Nubkheperre Intef

Nubkheperre Intef VI (also known as Antef, Inyotef, and Intef VI) was an Egyptian monarch of the Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt who reigned in Thebes during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was divided into rival dynasties, including the Hyksos in Lower Egypt.

Nubkheperre Intef’s tomb was eventually discovered by early Egyptologists about 1881, but its position was lost until 2001, when it was unearthed by German scientists led by Daniel Polz, deputy director of the German Archaeological Institute. The coffin of Nubkheperre Intef was purportedly discovered in his grave, together with a diadem or crown, some bows and arrows, and the heart-scarab of king Sobekemsaf.

Nubkheperre Intef is one of the best-documented monarchs of the 17th dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period. The Second Intermediate Period lasted from 1700 to 1550 B.C. It corresponds to the second division of Ancient Egypt into smaller dynasties, taking place between the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the New Kingdom. The 13th through 17th dynasties are commonly referred to as the Second Intermediate Period, however there is no universal consensus in Egyptology on how to characterise the period.

The king famously worked on restoring multiple damaged temples in Upper Egypt and building a new temple at Gebel Antef. The best-preserved structure from his rule is the remnants of a tiny chapel at Koptos. Four reconstructed walls show the king in front of Min, crowned by Horus and another god. The reliefs are created in both raised and sunken relief. The Coptos Decree, located on a stela in Koptos, alluded to Nubkheperre Intef’s actions against Teti, Minhotep’s son. At Abydos, many stone fragments were discovered, including columns that attest to some form of restoration operation.

He is known to be the brother of Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef—and this king’s immediate successor—because he donated Louvre Coffin E3019 for this king’s burial, which bears an inscription that it was donated for king Sekhemre Wepmaat Intef “as that which his brother, king Antef (Nubkheperre Intef here) gives”, notes Kim Ryholt.

A stela from Abydos mentions a House of Intef. This most likely refers to a building owned by Nubkheperre Intef. As a result, while Nubkheperre Intef’s highest—and only known—year date is Year 3 on the Koptos stela, this must be considered an underestimate because he must have governed for much longer to complete his extensive building programme as well as his royal tomb. Indeed, Nubkheperre Intef is “mentioned on over twenty contemporary monuments” during his reign, demonstrating his status as one of Egypt’s most prominent monarchs during the Seventeenth Dynasty.

Both Kim Ryholt and German Egyptologist Daniel Polz agree that this pharaoh ruled late in the 17th dynasty, just before the dynasty’s final three known monarchs (Senakhtenre, Seqenenre, and Kamose). In his 1997 reconstruction of the 17th dynasty monarchs, Ryholt believed that a king named Sobekemsaf stood between the last Intef king and Senakhtenre.

In more recent literature, Detlef Franke disputes this interpretation (below) and contends that there is no room for a king Sobekemsaf to intervene in the area following Nubkheperre Intef. “In contrast to Ryholt, I notice no space for king Sobekemsaf, who ruled after Nubkheperra Antef. Nubkheperra Antef (c.1560 BC) is the most well-documented (from Abydos to Edfu, e.g. BM 631, EA 1645, coffin 6652) and most significant of the three Antefs.”

In his 2007 book, Polz describes Sekhemre-Heruhirmaat Intef as a short-lived monarch who reigned between Nubkheperre Intef and Senakhtenre Ahmose, the first ruler of the Ahmoside dynasty.

Nubkheperre Intef’s tomb is mentioned in the Abbott Papyrus, which documents an investigation into tomb robberies during Ramesses IX’s reign, around 450 years after Intef’s burial. Although authorities discovered a tunnel excavated into the pyramid by tomb thieves, his tomb was described as “uninjured” since the tomb robbers were unable to locate and access the burial room.

Nubkheperre Intef’s tomb was first raided by tomb robbers in 1827, but some of its contents ended up in the hands of Western collectors; his distinctive rishi-style coffin was purchased by the British Museum from the Henry Salt collection, and its catalogue number is EA 6652.

Summary:

Sycamore fig wood anthropoid coffin of Nubkheperre Intef VI, covered with gold leaf and a base of gesso.
Second Intermediate Period, 17th Dynasty, c.
From the Tomb of Nubkheperra Intef, at the Draʻ Abu el-Naga’ Necropolis
Now at the British Museum. EA6652