36 PES XVII/2016 STUDIES
One o he mino gods: A case s udy
on Khen y jenene , an Old Kingdom dei y
o he Memphi e nec opolis
Ve onika Dulíko á
The appea ance o he god Osi is in he mid-Fi h Dynas y is well-known and many esea che s ha e
been in e es ed in i (e.g. G i i hs 1966; Bolshako 1992 and 2001; Shalomi-Hen 2007 and 2015;
Ma hieu 2010). Se e al so-called mino gods eme ged app oxima ely simul aneously wi h Osi is,
including o ins ance Khen y jenene . This ac coincided wi h a ans o ma ion o he whole socie y
o ancien Egyp , which came o pass du ing he eign o Nyuse e. A numbe o inno a ions came
abou in a ious sphe es – eligion, socie y, adminis a ion, omb a chi ec u e, e c. – mi o ing
achange in he powe pa icipa ion in he socie y a ha ime ( o exempli ica ion o he mos dis inc
changes, see Dulíko á 2016). The e idence o he god Khen y jenene in he Six h Dynas y has been
g owing owing o he exca a ions o he Czech Ins i u e o Egyp ology a Abusi Sou h.1
Fig. 1 The alse doo o He epuni, bu ied a Abusi Sou h, who se ed as “hem-ne je -p ies o Khen y jenene ” and was e e ed wi h he same god
(pho o M. F ouz, d awing J. Malá ko á)
The name o he god Khen y jenene is li e ally ansla ed
as “Fo emos o he Tjenene ” (Do man 2002: 106), “ he
Fo emos one o Tjenene ” (e.g. Jones 2000: 36, no. 177)
o “He who is a he head o The Ele a ed Place”
(Holmbe g 1946: 217–218). A ew esea che s ha e
pa ially deal wi h Khen y jenene in hei s udies
conce ning p ima ily eligion issues. In connec ion wi h
he Abydos lis and using Old Kingdom ex s, He mann
PES XVII_2016_s udied_36-78_PES 13.12.16 11:41 S ánka 36
Kees (1915: 58–59) and John Baines (1988) ouched on
Khen y jenene in hei excellen ea ises, as did
Alexande He mann Schlögl (1980: 105–107) in his
excu sus on an anonymous dei y in his monog aph abou
he god Ta enen. In hei esea ch on his god in he Old
Kingdom pe iod, Ba ba a L. Begelsbache -Fische (1981:
212, 232) and Ch is ian Lei z (2002: 876) men ioned
Khen y jenene in hei o e iews, which e lec a abula
and al e na i ely encyclopaedic cha ac e .2
While some schola s ha e conside ed Khen y jenene o
be a mani es a ion o aspec o he god P ah (e.g. Do man
2002: 100), he appea s as an independen dei y. Finally,
Baines (1988: 127) assumes ha Khen y jenene is possi-
bly ela ed o Ta enen, a god closely associa ed wi h P ah
in he New Kingdom.
The dei y Khen y jenene has occu ed in p ies ly i les
and epi he s, as a componen o pe sonal names, as a pa
o he names o une a y domains o es a es, and once in
ano he con ex – on a agmen om Ne e i ka e’s
papy us a chi e (see below). E en hough he geog aphic
dis ibu ion o he e idence on Khen y jenene is limi ed
o a ce ain e i o y o he Memphi e nec opolis, a isual
aspec o his god in he ime o he Old Kingdom is
unknown.
In se ice o he god: Khen y jenene as pa
o p ies ly i les and epi he s
The i le “hem-ne je -p ies o Khen y jenene ”
This dei y i s appea s in connec ion wi h he p ies ly
i le Hm-nT #n y-*nn , “hem-ne je -p ies o he god
Khen y jenene ” (Jones 2000: 569, no. 2095) wi hin he
i ula y o he high- anking p ies , P ahshepses, who was
bu ied a No h Saqqa a [C1] and who became he son-in-
law o King Use ka (see e.g. Ma ie e 1889: 110–114;
Do man 2002). This indi idual ep esen s he only
documen ed p ies o he god Khen y jenene in he Fi h
Dynas y. I is no ewo hy ha he name o Osi is appea ed
o he e y i s ime p ecisely on he alse doo o his
man (see Do man 2002: 100, Fig. 3). The o icial Duahep,
who also anked among he i s people in oking Osi is,
named his son I e -Khen y jenene (see below; o mo e
in o ma ion abou Osi is, see Dulíko á 2016).
