It is generally considered that Rahotep (“Ra is satisfied”) was the son of Sneferu, although it is also possible that he was in fact the son of Huni and therefore the brother of Sneferu. Rahotep held the titles High Priest of Ra at Iunu (Heliopolis) and Director of Expeditions and Supervisor of Works.
He was married to Nofret (a noble woman whose parents are unknown) and had three sons (Djedi, Itu, and Neferkau) and three daughters (Mereret, Nedjemib, and Sethtet). Rahotep and Nofret were buried in a beautifully decorated mastaba in Meidum which contained, among other things, the painted statues shown below.
Bibliography
- The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt (2004) Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton
- An Introduction to the Archeology of Ancient Egypt (2008) Kathryn A. Bard
- “The Old Kingdom”, J Malek in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000) Ed I. Shaw
- Who’s Who in Ancient Egypt (1999) Michael Rice
Copyright J Hill 2015