Djedefre
| Djedefre | |
|---|---|
| Djedefra, Radjedef, Ratoises, Rhampsinit, Rhauosis | |
Red granite head of Djedefre from Abu Rawash, Musée du Louvre
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| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 10 to 14 years, ca. 2575 BC (4th Dynasty) |
| Predecessor | Khufu |
| Successor | Khafra |
| Consort | Hetepheres II, Khentetka |
| Children | Setka, Baka, Hernet, Neferhetepes, Hetepheres ?, Nikaudjedefre ? |
| Father | Khufu |
| Burial | Pyramid of Djedefre, Great Sphinx of Giza ? |
| Monuments | Pyramid of Djedefre |
Djedefre (also known as Djedefra and Radjedef) was an ancient Egyptian king (pharaoh) of the 4th dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He is well known under his Hellenized name form Ratoises (by Manetho). Djedefre was the son and immediate throne successor of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza; his mother is not known for sure. He was the king who introduced the royal title Sa-Rê (meaning “Son of Ra”) and the first to connect his cartouche name with the sun god Ra.
He married his (half-) sister Hetepheres II. He also had another wife, Khentetenka with whom he had (at least) three sons, Setka, Baka and Hernet, and one daughter, Neferhetepes. These children are attested to by statuary fragments found in the ruined mortuary temple adjoining the pyramid. Various fragmentary statues of Khentetenka were found in this ruler's mortuary temple at Abu Rawash. Abu Rawash actually sits at an elevation higher than the rest of Giza, making it the highest, albeit not the tallest, pyramid. Some historians claim that the "pyramid" at Abu Rawash isn't even a pyramid at all; instead, it may be a "sun temple." Archaeologist Vassil Dobrev has claimed that it may not even be Djedefre's. Excavations by the French team under Michel Valloggia have recently added another potential daughter, Hetepheres, as well as a son, Nikaudjedefre, to this.
Djedefre married his brother Kawab's widow, Hetepheres II, who was sister to both of them, and perhaps married a third brother of theirs, Khafre, after Djedefre's death. Another queen, Khentetenka is known to us from statue fragments in the Abu Rowash mortuary temple. Known children of Djedefre are:
The French excavation team led by Michel Vallogia found the names of two other possible children of Djedefre in the pyramid complex:
The Turin King List credits him with a rule of eight years, but the highest known year referred to during this reign appears to be the year of his 11th cattle count. The anonymous year of the 11th count date presumably of Djedefre was found written on the underside of one of the massive roofing-block beams which covered Khufu's southern boat-pits by Egyptian work crews.Miroslav Verner notes that in the work crew's mason marks and inscriptions, "either Djedefra's throne name or his Golden Horus name occur exclusively." Verner writes that the current academic opinion regarding the attribution of this date to Djedefre is disputed among Egyptologists: Rainer Stadelman, Vassil Dobrev, Peter Janosi favour dating it to Djedefre whereas Wolfgang Helck, Anthony Spalinger, Jean Vercoutter and W.S. Smith attribute this date to Khufu instead on the assumption "that the ceiling block with the date had been brought to the building site of the boat pit already in Khufu's time and placed in position [only] as late as during the burial of the funerary boat in Djedefre's time."
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