!em-ne je -p ies s conduc ed i uals in emples connec -
ed wi h he s a ues o kings and gods, d essing, ado ning,
pu i ying and umiga ing hem wi h incense and oils. They
also pa icipa ed in he ci cula ion o ood o e ings in
hese emples (Posene -K iége 1976: 574–581; Ro h 1991:
79–81).
Th ee mo e bea e s o he i le Hm-nT #n y-*nn li ed
du ing he Six h Dynas y and we e bu ied a No h Saqqa a
o Abusi Sou h (see ab. 1). One o hem was Sabu Ibebi
[Nos. 37–38 = E 1–2] (Ma ie e 1889: 460–461), who
buil his omb in he icini y o he mas aba o he
a o e-men ioned p ies , P ahshepses, a he beginning o
he Six h Dynas y.
Mo eo e , he s uc u e o Sabu Ibebi’s i ula y and he
ype o his i les esemble hose o P ahshepses. Sabu Ibebi
sha ed he omb wi h a ce ain P ahshepses, his supposed
son. Was Sabu Ibebi a ela i e o he high- anking p ies
P ahshepses [C 1]? The uniqueness o some o hei i les
wi hin ancien Egyp , he closeness o hei ombs and he
equen occu ence o he name, P ahshepses, in Sabu
Ibebi’s amily sugges his assump ion.
He epuni and Se ekhu, wo o he Six h Dynas y p ies s
o Khen y jenene , buil hei ombs a Abusi Sou h. The
alse doo o He epuni, a p ies bu ied in he cou ya d o
P incess She e neb y [AS 68, p obably in Sha 8], e eals
ha he se ed as a “hem-ne je -p ies o Khen y jenene ”,
wab 200 Mn-n -M y- a, “wab-p ies o he wo hund ed o
he py amid Men-ne e -Me y e (Pepy I)” (Jones 2000: 378,
no. 1401; o mo e abou his i le, see Goedicke 1996),
wab aA, “g ea wab-p ies ” (Jones 2000: 369, no. 1362;
Fische 1964) and imy- A c xn y(w)-S p -aA, “o e see o
he depa men o enan -landholde s o he G ea House”
A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET PES XVII/2016 37
Tab. 1 Lis o Old Kingdom holde s o i les and epi he s ela ed o he god Khen y jenene . Thei occu ence is cha ac e is ic o he second hal
o he Old Kingdom
pe sonal name hem-ne je -p ies
o Khen y jenene e e ed wi h
Khen y jenene place o bu ial dynas y/king
P ahshepses x Saqqa a [C 1] mid 5/Nyuse e
Sabu Ibebi x Saqqa a [E 1–2] ea ly 6/Te i
Se ekhu I ji x ? Abusi [AS 68, Sha 14] la e 6
He epuni x x Abusi [AS 68, Sha 8 ?] la e 6/Pepy II
I i I enakh y x Abusi [unknown] la e 6
Qa (Junio )
Ne e me y e x Abusi [AS 17] la e 6/Pepy II
Khai (I) x Abusi [AS 68, Sha 4 o 12?] la e 6 o la e
Khai (II) x Abusi [unknown] la e 6 o la e
He epu x Saqqa a, o he eas o
Me e nebe ’s omb la e 6 o la e
Khunehes x unknown, p obably Saqqa a la e 6 o la e
PES XVII_2016_s udied_36-78_PES 13.12.16 11:41 S ánka 37
38 PES XVII/2016 A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET
Fig. 2 The emains o he ex on a agmen o Se ekhu’s wooden co in show a pa o he name o Khen y jenene (d awing L. Vařeko á)
Cha 1 The Old Kingdom holde s o he i le and he epi he connec ed wi h he god Khen y jenene we e bu ied exclusi ely a Saqqa a and Abusi
Cha 2 The occu ence o Khen y jenene in he Old Kingdom pe iod. The i s e idence on he god comes om in he mid-Fi h Dynas y
PES XVII_2016_s udied_36-78_PES 13.12.16 11:41 S ánka 38
(Jones 2000: 241, no. 882; Fe el 2010). I is p obable ha
he alse doo had o iginally been placed abo e a sha
(numbe ed as 8), in o which i was h own. While no
emains o he bu ial equipmen we e ound in he bu ial
niche, he ill o he sha con ained agmen s o po e y
essels. Mos analogies o hese pa icula essels a e
associa ed wi h he Six h Dynas y, especially wi h Pepy I,
bu some o he analogies su i ed un il he eign o
Pepy II. An analysis o he ea u es o He epuni’s alse
doo da es i o he la e Six h Dynas y, o possibly he Fi s
In e media e Pe iod ( ig. 1; o mo e in o ma ion abou
He epuni, see Dulíko á – A ias Ky na o á – Cílek 2014).
