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{{Short description|Egyptian pharaoh}}
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{{Infobox pharaoh
|Name=Neferhotep I 
|Image=Neferhotep KS 1799 01c.JPG
|Caption=Statue of Neferhotep I from the [[Faiyum]], [[The Archeological Civic Museum (MCA) of Bologna|Archaeological Museum of Bologna]].<ref>Pernigotti, S.: ''La statuaria egiziana nel Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna'', Bologna (1980), 29&ndash;30, pl.27&ndash;29.</ref>
|image_size=250px
|Predecessor= [[Sobekhotep III]]
|coregency = [[Sihathor]], then [[Sobekhotep IV]]
|Successor= Sihathor as coregent, then [[Sobekhotep IV]]
|reign = 11 years and 1&ndash;4 months,<ref name=ryholt/><ref name=encyclo/> 1747—1736 BC,<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Egyptian King List|editor-last=Redford|editor-first=Donald B.|editor-link=Donald B. Redford|year=2001|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-510234-5|pages=626–628}}</ref> 1742&ndash;1733 BC,<ref name=ryholt/> 1741&ndash;1730 BC,<ref name=grimal/> c. 1740 BC,<ref name=rice>Rice, Michael: ''Who is who in Ancient Egypt'', Routledge London & New York 1999, {{ISBN|0-203-44328-4}}, see p. 131.</ref> 1740&ndash;1729 BC,<ref name=callender>Callender, Gae: ''The Middle Kingdom Renaissance (c. 2055&ndash;1650 BC)'' in [[Ian Shaw (Egyptologist)|Ian Shaw]] (editor): ''The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt'', Oxford University Press (2004), {{ISBN|978-0-19-280458-7}}.</ref> 1721&ndash;1710 BC,<ref name=hornung/> 1705&ndash;1694 BC,<ref name=schneider>[[Thomas Schneider (Egyptologist)|Schneider, Thomas]]: ''Lexikon der Pharaonen'', Patmos (2002), {{ISBN|978-3-491-96053-4}}. {{OL|20721418M}}.</ref>
|Dynasty=[[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|13th Dynasty]]
|Horus=Geregtawy<br>''Grg-t3.wj''<br>''Founder of the two lands''
|horus_hiero = <hiero>grg:N19</hiero>
|Nebty=Wepmaat <br>''Wp-m3ˁ.t''<br>''He who accomplishes the [[Maat]]''
|nebty_hiero=<hiero>wp:p*Z9-U5:a-t:mDAt-Sw</hiero>
|Golden=Menmerut<br>''Mn-mrwt''<br>''Stable of love''<br><hiero>G8-mn:n-U7:r-w-t</hiero><br>'''[[Turin King List|Turin canon]]<ref>[[Alan Gardiner|Gardiner, Alan]]: ''The royal canon of Turin'', Griffith Institute new edition (1988). {{ISBN|978-0900416484}}.</ref>'''<br>Kha[...]re Neferhotep''<br>Ḫˁ-Rˁ-...-nfr-htp''<br>''[...] of Ra appears, he who is beautiful and peaceful''<br>
<hiero><-N5-xa:a-HASH-nfr-R4:t-p->-G7</hiero><br>'''[[Karnak king list]]'''<br>Khasekhemre<br>''Ḫˁ-sḫm-Rˁ''<br>''The might of Ra appears''<br><hiero><-ra-xa-Y8-></hiero>
|Prenomen=Khasekhemre<br>''Ḫˁ-sḫm-Rˁ''<br>''The might of [[Ra]] appears''
|PrenomenHiero=<hiero>ra-N28:D36-sxm</hiero>
|Nomen=Neferhotep<br>''Nfr-ḥtp''<br>''Beautiful and peaceful''
|NomenHiero=<hiero>nfr-Htp:t*p</hiero>
|father = [[Haankhef]]
|spouse = [[Senebsen]]
|mother = Kemi
|children = Haankhef, Kemi, [[Wahneferhotep]]
|burial = Possibly [[S 9 (Abydos)|tomb S9]] in [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]], see [[Neferhotep I#Tomb|text]]
}}

'''Khasekhemre Neferhotep I''' was an [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[pharaoh]] of the mid [[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|Thirteenth Dynasty]] ruling in the second half of the 18th century BC<ref name=ryholt>[[Kim Ryholt|Ryholt, K.S.B]]: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ANRi7cM5ZwsC&q=Neferhotep+I The Political Situation in Egypt During the Second Intermediate Period, c.1800–1550 BC]'', Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, '''20'''. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, (1997). {{ISBN|8772894210}}. {{LCCN|98198517}}. {{OL|474149M}}.</ref> during a time referred to as the late [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] or early [[Second Intermediate Period]], depending on the scholar. One of the best attested rulers of the 13th Dynasty, Neferhotep I reigned for 11 years according to the [[Turin King List]].<ref>[[Kim Ryholt|K.S.B. Ryholt]]: ''The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c.1800-1550 BC'', Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, vol. 20. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997, p.192</ref>

