Basics
Inv. no. Egyptian Museum Cairo, JE 36143
Material: Ivory
Dimensions: H. 7.5 cm L. 2.9 cm W. 2.5 cm
Place of discovery: Abydos, excavation by F. Petrie, 1903
Dating: Old Kingdom, ca. 2620/2580 B.C.
Image is taken from
Saleh, Mohamed/Sourouzian, Houring:
Die Hauptwerke im ägyptischen Museum Kairo. Kairo 1986, No. 28.
Cheops was the second ancient Egyptian king of the 4th Dynasty. He succeeded his father Snofru. Unfortunately, not much is known about his reign, as only a few records of him exist. Cheops is most famous for building the Pyramid of Cheops. It is located next to the pyramids of Mykerinos and Chephren in Giza near Cairo.
The length of Cheops' reign is still unclear today. The historical sources contradict each other on this. The Turin Royal Papyrus, which names the kings from the beginning of the ancient Egyptian state until before the time of Ramses II, attributes 23 years to Cheops. The Egyptian priest Manetho, who lived under the first Ptolemies, assumes 63 years. The Greek historian Herodotus, on the other hand, considers 50 years to be plausible. In the case of the latter two, however, this is probably an exaggeration or a misinterpretation of the ancient sources. Herodotus was generally not a great fan of Cheops. In his Histories, he describes him as a tyrannical ruler with a bad character. When Herodotus wrote down this assumption, King Cheops had already been dead for 2000 years. Perhaps the oversized tombs like the pyramids had a frightening effect on the Greek. Or it was the memory of the "heretic king" Akhenaten, whose negative image was projected onto Cheops. There is no evidence for any of this.
Limestone head of Cheops.
State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich.
Inv. no. ÄS 7086.
The small statuette was excavated by the famous Egyptologist Flinders Petrie. At first, however, the head was missing. Petrie thought this was due to an accident during the excavation. But when he realised the value of the inconspicuous statuette, he ordered a search for the head. He even offered a reward to the worker who would find the head. In the end, it took a full three weeks for the head to turn up.
The small statuette is the only completely preserved image of Cheops. It shows the king sitting on a throne. He wears the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. The counterpart is the White Crown of Upper Egypt, which can be seen in the second image. The face is realistic and shows an older, self-confident but calm man. In general, the body appears somewhat compact, reminiscent of the modes of representation in early dynasties. Cheops' right hand holds a scourge, a sign of rulership, while his left hand lies flat on his thigh. Remains of an inscription are visible next to the right leg. This is the Horus name of Cheops: Medjedu. We know him by his Greek name Cheops, but his Egyptian name is Khufu.
Excursus on royal titulary
The complete titulary of an Egyptian king consisted not only of one but even of five names.
Proper name
Throne name
Nebty name
Gold name
Horus name
Proper name:
This is the name by which the Egyptian kings are known to us today. Like us, the Egyptians received their proper name at birth. From the 4th Dynasty onwards, the king's name was preceded by sA Ra "son of Ra". This addition expressed the close connection to the sun god Re. The proper name was written in a cartouche.
Throne name:
As the name suggests, the throne name was given to the Egyptian king only when he ascended the throne. Like the proper name, the throne name was written in a cartouche. It was preceded by the nsw.t-bi.ti, which is generally translated as "King of Upper and Lower Egypt". The reed leaf and the bee represent the two halves of Egypt. Through the mentioned king, therefore, they are united.
Nebty name:
The Neby name also called "two mistresses name" is given to the king after he acceded to the throne. The vulture goddess Nechbet is the patron goddess of Upper Egypt and the snake goddess Wadjet of Lower Egypt. The Nebty name equates the king with the two goddesses. Here again, there is a reference to the unification of Egypt and thus the king's rule over all of Egypt. In addition, divine protection is also made clear by the name.
Gold name:
The gold name became an official additional title with Djoser in the 3rd Dynasty at the latest. However, it can certainly be found on the monuments of King Snofru in the 4th Dynasty. The name consists of a falcon sitting on the character nbw "gold". The meaning of this name is not certain. It could be a connection between the prosperity of Egypt or the victory of Horus (superiority) over Seth (evil). Since the king is considered a living Horus on earth, he, therefore, provides for the well-being of the land of Egypt.
Horus name:
The Horus name is, next to the proper name, the oldest name. Until the 4th Dynasty, it was the only name of the kings in the pre-dynastic and early dynastic period. The name was written in a serekh. This is a stylised palace façade on which a falcon sits. This is a rendering of the ruler's name, literally, "the Horus (king) who is in the palace." The name probably has a similar meaning to the gold name.
Information Cheops
Dodson, Aidan/Hilton, Dyan: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Kairo 2004.
Hawass, Zahi: The Khufu Statuette. Is it an Old Kingdom Sculpture? In: Posener-Krieger, Paule (Hg.): Mélanges Gamal Eddin Moktar Band 1 (= Bibliotèque d'étude, Band 97,1). Kairo 1985, S. 379-394, Tafel I-III.
Morenz, Siegfried: Traditionen um Cheops. In: Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 97. 1971, S. 111-118.
Schüssler, Karlkeinz (H.): Pharao Cheops und der Magier. Altägyptische Märchen und Erzählungen. Zürich 2003.
Seidel, Matthias: Die königlichen Statuengruppen 1. die Denkmäler vom Alten Reich bis zum Ende der 18. Dynastie (= Hildesheimer ägyptologische Beiträge, Band 42). Hildesheim 1996.
Information Royal Titulary
Leprohon, Ronald J.: The Great Name. Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Atlanta 2013.
Müller, Hugo: Die formale Entwicklung der Titulatur der ägyptischen Könige. Glückstadt 1938.
Quirke, Stephen: Who were the Pharaohs? A History of their Names with a List of Cartouches. London 1990.
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