Se ekhu, whose good name was I ji, was also bu ied
wi hin he omb complex o P incess She e neb y [AS 68,
Sha 14]. The emains o he ex on his decomposing
wooden co in e y p obably include a pa o he i le
“hem-ne je -p ies o Khen y jenene ” ( ig. 2; based on he
ye unpublished ield documen a ion o he Czech mission
a Abusi Sou h). This indi idual could be iden ical wi h
he homonymous name o he son o he judge In i whose
mas aba lies nea by (Bá a – Vachala e al., o hcoming);
in i , Se ekhu is labelled as i y mDA (n) zAb, “judicial book
keepe ” (Jones 2000: 805–806, no. 2944).
The i le “hem-ne je -p ies o Khen y jene ” appea ed
a he a ely in ancien Egyp , p edominan ly in he Old
Kingdom (Lei z 2002: 876; see he summa izing cha 2).
Epi he “ e e ed wi h he god Khen y jenene ”
Besides one p ies ly i le, he god Khen y jenene occu ed
also as a pa o he epi he imAxw x #n y-*nn , “ e e ed
wi h he god Khen y jenene ” (Jones 2000: 36, no. 177) in
he Six h Dynas y (see ab. 1, cha s 1 and 2). Se e al
o icials in e ed in he same a ea as he a o e-men ioned
p ies s chose his epi he , i e a Abusi , one a Saqqa a
and one o unknown p o enance (p obably om Saqqa a).
He epuni is he only pe son who simul aneously bea s bo h
he i le and he epi he linked wi h Khen y jenene .
Ano he bea e o he epi he was a ce ain Khai (I),
cm Zk , “sem assis an o he god Soka ” (Jones 2000:
884–885, no. 3240). Khai was bu ied in She e neb y’s
cou ya d [AS 68, Sha 4 o 12]. His alse doo o a he
poo c a smanship ea u es he “in e ed T-shape panel”,
which occu s on a small numbe o s elae om he la e Old
Kingdom and he Fi s In e media e Pe iod. The ypology
o Khai’s alse doo , he iconog aphic, palaeog aphic
and epig aphic ea u es on he s ela, his pe sonal name,
he s a ig aphy in She e neb y’s cou ya d and he
whi ewashed cul place a e all indica i e o he la e Six h
Dynas y o he Fi s In e media e Pe iod ( ig. 3; o mo e
in o ma ion abou Khai, see Dulíko á 2013).
The alse doo o ano he indi idual wi h an iden ical
name as he p e iously men ioned one was ound as
a loose block du ing he au umn a chaeological season
A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET PES XVII/2016 39
Fig. 3 The alse doo o Khai who was e e ed wi h Khen y jenene
(pho o M. F ouz, d awing J. Malá ko á)
PES XVII_2016_s udied_36-78_PES 13.12.16 11:42 S ánka 39
in 2015 a Abusi (9/AS79/2015, ye unpublished).
Al hough he insc ip ion on he s ela is hea ily soiled and
wai ing o es o a ion, a pa ly eadable ex has e ealed
he i le Spc ncw , “noble o he king” (Jones 2000: 988,
no. 3648), and wo epi he s: “ e e ed wi h he god
Khen y jenene ” and “ e e ed wi h he god P ah-Soka ”
(Jones 2000: 24, no. 14). Based on he ypology o he alse
doo , i s owne , Khai (II), can be da ed o he la e Six h
Dynas y o he Fi s In e media e Pe iod.
