Athenian, Khabrias resided in Egypt, and his daughter,
PTOLEMAIS (1), married an Egyptian general named
Nakhtnebef. Nakhtnebef became the founder of the Thir-
tieth Dynasty, as NECTANEBO I. General Khabrias was
recalled to Athens c. 373 B.C.E.
Kha’emhet(fl. 14th century B.C.E.) Scribe and overseer
of the Eighteenth Dynasty
He served AMENHOTEP III (r. 1391–1353 B.C.E.).
Kha’emhet was a court SCRIBEand an overseer of the
royal granaries of THEBES. He was buried in a necropolis
on the western shore at Thebes. His tomb has fine low
reliefs that depict Amenhotep III as a SPHINX. Also por-
trayed are Osirian funeral rituals, scenes of daily life, and
court ceremonies.
Kha’emweset (1) (fl. 13th century B.C.E.)Prince of the
Nineteenth Dynasty, called “the Egyptologist”
He was a son of RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) and
Queen ISETNOFRET(1), becoming the heir to the throne
upon the death of three older brothers. Kha’emweset
served as the high priest of PTAHand as the overseer of
the interment of the sacred APISbull in SAQQARA. He
devoted countless hours to restoring monuments and was
revered for his magical skills.
Prince Kha’emweset was depicted in the relief of
a battle scene as accompanying Ramesses II on an expe-
dition to NUBIA(modern Sudan). In that scene Ramesses
II was identified as a prince, not having succeeded SETII
at the time. Training in battle and in administrative
affairs in the royal court was followed by further educa-
tion in sacred matters in the temple of the god Ptah in
MEMPHIS.
When Kha’emweset was named heir to the throne
in regnal year c. 43 of Ramesses II, he was already at
an advanced age and died in regnal year 55. His tomb
has not been identified, but a mummy found in the
granite tomb of APISBull XIV has raised possibilities as
to the prince’s final resting place. A golden mask
believed to belong to Kha’emweset was discovered in
the catacombs of the SERAPEUMin Saqqara. The prince
and his mother, Queen Isetnofret, were possibly buried
nearby.
Kha’emweset (2) (fl. 12th century B.C.E.)Prince of the
Twentieth Dynasty
He was a son of RAMESSES III (r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.).
Kha’emweset was depicted on the walls of MEDINET HABU
with 19 of his brothers. His service to Egypt was con-
ducted as a priest of the god PTAH. The prince’s tomb was
built in the VALLEY OF THE QUEENS, on the western shore
of THEBES, and has a square burial chamber with side
chapels. Paintings in the tomb depict Ramesses III intro-
ducing Kha’emweset to the deities of the TUAT, or Under-
world.
Khafre (Chephren, Ra’kha’ef)(d. 2494 B.C.E.)Fourth
ruler of the Fourth Dynasty
He reigned from 2520 B.C.E. until his death. Khafre was
the builder of the second pyramid at GIZAand was the
son of KHUFU(Cheops) (r. 2551–2528 B.C.E.) and proba-
bly Queen HENUTSEN. He married Queens KHAMER-
ERNEBTY (1) and MERYSANKH (3) and raised Prince
MENKAURÉ(Mycerinus), Prince Nekuré, Princess KHAME-
RERNEBTY(2), and others. Another son, Baefré, is listed in
some records as having succeeded him briefly, but
Menkauré is normally identified as the actual heir.
When his brother Pharaoh, RA’DJEDEF, died in 2520
B.C.E., Khafre put aside his sons: Setka, Baka, and
’Ahanet. Khafre did not complete Ra’djedef’s pyramid
either, leaving it unfinished at ABU ROWASH. His own
pyramid in GIZAwas 702 feet square and originally 470
feet high. Encased in TUREHlimestone, the structure was
completed by mortuary and valley temples. A causeway,
430 feet in length, connected the complex structures and
was carved out of the rock. In the burial chamber a red
granite SARCOPHAGUS awaited the mummified remains,
and five boat pits were found in the complex, without
boats.
Khafre’s accession to the throne demonstrated the
revived dominance of the older faction of Khufu’s divided
family. Khafre’s pyramid at Giza restored the plateau as
the royal necropolis, and the Great SPHINX, bearing his
facial likeness, provided Giza with another insignia of
pharaonic power. Khafre’s heir and successor was
Menkauré (Mycerinus), his son by Queen Khamerernebty
(1). Queen Merysankh (3) bore him Prince Nebemakht,
Queen Nedjhekenu bore Prince Sekhemkaré, and Queen
PERSENTIbore NEKAURÉ, who became famous because of
his will. Khafre’s reign spanned over a quarter of a cen-
tury, and he was popular with his people.Khaftet-hir-nebes She was a goddess of the city of
THEBES, serving as a protector of the local area of the capi-
tal. TUTHMOSIS III(r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) depicted her on a
black granite tablet called “the Hymn of Victory.” The
tablet was discovered in KARNAKat Thebes.khaibit This was the Egyptian word for the shadow of a
soul, viewed as the spiritual essence that was released
from the confines of the human body at death. No partic-
ular role or purpose has been clearly defined for the
khaibitin surviving texts, but the Egyptians anticipated
the liberation of the shadow beyond the grave.Khakheperresonbe’s Complaints A literary work
compiled in the Twelfth Dynasty (1991–1783 B.C.E.) or in
the Second Intermediate Period (1640–1550 B.C.E.), the
surviving copy, dating to the New Kingdom (1550–1070
B.C.E.), is now in the British Museum in London.
Khakheperresonbe was a priest in HELIOPOLISand wrote198 Kha’emhet