The grandson of a non-royal townsman from a [[Thebes, Egypt|Theban]] family with a military background, Neferhotep I's relation to his predecessor [[Sobekhotep III]] is unclear and he may have usurped the throne. Neferhotep I was likely contemporaneous with kings [[Zimri-Lim]] of [[Mari, Syria|Mari]] and [[Hammurabi]] of [[Babylon]]. Little is known of his activities during his decade-long reign and the most important document surviving from his rule is a [[stela]] from [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]] recounting the fashioning of an image of [[Osiris]] and Neferhotep's determination that it be made "as instructed by the gods at the beginning of time".<ref name=rice/>

Towards the end of his reign, Neferhotep I shared the throne with his brother [[Sihathor]], a coregency that lasted a few months to a year.<ref name=graj1/> Sihathor died shortly before Neferhotep, who probably then appointed another brother, [[Sobekhotep IV]], as coregent. In any case, Sobekhotep IV succeeded Neferhotep I soon afterwards, and reigned over Egypt for almost a decade. The reigns of the two brothers mark the apex of the 13th Dynasty.

==Family==
[[File:Haankhef&KemaScarabsPetrie.png|thumb|left|250px|[[Scaraboid seal|Scarab seal]]s of the "Royal sealer, god's father Haankhef", father of Neferhotep I and the "member of the elite, king's daughter Kema", daughter of Neferhotep I.<ref name="PetrieScarab">[[Flinders Petrie|Petrie, Flinders]], ''[https://archive.org/details/scarabscylinders00petr Scarabs and Cylinders with Names]'' (1917), pl. XVIII.</ref>]]

===Origins===
Neferhotep I seems to have come from a non-royal family of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] with a military background.<ref name=rice/> 
His grandfather, Nehy, held the title "officer of a town regiment". Nehy was married to a woman called Senebtysy. Nothing is known about her other than that she held the common title "lady of the house". Their only known son was called [[Haankhef]].<ref name=ryholt/>

Haankhef always appears in the sources as "God's father" and "royal sealer" and his wife Kemi as "king's mother" indicating that neither of them was of royal birth. The parentage of Neferhotep and Haankhef is directly confirmed by a number of scarab seals from [[El-Lahun]] where the latter is said to be the father of the former.<ref name=ryholt/> Haankhef is also explicitly recorded as the father of Neferhotep&nbsp;I in the [[Turin King List|Turin canon]], a king list compiled during the early [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Ramesside era]] and which serves as the primary historical source for the rulers of this time period. This is an extremely rare occurrence as the Turin canon normally only names the pharaohs, while non-royal people are excluded from the list. Beyond Haankhef, the only other exception to this rule is the father of [[Sobekhotep II]].<ref name=ryholt/>

Egyptologists have noted that instead of hiding their non-royal origins, Neferhotep I, his predecessor Sobekhotep III, and his successor Sobekhotep IV, remarkably, proclaimed them on their stelae and scarab seals.<ref name=ryholt/> This is at odds with the traditional Egyptian system where the legitimacy of the new king rests mainly on his filiation. These proclamations of non-royal origins were possibly made to dissociate these kings from their immediate predecessors, in particular [[Seth Meribre]] whose monuments have been usurped and defaced.<ref name=ryholt/> The reason for this remains unknown.<ref name=ryholt/>

===Descendants and succession===
Inscriptions from Aswan indicate that Neferhotep I had at least two children, named Haankhef and Kemi like his parents, with a woman called Senebsen.<ref name=ryholt/><ref>[[Labib Habachi|Habachi, Labib]]: ''New Light on the Neferhotep I Family, as Revealed by Their Inscriptions in the Cataract Area'' in: ''Mélange Dunham'', Londres 1981, pp. 77&ndash;81.</ref> He also possibly had another son named [[Wahneferhotep]].<ref name=scepter/> In spite of this, Neferhotep I named his brother Sihathor as coregent in the last months of his reign and when both Sihathor and Neferhotep I died around the same time, they were succeeded by another brother, Sobekhotep IV.<ref name=ryholt/><ref name=dewatcher>Dewachter, Michel: ''Le roi Sahathor et la famille de Neferhotep I'', Revue d'égyptologie, {{ISSN|0035-1849}} (1976) '''28''', p.&nbsp;66–73.</ref>