I i I enakh y buil his omb a Abusi Sou h in he
icini y o Vizie Qa ’s amily une a y complex (Bá a
e al. 2009; Bá a – Vachala e al., o hcoming). Relie
agmen s o wall deco a ion coming om his omb we e
ound as loose blocks in he omb complex o he sons o
Vizie Qa , bu he exac posi ion o his mas aba
has no been iden i ied ye (Dulíko á 2012). He wo ked
as imy- A c Xn y(w)-S p -aA, “o e see o he depa men o
enan -landholde s o he G ea House” (Jones 2000: 241,
no. 882) and cm p , “companion o he ( oyal) house”
(Jones 2000: 896, no. 3287). Apa om he epi he
connec ed wi h Khen y jenene , he used o he epi he s
linked o Osi is, P ah-Soka , Anubis and he g ea god.
Qa Ne e me y e, he eldes son o Vizie Qa , buil his
omb [AS 17] nex o he mas aba o his a he (Bá a
e al. 2009: 145–276). He se ed as Hm-nT MAa ,
“hem-ne je -p ies o Maa ” (Jones 2000: 516–517,
no. 1913), Nxn (n) zAb, “judicial o icial and mou h o
Nekhen” (Jones 2000: 808, no. 2953) and xn y-S Mn-n -
Ppy, “a endan o he py amid o Pepy I”. His only epi he
is connec ed wi h Khen y jenene .
He epu, bu ied in he icini y o Vizie Me e nebe ’s
omb a No h Saqqa a, is one o wo bea e s o he
Khen y jenene epi he in e ed ou side Abusi Sou h,
albei in i s immedia e neighbou hood (Ku aszkiewicz
2002: 52–54, Fig. 1, Pls. 12–13). He wo ked as cHD p -aA,
“inspec o o he G ea House” (Jones 2000: 924–925,
no. 3401). His o he epi he was imAxw x nT aA nb p ,
“ e e ed wi h he g ea god, he lo d o he sky” (Jones
2000: 31, no. 146).
Khunehes, whose place o bu ial is unknown, was
p obably bu ied somewhe e in Saqqa a (Bo cha d 1964:
139–140, Bl. 89). He held he i les X y- p ncw (n) p -aA,
“king’s liegeman o he G ea House” (Jones 2000: 789,
no. 2878), Spc ncw , “noble o he king” (Jones 2000: 988,
no. 3648) and cm p , “companion o he ( oyal) house”
(Jones 2000: 896, no. 3287). Besides he epi he connec ed
wi h Khen y jenene , he used an epi he linked o Osi is.
The ypology o Khunehes’s alse doo and his i les bea
ea u es o he Six h Dynas y.
Khen y jenene as pa o heopho ic pe sonal
names
Concu en ly wi h he p ies ly i le Hm-nT #n y-*nn , he
name o he god Khen y jenene occu ed wi hin pe sonal
names o se e al indi iduals who held o ices unde
Nyuse e and we e bu ied a Abusi o No h Saqqa a.
Theopho ic pe sonal names cons i u ed ca. 21% o all
pe sonal names in he Old Kingdom pe iod. In o al,
48 dei ies we e embodied in hese names; he mos
equen was he god P ah in 146 di e en names
(Scheele-Schwei ze 2014: 107–113). Fou pe sonal names
comp ising he elemen Khen y jenene a e a es ed o
males li ing p edominan ly du ing he eign o King
Nyuse e ( ab. 2).
The name Hem-Khen y jenene , “Se an o Khen y-
jenene ” (Ranke 1952: 305, no. 17; Gou don 2007: [471]
2; Scheele-Schwei ze 2014: 540 [2410]), is a es ed on
a agmen ha was o iginally pa o he elie deco a ion
o he mo ua y emple in he py amid complex o
Nyuse e a Abusi (Bo cha d 1907: 74, no. 60). No i le
has su i ed.
