Kawab
Encyclopedia
Kawab was an ancient Egypt
ian prince
of the 4th Dynasty
. He was the eldest son of King Khufu
and Queen Meritites I
. Kawab served as vizier
and was buried in the double mastaba G 7110 - 7120 in the east field
which is part of the Giza Necropolis.
and Meritites I
and half-brother of pharaohs Djedefre and Khafre. He was possibly born during the reign of his grandfather Sneferu
. Kawab married his sister Hetepheres II
. They had at least three sons named Duaenhor
, Kaemsekhem
and Mindjedef
and a daughter Meresankh III
.
Kawab died during the reign of his father so the next ruler was Djedefre, who married his widow Hetepheres II. It used to be believed that Djedefre had Kawab murdered, since Djedefre was buried in Abu Rawash
, instead of Giza, which was the custom. Djedefre's pyramid was also vandalized, but it is now thought that the tomb was vandalized much later, that is, during Roman
times.
Kawab's titles included officiant of Anubis
(Hts Jnpw), Priest of Selket (Hm-nTr Srkt), King's son of his body (sA nswt n Ht.f), King’s eldest son of his body (sA nswt n Xt.f smsw), hereditary prince (jry pat), count (h3ty' ), chief of the ten(s) of Upper Egypt (wr mDw Smaw), sole companion of love (s mr waty n mrw(t)), vizier
(TAty) (the title of vizier occurs on a statue from Mitrahina).
G 7110 - 7120 in the east field
which is part of the Giza Necropolis. Mastaba G 7110 belonged to Kawab's wife. Her name was found in the chapel. G 7120 belonged to Kawab. A relief in the door way shows Kawab stading before his mother:
Four burial shafts were constructed as part of the mastaba. Shaft G7110 A was never used. Shaft G 7110B was originally intended for Hetepheres II, but was never finished and shows no sigen of ever being used. This is most likely due to the fact that Hetepheres remarried after the death of her husband. Shaft G 7120A was the burial place of Kawab. A red granite sarcophagus was made for Kawab and found in place. The sarcophagus is inscribed with the following text:
, son of Ramesses II
, restored Kawab's statue in the temple
of Memphis
.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
of the 4th Dynasty
Fourth dynasty of Egypt
The fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
. He was the eldest son of King Khufu
Khufu
Khufu , also known as Cheops or, in Manetho, Suphis , was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom. He reigned from around 2589 to 2566 BC. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. He is generally accepted as being the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of...
and Queen Meritites I
Meritites I
Meritites I was an ancient Egyptian Queen of the 4th dynasty.She was a daughter of King Sneferu and the wife of King Khufu. Her name means "Beloved of her Father". Several of her titles are known from a stela found at Giza. She was the mother of Crown Prince Kawab and may have had several more...
. Kawab served as vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
and was buried in the double mastaba G 7110 - 7120 in the east field
Giza East Field
The East Field is located to the east of Khufu’s pyramid and contains cemetery G 7000. This cemetery was a burial place for some of the family members of Khufu....
which is part of the Giza Necropolis.
Biography
Kawab was the eldest son of Pharaoh KhufuKhufu
Khufu , also known as Cheops or, in Manetho, Suphis , was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom. He reigned from around 2589 to 2566 BC. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. He is generally accepted as being the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of...
and Meritites I
Meritites I
Meritites I was an ancient Egyptian Queen of the 4th dynasty.She was a daughter of King Sneferu and the wife of King Khufu. Her name means "Beloved of her Father". Several of her titles are known from a stela found at Giza. She was the mother of Crown Prince Kawab and may have had several more...
and half-brother of pharaohs Djedefre and Khafre. He was possibly born during the reign of his grandfather Sneferu
Sneferu
Sneferu, also spelled as Snephru, Snefru or Snofru , was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt. Estimates of his reign vary, with for instance The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt suggesting a reign from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC, a reign of 24 years, while Rolf Krauss suggests a 30-year reign...
. Kawab married his sister Hetepheres II
Hetepheres II
- 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 ca. 2723 to 2563 BC. She was a daughter of Khufu and was either born during the reign of her grandfather Sneferu or during the early years of...