Sobekhotep IV, whose reign marks the apex of the [[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|13th Dynasty]], mentions on a stela (Cairo JE 51911) that was placed in the temple of [[Amun]] at [[Karnak]] that he was born in Thebes:<ref>Vernus, Pascal: "[http://www.segweb.ch/fichpdf/13Vern.pdf ''Sur deux inscriptions du Moyen Empire (Urk. VII, 36 ; Caire JE. 51911)'']", ''Bulletin de la Société d'Égyptologie'', Genève (BSEG) '''13''', (1989), p.&nbsp;173–181. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100123/http://www.segweb.ch/fichpdf/13Vern.pdf|date=2015-09-24}}.</ref>
<blockquote>My majesty [came] to the Southern City since I wanted to see the august god; it is my city in which I was born.&nbsp;... I saw the vigor of his majesty <small>(i.e. Amun)</small> at every single feast when I was a child who could not yet conceive.</blockquote>
Similarly, Neferhotep I could well have been born in Thebes; even though the capital of Egypt during the 13th Dynasty was still [[Itjtawy]] in the north, near the modern village of [[el-Lisht]].

==Reign==

===Attestations===
[[File:NeferhotepScarabPetrie.png|thumb|right|180px|Scarab reading "Son of Re, Neferhotep, born of the Royal Mother, Kemi".<ref name="PetrieScarab"/>]]
;Artefacts
Neferhotep I is known from a relatively high number of objects found over a large area, from [[Byblos]] to the north to the Egyptian fortresses of [[Buhen]]<ref>Jewellery from at Buhen, now in the [[University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology]] E 10755, initially attributed to Amenemhat III, then reattributed to Neferhotep I. Reference: David Randall-MacIver, Sir Leonard Woolley: ''Buhen'', Philadelphia: University Museum 1911, [https://archive.org/details/buhen07rand available online] p. 192, 201, 234, pl. 74.</ref> and [[Mirgissa]]<ref>Seal impression of Neferhotep I at Mirgissa. Reference: Dows Dunham, George Andrew Reisner, Noel F Wheeler: ''Uronarti, Shalfak, Mirgissa'', Boston Museum of Fine Arts (1967), p. 163 and 172.</ref> in Lower [[Nubia]] to the south<ref name=encyclo/> through all parts of Egypt, especially in the southern portion of Upper Egypt.<ref name=encyclo/> A single attestation is known from Lower Egypt, a scarab from [[Leontopolis (Heliopolis)|Tell el-Yahudiya]].<ref name=ryholt/><ref>[[Percy Newberry|Newberry, Percy E.]]: ''Scarabs an introduction to the study of Egyptian seals and signet rings, with forty-four plates and one hundred and sixteen illustrations in the text'', (1906), see plate X no 5, and page 122.</ref> Other attestations include over 60 [[Scaraboid seal|scarab seals]],<ref name=scepter>[[William C. Hayes|Hayes, William C.]]: ''[http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Scepter_of_Egypt_Vol_1_From_the_Earliest_Times_to_the_End_of_the_Middle_Kingdom ''The Scepter of Egypt: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities''] in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 1, From the Earliest Times to the End of the Middle Kingdom'', MET Publications (1978), available online], see p. 342&ndash;344 and p. 349&ndash;350.</ref><ref name=tufnell>[[Olga Tufnell|Tufnell, Olga]]: Studies on Scarab Seals, '''II''', Aris & Philips, Warminster, 1984, pp. 142, 180 [2nd, 4th&ndash;9th, 11th&ndash;13th], see also seals No. 1788, 1803, 2898&ndash;2899, 3110&ndash;3116, 3118&ndash;3130.</ref><ref>Two seals of Neferhotep I in the [[Petrie Museum]] on [http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/chronology/2interkings/neferhotepI.html Digital Egypt]. See also on the online catalog of the museum [http://petriecat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&database=ChoiceUCLPC&search=accession_number=%20%27UC11542%27&limit=10&SRT0=&TYP0=&SEQ0=&position=1 here]{{Dead link|date=August 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} and [http://petriecat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&database=ChoiceUCLPC&search=accession_number=%20%27UC11539%27&limit=10&SRT0=&TYP0=&SEQ0=&position=1 here]{{Dead link|date=August 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}.