40 PES XVII/2016 A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET
Tab. 2 Pe sonal names wi h he elemen Khen y jenene a e dis inc i e o he mid-Fi h o la e Fi h Dynas y
pe sonal name Ranke Gou don Scheele-
Schwei ze si e p o enance dynas y/
king
Hem-Khen y jenene
“Se an o
Khen y jenene ”
RPN II,
305,
no. 17
[471] 2 540/2410 Abusi
Nyuse e’s
mo ua y emple
[AC 4], elie
deco a ion
mid 5/
Nyuse e
I e -Khen y jenene
“Wha
Khen y jenene
did”
RPN I,
273,
no. 10
[88] 1
I -#n y-*nn ,
[557] 4
#n y-*nn -i
257/426
Abusi
mas aba o Vizie
P ahshepses
[AC 8], elie
deco a ion
mid 5/
Nyuse e
Saqqa a
mas aba o Duahep
[D 59], elie
deco a ion
mid 5/
Nyuse e
Washkai-Khen y jenene
“Khen y jenene ’s
ka is powe ull”
RPN I,
417,
no. 16
[161] 3 317/819 Saqqa a
mas aba o Vizie
Kai [D 19], elie
deco a ion
mid 5/
Nyuse e
Ny-Khen y jenene
“He who belongs
o Khen y jenene ”
– [324] 4 434/1643 Saqqa a
omb o Tje u
P ahhe ep, elie
deco a ion
la e 5
PES XVII_2016_s udied_36-78_PES 13.12.16 11:42 S ánka 40

The name I e -Khen y jenene , “Wha Khen y jenene
did”, is a es ed wice in he Old Kingdom (Ranke 1935:
273, no. 10; Gou don 2007: [88] 1 and [557] 4; Scheele-
Schwei ze 2014: 257 [426]).3Fi s ly, he bea e o his
name is pic u ed in he wall deco a ion o he mas aba
o Vizie P ahshepses, in he scene o he d agging o wo
o P ahshepses’s s a ues. I e -Khen y jenene is depic ed
wi h he i les zS (n) zAb and Hm-kA walking behind he
sledge oge he wi h a man named Duahep, who bea s ou
i les: zS (n) zAb, cHD Hm(w)-kA, wab ncw and H y-cS A
(Ve ne 1986: 110, Insc . Nos. 166 and 167, Pl. 60). Apa
o I e -Khen y jenene ’s name is also a es ed on a elie
agmen (Vachala 2004: 76–77, F agmen H 114). Sec-
ondly, I e -Khen y jenene appea s o be designa ed as he
eldes son o Duahep wi h he i le zS (n) zAb in he omb
o his a he a Saqqa a [D 59] (Ma ie e 1889: 337), wes
o he S ep Py amid, nea he omb complex o he izie ial
amily o Akhe he ep and P ahhe ep. I is wo h no icing
ha his omb ea u ed no only his new mino god bu also
he majo god Osi is ( o he wo k ac i i ies o his amily,
see ig. 5; o he lis o indi iduals in oking Osi is, see
Dulíko á 2016: Table 6.1).
I is e iden ha he owne o mas aba D 59, Duahep,
and his eldes son, I e -Khen y jenene , a e he same
indi iduals who a e depic ed nex o each o he in he
mas aba o Vizie P ahshepses, al hough hey a e po ayed
he e wi hou any amily ela ion label. Duahep and I e -
Khen y jenene we e con empo a ies o P ahshepses and
pa o hei p oduc i e li es coincided wi h he ime when
P ahshepses pe o med he izie ial o ice ( o an analysis
o hei p o essional ca ego iza ion, see Appendix).
Ano he name connec ed wi h he god, Khen y jenene ,
is Washkai-Khen y jenene “Khen y jenene ’s ka is
powe ul” (Ranke 1935: 417, no. 16; Gou don 2007:
[161] 3; Scheele-Schwei ze 2014: 317 [819]). The
indi idual wi h his name was he eldes son o Vizie
Kai and is eco ded in his omb a No h Saqqa a
[No. 63 = D 19] on his alse doo (Ma ie e 1889: 229).
Washkai-Khen y jenene began his ca ee in he
adminis a i e sphe e as zS a(w) nw ncw x -H , “sc ibe o
he oyal eco ds in he p esence” (Jones 2000: 839–840,
no. 3063) and cHD zS (n) zAb, “inspec o o judicial sc ibes”
(Jones 2000: 814, no. 297).
The las pe sonal name ha includes he elemen ,
Khen y jenene , is Ny-Khen y jenene , “He who belongs
o Khen y jenene ” (Ranke no a es ed; Gou don 2007:
[324] 4; Scheele-Schwei ze 2014: 434 [1643]). Ny-
-Khen y jenene is depic ed among he bea e s o o e ings
in he mas aba o Tje u P ahhe ep, labelled as wab-p ies
o P ahhe ep (Hassan 1975: 105, 108, Fig. 56). The
unnumbe ed omb lies a No h Saqqa a, o he wes o
he S ep Py amid, in he close icini y o he mas aba
o he a o e-men ioned Duahep.
