes is mentioned as having the title ''King's Mother'' but she didn't bear the title of ''King's Wife''. Since her chapel was modified under the reign of [[Sahure]], second king of the Fifth Dynasty (whose name was found on a fragment in the chapel),<ref>Dodson & Hilton, pp.55, 65</ref> it is likely that she was the mother of either Userkaf or Sahure; the other king is the son of [[Khentkaus I]].<ref>Dodson & Hilton, p.65</ref> However, most recently, reliefs were found near the causeway of king [[Sahure]]'s pyramid. They show that there was a second woman with the name [[Neferhetepes (Userkaf)|Neferhetepes]], wife of Userkaf and mother of Sahure. She lived into the reign of the latter and is therefore most likely not identical with the princess, but is identical to the woman buried in the pyramid next to that of Userkaf.<ref>Tarek El Awady: ''The royal family of Sahure. New evidence'', in: M.Barta; F. Coppens, J. Krjci (Hrsg.): ''Abusir and Saqqara in the Year 2005'', Prague 2006 {{ISBN|80-7308-116-4}}, p. 192-98</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Neferhetepes (Userkaf)|Neferhetepes]], wife of Userkaf

==Sources==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book|last=Callender|first=Vivienne Gae|chapter= Part III. A prosopographical register of the wives of the Egyptian Kings (Dynasties I–XVII)|year=1994|publisher=Macquarie University. School of History, Philosophy, and Politics|oclc=862671624|title=The wives of the Egyptian kings: dynasties I–XVII|url=https://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:28005}}
* {{cite journal|last=Kozloff|first=Arielle P.|title=Weserkaf, Boy King of Dynasty V|jstor=25159780|journal=The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art|volume=69|issue=7|pages=211–223|year=1982}}

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[[Category:26th-century BC women]]
[[Category:26th-century BC clergy]]
[[Category:26th-century BC Egyptian people]]
[[Category:Princesses of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian priestesses]]
[[Category:Djedefre]]
[[Category:Hathor]]

{{AncientEgypt-bio-stub}}