</ref><ref>Two scarabs of Neferhotep I in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]: [http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/544378] and [http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/556397]</ref> 2 cylinder-seals,<ref>[[Jean Yoyotte|Yoyotte, Jean]]: ''[http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bifao/Bifao056_art_08.pdf Le Soukhos de la Maréotide et d'autres cultes régionaux du Dieu-Crocodile d'après les cylindres du Moyen Empire]'', ''Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archeologie Orientale'' (BIFAO) '''56''', (1957), p. 81&ndash;95.{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006074642/http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bifao/Bifao056_art_08.pdf|date=2014-10-06}} see p. 86 1.o</ref><ref>[[Flinders Petrie]]: ''Buttons and Design Scarabs'', 1925, pl. XXIV and XXVI.</ref> a statue from [[Elephantine]],<ref>[[Labib Habachi|Habachi, Labib]], Gerhard Haeny et Friedrich Junge: ''Elephantine IV : The Sanctuary of Heqaib'', Philippe von Zabern, Mainz, 1985, p. 115, pl. 201&ndash;202 [a-b].</ref> and 11 rock inscriptions from Wadi el Shatt el-Rigal,<ref>[[Flinders Petrie|Petrie, Flinders]]: ''A season in Egypt'', 1888, XV [479].</ref> [[Sehel Island]],<ref name="Lepsius"/><ref>Delia, Robert: ''New Rock Inscriptions of Senwosret III, Neferhotep I, Penpata, and Others at the First Cataract'', Bulletin of the Egyptological Seminar (BES) 1992, vol.11 1991, p. 5&ndash;22.</ref><ref name=morgan/> Konosso<ref name="Lepsius">[[Karl Richard Lepsius|Lepsius, Karl Richard]]: ''[https://archive.org/details/denkmaler-aus-aegypten-und-aethiopien/denkmaeler-1/ Denkmäler aus Ägypten und Äthiopien]'', (1849), Tafel II, Band IV, see p. 151 plates g and h.</ref><ref name=morgan>[[Jacques de Morgan]],  U. Bouriant, [[Georges Legrain]], [[Gustave Jéquier]], [[Alessandro Barsanti]]: ''Catalogue des monuments et inscriptions de l'Égypte antique, Tome I'' (1894).</ref> and [[Philae]].<ref name=dewatcher/><ref name=morgan/> The inscriptions record the members of Neferhotep's family as well as two high officials serving him "The royal acquaintance [[Nebankh]]" and the "[[Treasurer (Ancient Egypt)|Treasurer]] [[Senebi]]".<ref name=ryholt/> 
Two stelae are known from [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]] one of which, usurped from king [[Wegaf]] and dated to his fourth regnal year, forbids the construction of tombs on the sacred processional way of [[Wepwawet]].<ref name=callender/><ref>Stela Cairo JE 35256, description and analysis in Anthony Leahy: ''A Protective Measure at Abydos in the Thirteenth Dynasty'', ''Journal of Egyptian Archaeology''. (1989), '''75''', pp. 41&ndash;60.</ref> 
Two [[Naos (hieroglyph)|naoses]] housing two statues each of Neferhotep, as well as a pedestal bearing Neferhotep's and Sobekhotep IV's cartouches, have been found in Karnak.<ref name=ryholt/><ref name=mariette>[[Auguste Mariette|Mariette-Bey, Auguste]]: ''[http://www.cfeetk.cnrs.fr/index.php?page=document&n=285 Karnak. Étude topographique et archéologique avec un appendice comprenant les principaux textes hiéroglyphiques découverts ou recueillis pendant les fouilles exécutées a Karnak]'', Leipzig, (1875). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711102901/http://www.cfeetk.cnrs.fr/index.php?page=document&n=285|date=2016-07-11}} see p. 45 pl. 8.</ref> There are also a few attestations from the [[Faiyum]] region where the capital of Egypt was located at the time, in particular a statuette of the king dedicated to [[Sobek]] and [[Horus]] of [[Crocodilopolis|Shedet]], now on display in the [[The Archeological Civic Museum (MCA) of Bologna|Archaeological Museum of Bologna]].<ref name=encyclo/>

;King lists
Beyond these contemporary attestations, Neferhotep is listed on the 34th entry of the [[Karnak king list]]<ref>Entry 37th in the numbering followed by Baker in his encyclopedia of the pharaohs</ref> as well as the 7th column, 25th row of the Turin canon.<ref name=encyclo/><ref>Following [[Kim Ryholt]]'s reconstruction of the Turin canon. This corresponds to the 6th column, 25th row in [[Alan Gardiner]] and [[Jürgen von Beckerath]]'s reading of the canon.</ref> The Turin king list credits Neferhotep with a reign of 11 years and 1 to 4 months, the second or third longest of the dynasty after [[Merneferre Ay]] (23 years) and Sobekhotep IV (9&ndash;12 years).<ref name=ryholt/>