E en hough he s a us o amily ela ions o he bea e s
o Khen y jenene -names a e known om he monumen s
o hei ela i es o o hose whom hey se ed ( he
py amid complex o Nyuse e, he mas aba o Vizie
P ahshepses and he omb o Tje u P ahhe ep, a supposed
membe o he izie ial amily o “P ahhe eps”), hei
places o bu ial emain unknown. The ombs o hese men
a e loca ed mos p obably a No h Saqqa a.
Fune a y domains and o he e idence
The name o he god Khen y jenene occu ed wi hin he
names o une a y domains o es a es in connec ion wi h
h ee subsequen ule s: Djedka e Isesi, Unas and Te i.
Khen y jenene appea s once in he oyal con ex ,
i.e. wi hin he names o he oyal es a e and he oyal
domain in he py amid complex o Unas a Saqqa a:
M #n y-*nn -anx Wnic, “Khen y jenene desi es Unas
o li e” (Jacque -Go don 1962: 172); @w Wnic: Ny i
Wnic #n y-*nn , “Es a e o Unas: Wha Unas does
belongs o Khen y jenene ”. The place was p obably
si ua ed in he 7 h nome o Lowe Egyp (Jacque -Go don
1962: 169).
Khen y jenene is a es ed wice in a non- oyal con ex ,
wi hin he une a y domain p ocessions in he ombs o
wo indi iduals. The name M #n y-*nn anx Izzi,
“Khen y jenene desi es Isesi o li e” occu ed in he omb
o Kaipu e, bu ied a Saqqa a [No. 22 = D 39] and da ed
o he eign o Djedka e Isesi. The o he names o une -
a y domains a e ela ed o he omb owne (Ma ie e
1889: 276; Jacque -Go don 1962: 374). He wo ked p e-
dominan ly in he sphe e o he easu y.
Khen y jenene occu ed ou imes in he p ocession o
emale une a y domains in he mas aba o he judge In i,
bu ied a Abusi Sou h [AS 22], he son o Vizie Qa
[AS 17].4All su i ing a es a ions o he es a es a e
associa ed wi h he name o King Te i and he domains
wi h Khen y jenene a e no excep ion. The name M #n y-
*nn anx & i, “Khen y jenene desi es Te i o li e” occu ed
h ee imes on he wes e n wall o he omb en ance. The
second une a y domain is called Ny n i & i #n y-*nn ,
“Wha good Te i does belongs o Khen y jenene ”. In i
li ed du ing he eigns o Kings Pepy I and Pepy II
(Bá a – Vachala e al., o hcoming).
Apa om he abo e-men ioned occu ences,
Khen y jenene is a es ed on a agmen o papy us om
Ne e i ka e’s papy us a chi e (Posene -K iége – Ceni al
1968: Pl. LXXXA). The insc ip ion s a s wi h he
enume a ion o dei ies: [x #n y]-*nn x +d-Spc x nT w
nbw, e c. This papy us is da ed o he eign o Djedka e
Isesi (Posene -K iége 1976: 453–455).
Conclusions
The p e iously spa se e idence on Khen y jenene has
been ma kedly enla ged owing o he new exca a ions
pe o med by he Czech a chaeological mission a Abusi
Sou h. A ecen ly disco e ed clus e o indi iduals holding
p ies ly i les and/o epi he s e e ing o Khen y jenene
has gi en us an impe us o sc u inising his dei y.5
The eco ded e idence o Khen y jenene is closely
connec ed wi h a speci ic geog aphical pa o he
Memphi e nec opolis – Abusi and No h Saqqa a. The
dis ance be ween all he monumen s men ioning he god
Khen y jenene is app oxima ely 3 kilome es in he no h-
sou h axis, om he mas aba o Vizie P ahshepses a
Abusi Cen e No h o he py amid o Unas a Cen al
Saqqa a (see ig. 4).