. They had at least three sons named Duaenhor
Duaenhor
- Family :Duaenhor is thought by some to be a son of Crown Prince Kawab and Queen Hetepheres II. If so, he would have been a grandson of Pharaoh Khufu and Queen Meritites I. On the other hand, based on his titles, he may be one of the younger sons of Khufu .Duaenhor's brothers were Kaemsekhem and...
, Kaemsekhem
Kaemsekhem
Kaemsekhem was an Ancient Egyptian nobleman, and likely the son of Crown Prince Kawab and Hetepheres II. He later served as the director of the palace. He was buried in mastaba G 7660 in the east field which is part of the Giza Necropolis.- Family :...
and Mindjedef
Mindjedef
Mindjedef was a Prince of Egypt, who lived during the 4th dynasty. His name means "Enduring Like Min". Min is an Egyptian fertility god.- Family :...
and a daughter Meresankh III
Meresankh III
Queen Meresankh III was the daughter of Hetepheres II and Prince Kawab and a grand-daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. She was the wife of King Khafre.-History:...
.
Kawab died during the reign of his father so the next ruler was Djedefre, who married his widow Hetepheres II. It used to be believed that Djedefre had Kawab murdered, since Djedefre was buried in Abu Rawash
Abu Rawash
Abu Rawash , 8 km to the North of Giza , is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid, Also known as the lost pyramid — the mostly ruined Pyramid of Djedefre, the son and successor of Khufu...
, instead of Giza, which was the custom. Djedefre's pyramid was also vandalized, but it is now thought that the tomb was vandalized much later, that is, during Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times.
Kawab's titles included officiant of Anubis
Anubis
Anubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu . According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name was vocalized as Anapa...
(Hts Jnpw), Priest of Selket (Hm-nTr Srkt), King's son of his body (sA nswt n Ht.f), King’s eldest son of his body (sA nswt n Xt.f smsw), hereditary prince (jry pat), count (h3ty' ), chief of the ten(s) of Upper Egypt (wr mDw Smaw), sole companion of love (s mr waty n mrw(t)), vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
(TAty) (the title of vizier occurs on a statue from Mitrahina).
Tomb
Kawab was buried in a large double mastabaMastaba
A mastaba, or "pr-djt" , is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt's ancient period...
G 7110 - 7120 in the east field
Giza East Field
The East Field is located to the east of Khufu’s pyramid and contains cemetery G 7000. This cemetery was a burial place for some of the family members of Khufu....
which is part of the Giza Necropolis. Mastaba G 7110 belonged to Kawab's wife. Her name was found in the chapel. G 7120 belonged to Kawab. A relief in the door way shows Kawab stading before his mother:
sA.s mr.s KA-wab, sAt Ntr.s xrp jmAt sSmt Mrt.jt.s mwt.f mst n Xwfw
"Her son, her beloved, Ka-wab, the daughter of her god, she who is in charge of the affairs of the jmAt, Meritites, his mother, who bore (him) to Khufu."
Four burial shafts were constructed as part of the mastaba. Shaft G7110 A was never used. Shaft G 7110B was originally intended for Hetepheres II, but was never finished and shows no sigen of ever being used. This is most likely due to the fact that Hetepheres remarried after the death of her husband. Shaft G 7120A was the burial place of Kawab. A red granite sarcophagus was made for Kawab and found in place. The sarcophagus is inscribed with the following text:
1) "A boon which the king gives and Anubis, foremost of the divine booth, a burial in the necropolis as a possessor of a well provided state before the great god, officiant of Anubis,
priest of Selket, Kawab
2) a boon which the king gives and Anubis, foremost of the divine booth, a burial in the necropolis in the western cemetery, having grown gracefully old, the king’s son of his body, Kawab
3) king’s eldest son of his body, officiant of Anubis, Kawab."
After death
Several centuries after Kawab died, Prince KhaemwesetKhaemweset
Prince Khaemweset was the fourth son of Ramesses II, and the second son by his queen Isetnofret. He is by far the best known son of Ramesses II, and his contributions to Egyptian society were remembered for centuries after his death...
, son of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
, restored Kawab's statue in the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of Memphis
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
.