===Chronology===
[[File:Neferhotep I 3.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Inscription on Sehel island showing [[Anukis]] giving the life sign to Neferhotep I.<ref name="Lepsius"/>]]
Neferhotep I's relative chronological position is secured thanks to the Turin canon as well as contemporary attestations. He was the successor of Sobekhotep III and predecessor of Sobekhotep IV. Since his father Haankhef and mother Kemi are also well attested and not known to have had any title beyond those of "God's father" and "King's mother", respectively, Egyptologists such as [[Kim Ryholt]] and Darrell Baker believe that Neferhotep I was of non-royal birth and usurped the throne. The military background of his family might have played a role in this.<ref name=encyclo>Baker, Darrell D.: ''The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I - Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300–1069 BC'', Stacey International, {{ISBN|978-1-905299-37-9}}, (2008), p. 252&ndash;254.</ref>

On the other hand, the absolute chronological position of Neferhotep is debated, with Ryholt and Baker seeing him respectively as the 26th and 27th pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty while [[Detlef Franke]] and [[Jürgen von Beckerath]] contend that he was only the 22nd ruler.<ref name=hornung>[[Erik Hornung]] (editor), Rolf Krauss (editor), David A. Warburton (editor): ''[https://archive.org/details/AncientEgyptianChronology Ancient Egyptian Chronology]'', Handbook of Oriental Studies, Brill 2012, {{ISBN|978-90-04-11385-5}}, see p. 176 & p. 492.</ref><ref>[[Jürgen von Beckerath]]: ''Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen'', Münchner ägyptologische Studien, Heft 49, Mainz : Philip von Zabern, 1999, {{ISBN|3-8053-2591-6}}, see pp.96&ndash;97, king No 22.</ref> Similarly, the absolute dating of Neferhotep's reign varies by as much as 40 years between the scholars, with Kim Ryholt dating the beginning of his reign c. 1740 BC and Thomas Schneider c. 1700 BC.<ref name=ryholt/><ref name=schneider/>

===Extent of rule===
[[File:Neferhotep I 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Statue of Neferhotep I from his first [[Shrine|naos]] found in Karnak, now in the [[Egyptian Museum]].<ref>Cairo CG 42022, M. Seidel: ''Die königlichen Statuengruppen, I'', Hildesheim 1996, 112&ndash;113, pl. 28.</ref><ref name=legrain/>]]
Whether Neferhotep I usurped the throne at the expense of Sobekhotep III or inherited it, it's possible he acceded to power over a fragmented Egypt. The Egyptologist Kim Ryholt believes that the [[Canaan]]ite [[Fourteenth Dynasty of Egypt|14th Dynasty]] was already in existence at the time, forming an independent realm controlling at least the Eastern [[Nile Delta]].<ref name=ryholt/> This could explain why Neferhotep's only attestation in [[Lower Egypt]] is a single scarab seal. While this analysis is accepted by some scholars, among whom are Gae Callender, Janine Bourriau and Darrell Baker,<ref name=encyclo/><ref name=callender/><ref>Bourriau, Janine: ''The Second Intermediate Period (c.1650-1550 BC)'' in: [[Ian Shaw (Egyptologist)|Ian Shaw]] (editor): ''The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt'', (2000), Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-815034-2}}.</ref> it is rejected by others, including [[Manfred Bietak]], Daphna Ben-Tor and [[James Peter Allen|James and Susan Allen]], who contend that Neferhotep I reigned over the whole of Egypt.<ref name=basor>Ben-Tor, Daphna & James and Susan Allen: ''Seals and Kings'', ''Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research'' '''315''', (1999), pp.&nbsp;47–73.</ref><ref>[[Manfred Bietak|Bietak, Manfred]]: ''Egypt and Canaan During the Middle Bronze Age'', ''BASOR'', '''281''' (1991), pp.&nbsp;21–72, esp. p. 38. {{doi|10.2307/1357163}}. {{JSTOR|1357163}}.</ref><ref>Ben-Tor, Daphna: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=yfExR8UvaAsC Scarabs, Chronology, and Interconnections: Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period]'', Volume 27 of Orbis biblicus et orientalis / Series archaeologica: Series archaeologica, Academic Press Fribourg (2007), {{ISBN|978-3-7278-1593-5}}.</ref> Examples of evidence for this point of view are the several attestations of Neferhotep found northeast of Egypt, in the [[Levant]], in particular the stela of the Governor of Byblos Yantinu<ref name=smith/> and four scarab seals from Canaan,<ref name=tufnell/> indicating that he retained enough power to maintain trade relations with this region.