The dei y, whose appea ance was ob iously associa ed
wi h he social, eligious and adminis a i e changes
A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET PES XVII/2016 41
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42 PES XVII/2016 A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET
Fig. 4 Saqqa a-Abusi a ea wi h he highligh ed ombs wi h occu ences o Khen y jenene ’s name da ed o he Old Kingdom pe iod: 1 P ahsepses,
2 Nyuse e’s mo ua y emple, 3 Ne e i ka e’s mo ua y emple, 4 I i I enakh y, 5 Qa Junio , 6 Khai (II), 7 In i, 8 Khai (I), 9 He epuni, 10 Se ekhu I ji,
11 Kaipu e, 12 Sabu Ibebi, 13 P ahsepses [C 1], 14 Kai, 15 Tje u P ahhe ep, 16 Duahep, 17 He epu, 18 Unas’s mo ua y emple
(V. B ůna – V. Dulíko á)
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A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET PES XVII/2016 43
du ing he eign o Nyuse e, was also e lec ed in
heopho ic pe sonal names o ha pe iod, which ei he
exp ess he holde ’s ela ion o Khen y jenene as he god’s
se an (“He who belongs o Khen y jenene ”, “Se an o
Khen y jenene ”), o show Khen y jenene as a mo ing
o ce (“Khen y jenene ’s ka is powe ul”). Whe eas
pe sonal names compounded wi h he elemen , Khen y-
jenene , we e cha ac e is ic o he mid-Fi h Dynas y, he
i le “hem-ne je -p ies o Khen y jene ” occu ed only
spo adically in he Fi h Dynas y pe iod. This i le is
a es ed du ing he ollowing dynas y, which is also he
ime when he epi he imakhu khe linked o Khen y jene
appea ed, mo e p ecisely in he la e Six h Dynas y. Thus,
he i le and epi he s suppo an ongoing cul o he god
Khen y jene ha was bound o he Saqqa a-Abusi a ea
(see cha 1).
Taking in o accoun he spa ial dis ibu ion o Old
Kingdom e idence on Khen y jenene , e idence on
a sanc ua y o his god in he Middle Kingdom
(Al enmülle 2015: 249) and a much la e insc ip ion on
a s ela coming om he Pe sian pe iod deposi ed in he
Se apeum, which men ions a emple o Khen y jene
(Holmbe g 1946: 217; Leahy 1998), we can o mula e
a hypo hesis abou he exis ence o a “house” de o ed o
his dei y, loca ed in he a ea o No h Saqqa a. And zej
Ćwiek sugges ed ha he cha ac e o he enigma ic name
o Khen y jenene “Fo emos o Tjenene ” could simply
e e o he S ep Py amid complex o Ne je ykhe (And zej
Ćwiek, pe sonal communica ion).
Appendix: The da ing o Duahep and his son
I e -Khen y jenene
Duahep, who occupied posi ions in he depa men o
jus ice and se e al p ies ly unc ions, buil his omb [D 59]
o he wes o he S ep Py amid in he mid-Fi h Dynas y
(Ma ie e 1889: 335–339) (see ig. 5). Duahep held mainly
p ies ly unc ions: he se ed as Hm-nT -p ies o he
goddess Maa (Jones 2000: 516–517, no. 1930), o he god
Ho akh y (Jones 2000: 551, no. 2046), o King Ne e i ka e
(Jones 2000: 554, no. 2054), o he sun emples o Kings
Ne e i ka e and Nyuse e (Jones 2000: 537, no. 2005 and
538, no. 2006), o Nyuse e’s py amid (Jones 2000: 519,
no. 1939) and as “wab-p ies o he king”. His adminis a i e
i les we e exclusi ely connec ed wi h legal ma e s. He
eached he highes deg ee o he o e see in he a ea o
judicial sc ibes: imy- A zS (n) zAb (Jones 2000: 803, no. 2933)
and wo ked as x p zS(w) i y(w) iaH/cp w, “di ec o o sc ibes
connec ed wi h he moon” (Jones 2000: 739–740, no. 2697).
Fu he mo e, he was H y cS A n nT . , “p i y o he sec e (s)
o his god (i.e. he king)” (Jones 2000: 632–633, no. 2316).
This kind o “secu i y clea ance” wi h nT . , exis ing om
he eign o Nyuse e onwa ds, indica es ha Duahep had
he p i ilege o being in he p oximi y o he ule . Based on
he published documen a ion o Duahep’s mas aba, i is
e iden ha he monumen has su i ed only pa ially, he
deco a ion o he açade and pa s o he o e ing oom.
