Khenti-Amentiu, also
Khenti-Amenti,
Kenti-Amentiu and many other spellings, is a divine name or title from Ancient Egyptian mythology. It means 'Foremost of the Westerners' or 'Chief or the Westerners', where 'Westerners' refers to the dead.
Khenti-Amentiu was the name of a jackal-headed deity, most likely associated with
AnubisAnubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu, . The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the...
, at
AbydosAbydos may mean:*Abydos, Egypt, an Ancient Egyptian city*Abydos, Hellespont , an ancient city of Mysia, in Asia Minor*Abydos , a 2004 solo musical project of Andy Kuntz, member of Vanden Plas*La Fiancée d'Abydos of Eugène Delacroix...
in
Upper EgyptUpper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
, who stood guard over the city of the dead.
Khenti-Amentiu, also
Khenti-Amenti,
Kenti-Amentiu and many other spellings, is a divine name or title from Ancient Egyptian mythology. It means 'Foremost of the Westerners' or 'Chief or the Westerners', where 'Westerners' refers to the dead.
Khenti-Amentiu was the name of a jackal-headed deity, most likely associated with
AnubisAnubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu, . The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the...
, at
AbydosAbydos may mean:*Abydos, Egypt, an Ancient Egyptian city*Abydos, Hellespont , an ancient city of Mysia, in Asia Minor*Abydos , a 2004 solo musical project of Andy Kuntz, member of Vanden Plas*La Fiancée d'Abydos of Eugène Delacroix...
in
Upper EgyptUpper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
, who stood guard over the city of the dead. This god is attested early at Abydos, perhaps even earlier than the unification of Egypt at the start of the
Old KingdomThe Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The...
period. The name appears on the
necropolisA necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, meaning "city of the dead"...
seals for the
first dynastyThe first dynasty of Ancient Egypt is often combined with the second dynasty under the group title, Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. At that time the capital was Thinis.-Rulers:Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the First Dynasty are as follows:...
pharaohs
DenDen may refer to:*Den , a part of a house similar to the living room: a den is about the size of a living room, but smaller than a family room.*"Dirty" Den Watts, a fictional character in EastEnders...
and
Qa'aQa'a was the last king of the First dynasty of Egypt. He had a fairly large tomb in Abydos which measures 98.5 X 75.5 feet or 30 X 23 meters. Manetho gives him a reign of 26 years in his Epitome if this ruler was a certain Biechenes. A long reign is supported by the large size of this ruler's...
, and a temple dating back to pre-dynastic times was founded in Abydos for this god.
The Abydos area is also associated with
OsirisOsiris was an Egyptian god, usually called the god of the Afterlife, underworld or dead.Osiris is one of the oldest gods for whom records have been found; one of the oldest known attestations...
, and with
WepwawetIn late Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet was originally a war deity, whose cult centre was Asyut in Upper Egypt . His name means, opener of the ways...
who was a wolf- or jackal-headed god of nearby Sayawt (
AsyutAsyut , is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate, Egypt; there is an ancient city nearby. The modern city is located at: , while the ancient city is located at: .-Etymology:...
, Lycopolis).
As early as the
Old KingdomThe Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The...
, Khenti-Amentiu is associated with
OsirisOsiris was an Egyptian god, usually called the god of the Afterlife, underworld or dead.Osiris is one of the oldest gods for whom records have been found; one of the oldest known attestations...
(see
Eye of HorusThe Eye of Horus or is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power from deities, in this case from Horus or Ra...
).
At times Khenti-Amentiu was associated with Yinepu (
AnubisAnubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu, . The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the...
), who is also jackal-headed and is associated with
WepwawetIn late Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet was originally a war deity, whose cult centre was Asyut in Upper Egypt . His name means, opener of the ways...
in various ways.
It is unclear whether Khenti-Amentiu was originally the name or title of a separate god, or has always simply been the epithet of one of the more well-known gods.