Alternatively, recent excavations have yielded seals of Neferhotep's brother Sobekhotep IV in proximity with seals of the powerful [[Hyksos]] king [[Khyan]] of the [[Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt|15th Dynasty]] (c.1650&ndash;1550 BC) in a closed [[archaeological context]],<ref>Moeller, N.; Maround, G.; Ayers, N.: ''[https://www.academia.edu/2384683/Khayan_Sealings_from_Tell_Edfu_in_Agypten_und_Levante_XXI_2011_87-121 ''Discussion of Late Middle Kingdom and Early Second Intermediate Period History and Chronology in Relation to the Khayan Sealings from Tell Edfu'', in: ''Ägypten und Levante'' XXI (2011), 87-121.</ref> possibly indicating that the two were contemporary.<ref>Porter, Robert M.: ''The Second Intermediate Period according to Edfu'', Goettinger Mizsellen '''239''' (2013), p.&nbsp;75–80.</ref> If this is so, Neferhotep I would have been contemporary with either Khyan or one of his predecessors, such as [[Sakir-Har]], and would not have reigned over the Nile Delta. This conclusion is strongly debated at the moment since Sobekhotep IV and Khyan are separated by c. 100 years in the conventional [[Egyptian chronology]].

===Activities===
In spite of the numerous attestations known for Neferhotep I, relatively little is known of the activities he undertook during his decade-long reign. The pedestal<ref name=mariette/> of Neferhotep I and Sobekhotep IV as well as the naos of Neferhotep discovered by [[Georges Legrain]] in Karnak<ref name=legrain>[[Georges Legrain|Legrain, Georges]]: ''[http://www.cfeetk.cnrs.fr/fichiers/Documents/Ressources-PDF/documents/K780-LEGRAIN.pdf Statues et statuettes de rois et de particuliers]'', Le Caire, (1906), '''I'''.{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202112/http://www.cfeetk.cnrs.fr/fichiers/Documents/Ressources-PDF/documents/K780-LEGRAIN.pdf|date=2015-09-23 }} see item no. 42022. The naos is now in the [[Egyptian Museum]] CG 42022.</ref> indicate that he undertook some building works there.<ref name=ryholt/> This is further confirmed by the 2005 discovery in Karnak of a second naos housing a {{convert|1.80|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall double statue of Neferhotep holding hands with himself. The naos was located beneath the foundations of the northern obelisk of [[Hatshepsut]].<ref>[[Nicolas Grimal|Grimal, Nicolas]]; Larché, François: ''[http://www.soleb.com/pdf/karnak-xii/karnak-xii.pdf Cahiers de Karnak 12]'', fascicule 1, Centre franco-égyptien d'étude des temples de Karnak (2007).</ref><ref>News of the discovery and photos [http://guardians.net/hawass/Press_Release_05-05_Luxor.htm here]</ref><ref>Press release of the discovery [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/747/he1.htm here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508100151/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/747/he1.htm|date=2013-05-08}}</ref>

The most important monument of the king surviving to this day is a large, heavily eroded stela dating to his second regnal year and found in Abydos. The inscription on the stela is one of the few ancient Egyptian royal texts to record how a king might conceive of and order the making of a sculpture. As usual, the stela begins with Neferhotep's titulary:<ref name=stele/><ref>[[Wolfgang Helck|Helck, Wolfgang]]: ''Historisch-Biographische Texte der 2. Zwischenzeit undNeue Texte der 18. Dynastie'', 2nd revised edition, Wiesbaden (1983), No. 32, 21&ndash;29.</ref><ref>Max, Pieper: ''Die Grosse Inschrift Des Königs Neferhotep in Abydos'', Helsingfors : J.C. Hinrichs, (1929), in: ''Mitteilungen der vorderasiatisch-aegyptischen Gesellschaft'', '''32'''(2).</ref>
<blockquote>The Majesty of the Horus: Founder of the Two Lands, He of the Two Ladies: Revealing the Truth, Falcon of Gold: Lasting of Love, King of Upper and Lower Egypt Khasekhemre, Son of [[Ra]] Neferhotep, born to the king's mother Kemi, granted life, stability, and dominion like Ra forever.</blockquote>
It then describes how Neferhotep, residing in his palace "Exalted of Beauty" likely located in Itjtawy, desires that an image of [[Osiris]] be made in order for it to participate in the yearly festival held in the god's honour in Abydos in [[Upper Egypt]].<ref name=stele>''The Neferhotep Stela'' in William Kelley Simpson (editor), Robert K. Ritner (translator), Vincent A. Tobin (translator), Jr. Edward Wente (translator): ''The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, Stelae, Autobiographies, and Poetry; Third Edition'', Yale University Press; 3rd Revised & enlarged edition (October 11, 2003), {{ISBN|978-0-300-09920-1}}. Translation of the stela [https://www.scribd.com/doc/238580041/18/THE-NEFERHOTEP-STELA#page=361 available online]{{Dead link|date=August 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> To this end, Neferhotep first enquires to his officials about instructions regarding the making of divine images said to be contained in "the primeval writings of [[Atum]]".<ref name=stele/> His officials then bring him to a temple library where the writings are located and he orders a messenger, the "Custodian of the Royal Property", to be sent to the Abydos festival. Meanwhile, or possibly before sending the messenger, the statue of Osiris is made of [[silver]], [[gold]] and [[copper]], the work being carried out under the supervision of the king.<ref name=stele/> Finally, the king himself goes to Abydos to celebrate the festival of Osiris.<ref name=rice/>

