of Egypt until 2061 B.C.E. when MONTUHOTEP IIunited
the two kingdoms again. Khety I gained considerable
land after the fall of the Old Kingdom (2575–2134
B.C.E.), particularly north of ABYDOS. He was the son
of Tefibi, a noble lord of ASSIUT, and he claimed to
have descended from a princely line. He inscribed his
name in ASWAN. His contemporaries described him as
“cruel.”
Khety II (Nebkauré)(fl. c. 2100 B.C.E.)Ruler of the
Ninth Dynasty
He was the successor to KHETY Iat HERAKLEOPOLIS. His
mother had to serve as regent for his first four years of
reign. Khety II is believed to be the ruler who invited “the
ELOQUENT PEASANT,” Khunianupu, to court. His name
was inscribed at the WADI TIMULAT.
Khety III (Wah’karé)(fl. 22nd century B.C.E.)Third
ruler of the Ninth Dynasty
The date of his reign is unknown. Khety III is revered as
the author of INSTRUCTIONS FOR MERIKARÉ,a didactic text
that was addressed to his son. The Instructionsare valu-
able for their historical perspective of the First Intermedi-
ate Period (2134–2040 B.C.E.) and for their portrayal of
Khety III. He had witnessed the assault made on the city
of THINISby his allies at ASSIUTand sorely regretted the
event.
During the assault a necropolis had been ravaged and
desecrated, along with shrines and temples. The incident
aroused the Theban royal line and set them on a military
crusade that would destroy the Herakleopolitans. INYOTEF
IIof Thebes was a contemporary of Khety III, who also
fought against invading Bedouins and Asiatics through-
out his reign.
Khian (Swoserenré)(fl. 16th century B.C.E.) One of
the “Great Hyksos” rulers of the Fifteenth Dynasty
(1640–1532 B.C.E.)
He ruled from AVARIS in the eastern Delta on the
Bubastite branch of the Nile, and he was a vigorous
monarch, despite the fact that Upper Egypt, the southern
domain, was in the control of THEBES. Khian’s inscrip-
tions are still visible all across Egypt and even in the
Knossus of Crete. A granite lion form that was built into
the wall of a house in Baghdad, Iraq, bears his name as
well. He decorated shrines at GEBELEINand BUBASTIS, and
SCARABSand seal impressions of his name have been dis-
covered in the Levant. A fragment of a vase with his
titles was unearthed at Hattusas, modern Böghazköy,
Turkey, the HITTITEcapital.
Khmunu See HERMOPOLIS MAGNA.
Khnum The ancient Egyptian deity worshiped at ELE-
PHANTINEIsland at ASWAN, he was a creator god revered
as a ram. Khnum formed a triad with SATETand ANUKIS
on Elephantine Island. His name meant “the Molder,”
and he used a potter’s wheel to fashion the great cosmic
egg and then all living creatures. THOTHaided him in
this creative process by marking the number of years
allotted to each. Khnum’s cult dates to Predynastic Peri-
ods (before 3,000 B.C.E.), and the centers of his worship
were on the Elephantine (Abu), at BIGA, and at ESNA.
Khnum was the deity of the first CATARACTof the Nile
and the god of the inundations, associated with the god-
desses MERIT(2) and HEKET. He was called “the Prince of
the Two Lands” and “the Prince of the House of Life.”
Khnum brought the Nile to Egypt through two caverns
in Aswan, where he was associated with Anukis and
Satet.
Called also “the Soul of Ré,” Khnum wore the horns
of the oldest species of rams in Egypt (Ovis longipes). At
ESNA, he had two different divine consorts, MENHETand
NEITH (1). The reliefs at the Esna temple portray
Khnum’s creative powers. The FAMINE STELAat SEHEL
ISLANDdescribed prayers to Khnum in times of low Nile
inundations. DJOSER(r. 2630–2611 B.C.E.) was honored
by later generations for visiting the shrine of Khnum
and ending a famine in his reign. The people of NUBIA
(modern Sudan) incorporated Khnum into their cultic
services and associated him with their deity Dedun.
Khnum was portrayed as a robust man with a ram’s
head, wearing ivory horns, plumes, the SOLAR DISK, and
the URAEUS.Khnumhotep (1) (fl. 20th century B.C.E.)Remarkable
nomarch of Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt
He was a royal servant who founded a family in the Oryx
NOME that served the Twelfth Dynasty. Khnumhotep
accompanied AMENEMHET I(r. 1991–1962 B.C.E.) on his
military campaigns, sailing with a fleet of 20 ships to put
down rebellious outposts on the Nile. As a result of this
faithful service, Khnumhotep was named the count of
MENET-KHUFUand the head of the Oryx nome. Khnum-
hotep’s sons, Nakht and Amenemhet, became court offi-
cials, and his daughter, Beket, married and gave birth to
another Khnumhotep heir. Khnumhotep’s tomb at BENI
HASANhas exterior facades, three naves, and niches for
statues.Khnumhotep (2)(fl. 20th century B.C.E.)Grandson of
Khnumhotep (1)
He was the son of Beket, KHNUMHOTEP(1)’s daughter, and
an official named Nehri. Khnumhotep succeeded his
uncle Nakht as the ruler of the Oryx nome in the nine-
teenth year of the reign of AMENEMHET II(1929–1892
B.C.E.). He married the heiress of the Jackal nome, and
his own son, another Nakht, inherited that territory. His
stela was found at WADI GASUS. Khnumhotep claimed to
be “the darling of his lord.”202 Khety II