Un o una ely, he e is no a chaeological documen a ion
e ealing ha his alse doo has su i ed, o ins ance.
I is hus mo e han ob ious ha Duahep’s i ula y mus
ha e been mo e ex ensi e and he possibly occupied
mo e posi ions wi hin he adminis a ion. Duahep’s eldes
son, I e -Khen y jenene , held he i le zS (n) zAb in he omb
o his a he (Ma ie e 1889: 337).
The name o Duahep in connec ion wi h he i le zS (n)
zAb can be ound wi hin he builde s’ insc ip ions on he
s one blocks o he mas aba o Vizie P ahshepses (Ve ne
1992: insc . nos. 28, 43, 120). He was also po ayed in
he elie scenes on he wall o he omb o his izie ,
labelled as zS (n) zAb, cHD Hm(w)-kA, wab ncw and
H y-cS A ( ig. 6; Ve ne 1986: 110, insc . nos. 166 and 167,
Pl. 60). Duahep is depic ed he e oge he wi h his son
Fig. 5 Known amily ela ions and
he i ula y o he digni a y
Duahep, bu ied a Saqqa a
( isualiza ion by R. Mařík)
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44 PES XVII/2016 A CASE STUDY ON KHENTYTJENENET
I e -Khen y jenene , who is endowed wi h he i les
zS (n) zAb and Hm-kA (Ve ne 1986: Insc . No. 167, Pl. 60;
Vachala 2004: 76–77, F agmen H 114). E en hough he
amily ela ion be ween hese wo indi iduals is no
explici ly w i en in hie oglyphs on he walls o
P ahshepses’s mas aba, he iconog aphical exp ession – I e -
Khen y jenene is ollowing his a he Duahep – and
iden ical i les as hose in Duahep’s omb es i y o i . An
analogous case om he mas aba o his izie shows he
b o he s, Nyankhkhnum and Khnumhe ep, depic ed nex
o each o he like o e ing bea e s, also wi hou any label
indica ing hei amily ela ion (c . Ve ne 1986: Insc .
No. 75, Pl. 34).
While Be ha Po e , Rosalind Moss and Ja omí Málek
da ed Duahep o he Six h Dynas y (Po e – Moss – Málek
1979: 595), all indica ions – analyses o his i les and o
he occu ences o his name – sugges ha he li ed in he
eign o King Nyuse e in he mid-Fi h Dynas y.
No es:
1I would like o exp ess my g a i ude o e e yone who has p o ided me
s imula ing commen s on he p esen ed issue, especially o And zej Ćwiek
and wo anonymous pee - e iewe s. This s udy was w i en wi hin he
p ojec o GA ČR, No. 16-07210S: “Complex ne wo k me hods applied
o ancien Egyp da a in he Old Kingdom (2700–2180 BC)”.
2Vale ia Tu iziani (2014) has deal wi h mino gods in he Old Kingdom
pe iod in he Ph.D. p ojec , bu no esul s ha e been published ye , excep
o a sho compila ion a icle.
3In spi e o he ac ha he name is w i en iden ically in he wall
deco a ion o he wo mas abas and ep esen s a single pe son, Yannis
Gou don eads he name, I e -Khen y jenene , in wo ways in his excellen
wo k: as I e -Khen y jenene (Gou don 2007: [88] 1) and as Khen y-
jenene -i e (Gou don 2007: [557] 4). Thus he name is lis ed wice as
wo di e en names.
4The elie scene has no been published ye . The monog aph on In i’s omb
is cu en ly unde p epa a ion (Bá a – Vachala e al., o hcoming).
5This case s udy on Khen y jenene is based on an a icle published in he
Czech language, which deals wi h one o he p ies s ecen ly disco e ed a
Abusi Sou h (Dulíko á – A ias Ky na o á – Cílek 2014), and on he chap e
de o ed o he eligious inno a ion du ing he eign o he King Nyuse e,
Fig. 6 Duahep was a
con empo a y o Vizie
P ahshepses; he was po ayed
in P ahshepses’s omb oge he
wi h his son I e -Khen y jenene
(d awing L. Vařeko á)
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