More generally, Neferhotep's time on the throne was likely prosperous as there are many private monuments datable to his reign and that of his brother,<ref name="graj2">Grajetzki, Wolfram: ''Late Middle Kingdom'', 2013, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1). UCLA: Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, nelc_uee_8764, [http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/3gk7274p available online]</ref> and especially in sculpture some remarkably high quality art works were produced.

===Tomb===
{{main|S 9 (Abydos)}}
As of 2017, the tomb of Neferhotep I has not been formally identified, although a strong case now exists for it to be in Abydos. Since 2013 a team of archaeologists from the [[University of Pennsylvania]] under the direction of [[Josef W. Wegner]] has been excavating a Late Middle Kingdom—Second Intermediate Period royal necropolis in Abydos, at the foot of a natural hill known to the ancient Egyptians as the ''Mountain of [[Anubis]]''. The necropolis is located just next to the massive funerary complex of [[Senusret III]] of the [[12th Dynasty]] and comprises two further large tombs, likely to have been pyramids built during the mid-13th Dynasty, as well as no less than eight royal tombs, possibly dating to the [[Abydos Dynasty]]. One of the large tombs, which was extensively plundered of goods and stones during the Second Intermediate Period, known today as tomb [[S 10 (Abydos)|S10]], is now believed to belong to king Sobekhotep IV, Neferhotep's brother, on the basis of several finds showing Sobkehotep's name from the nearby royal tombs, such as that of [[Senebkay|Woseribre Senebkay]]. As a corollary, Wegner has suggested that the anonymous, large, neighboring tomb [[S 9 (Abydos)|S9]] could have belonged to Neferhotep I. Egyptologists have also noted that both kings were very active in the Abydos region during their reigns.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wegner|first=Josef W.|author-link=Josef W. Wegner|year=2015|title=A royal necropolis at south Abydos: New Light on Egypt's Second Intermediate Period|journal=Near Eastern Archaeology|pages=68–78|volume=78|issue=2|doi=10.5615/neareastarch.78.2.0068|s2cid=163519900}}</ref>

Older hypotheses concerning the location of Neferhotep's tomb included that proposed by [[Nicolas Grimal]], that Neferhotep was buried in a pyramid at el-[[Lisht]], close to that of [[Senusret I]],<ref name=grimal>[[Nicolas Grimal|Grimal, Nicolas]]: ''A History of Ancient Egypt'', Wiley-Blackwell 1994, {{ISBN|978-0-631-19396-8}}, p. 184.</ref> an opinion shared by Michael Rice.<ref name=rice/> This remains conjectural, as no artefact permitting the identification of Neferhotep as the owner of such a pyramid has been found. Grimal's hypothesis relies only on indirect evidence: the presence of scarabs of Neferhotep in Lisht as well as the discovery of a [[Ushabti|shawabti]] of a prince Wahneferhotep "(King) Neferhotep endures" close to the northern gateway of the [[mortuary temple]] of the [[Pyramid of Senusret I|pyramid complex of Senusret I]].<ref name=scepter/><ref>The shawabti is now in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], see the [http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/544366 online catalog]</ref><ref>[[Dieter Arnold]] with contributions by [[Dorothea Arnold]] and an appendix by [[Peter Dorman|Peter F. Dorman]]: ''The Pyramid of Senwosret I'', MET Publications 1988, [http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Pyramid_of_Senwosret_I available online] see pp. 37&ndash;40 & 147&ndash;149.</ref> The shawabti was wrapped in linen and placed in a miniature coffin,<ref>The coffin is now in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], see the coffin on the [http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/544367 online catalog]</ref> which is dated to the 13th Dynasty on stylistic grounds. This together with the name of Wahneferhotep and his title of "King's son" indicate that Wahneferhotep was likely a son of Neferhotep I,<ref name=scepter/> who may have been buried in the vicinity of his father's pyramid.

Alternatively, Dawn Landua-McCormack suggested that the [[Southern South Saqqara pyramid]] could have been a candidate for Neferhotep's burial site. This pyramid, datable to the middle 13th Dynasty, was provided with two elaborate [[sarcophagus]] chambers which might have been destined for two wealthy brother kings of the dynasty such as Neferhotep I and Sobekhotep IV.<ref>Landua-McCormack, Dawn: ''Dynasty XIII Kingship in Ancient Egypt: a study of political power and administration through an investigation of the royal tombs of the late Middle Kingdom'', University of Pennsylvania 2008, p.&nbsp;207 (dissertation).</ref>

==Coregencies==
[[File:Neferhotep I Konosso.png|thumb|right|300px|Drawing by [[Karl Richard Lepsius]] of a rock inscription from Konosso showing [[Montu]], [[Min (god)|Min]] and [[Satet]] with the cartouches of Neferhotep I.<ref name="Lepsius"/>]]
The circumstances of Neferhotep's death after a reign of eleven years are unknown. His successor was his brother, Sobekhotep IV, who is perhaps the most important ruler of the 13th Dynasty.<ref name=ryholt/> Another brother, Sihathor, appears in the Turin canon as successor, but it seems that he only reigned for a few months as coregent with Neferhotep I and never became an independent ruler, likely because he predeceased his elder brother. After this, it is possible that Neferhotep I designated his younger brother Sobekhotep IV as coregent. There are two inscriptions from Sehel showing Neferhotep I, Sihathor and Sobekhotep IV, which could mean that they reigned for some time together,<ref name=graj1>[[Wolfram Grajetzki|Grajetzki, Wolfram]]: ''The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt'', London 2006 {{ISBN|978-0-7156-3435-6}}, p.71&ndash;73.</ref> although Sihathor is declared dead on both lists.<ref name=encyclo/> Another piece of evidence is an inscription from the [[Wadi Hammamat]] showing the cartouches of Neferhotep I and Sobekhotep IV on par, next to each other.<ref name=encyclo/><ref>Debono, F.: ''Expedition archeologique royale au desert oriental (Kef-Kosseir)'', ASAE 51 (1951): 1-33.</ref> Some Egyptologists see this as evidence of a coregency between these two kings, while others, including Ryholt, reject this interpretation and believe the inscription was made by Sobekhotep to honour his deceased brother.<ref name=ryholt/><ref name=encyclo/>

==Historical synchronism==
A stela bearing Neferhotep I's name is of great importance to archaeologists and historians alike as it enables a concordance between the [[Egyptian chronology|Egyptian]] and [[Chronology of the ancient Near East|Near Eastern chronologies]].<ref name=smith>Stevenson Smith, William: ''Interconnections in the Ancient Near East: A Study of the Relationships Between the Arts of Egypt, the Aegean, and Western Asia'', Yale University Press, (1965).</ref> This stela depicts the "Governor of Byblos, Yantinu&nbsp;... who was begotten by Governor Yakin" seated upon a throne, in front of which are the nomen and prenomen of Neferhotep I.<ref name=ryholt/> This is significant for two reasons: first, Yakin is plausibly identifiable with a Yakin-Ilu of [[Byblos]] known from a cylinder seal of [[Sehetepibre]], indicating that this king and Neferhotep are separated by a generation.<ref name=ryholt/> Second, a "King of Byblos [[Yantin-'Ammu]]" is known from the archives of [[Mari, Syria|Mari]] who is most likely the same person as the Governor of Byblos Yantinu of the stela.<ref>Albright, W. M. F.: "An Indirect Synchronism Between Egypt and Mesopotamia, cir. 1730 BC", BASOR '''99''' (1945).</ref> Indeed, Byblos was a semi-autonomous Egyptian governorate at the time and "the king of Byblos" must be the Semitic king of the city ruling it in the name of the pharaoh. The archives of Mari predominantly date to the reign of the last king of the city, [[Zimri-Lim]], a contemporary of [[Hammurabi]] who ultimately sacked Mari. This provides the [[Chronological synchronism|synchronism]] Neferhotep I &ndash; Yantinu &ndash; Zimri-Lim &ndash; Hammurabi.<ref name=ryholt/>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Neferhotep Khasekhemre}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Sobekhotep III]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Pharaoh|Pharaoh of Egypt]]|years=[[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|13th Dynasty]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sobekhotep IV]]}}
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{{Pharaohs}}

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[[Category:18th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:People from Thebes, Egypt]]