In his tomb he is described as a hereditary prince, count, sealer of the king of Lower Egypt. His unidealized body is shown as flabby, with accumulation of fat in the pectoral region. This contrasts with the more usual virile representations of royal male subjects.
Hemiunu was a son of prince Nefermaat and a grandson of king Snefru of the 4th Dynasty.
There is no information about any wives of children of Hemiunu.
He was a vizier during the reign of his uncle, Khufu and is credited for having been the architect of this king's pyramid at Giza.
Among his impressive titulary, there are several priestly titles as well. Thus we find that Hemiunu was priest for Bastet, Sekhmet, Mendes and Thoth. It is possible that many of these priestly titles were purely honorific.
He is said to have lived until the 19th year of the reign of Khufu, which means that the Great Pyramid was either completed by then, or that it was completed by a different architect. He was buried in mastaba G 4000 at Giza, near the royal pyramid.
An impressive, life-size statue, 1.55m high, was found in a niche of his mastaba. It represents Hemiunu, seated on a block throne, his right hand decisively clenched, his left hand resting on his knee. His body is heavy, perhaps an indication that Hemiunu was rather fat, or perhaps just an indication that he was well-to-do. The statue's head has been restored, as it had been damaged around its eyes, which originally may have been inlaid with mountain crystals.
The statue is one of the many exhibits in the museum in Hildesheim, Germany.
25/05/2013
Hemiunu was the son of Nefermaat I and Atet, and the grandson of Sneferu or Huni. He acted as Vizier during the reign of Khufu. His statue, like that of his relative Prince Ankhhaf is unusual in its obvious realism. It bears a list of his titles: “Member of the elite, high official, vizier, king’s seal bearer, attendant of Nekhen, and spokesman of every resident of Pe, Priest of Bastet, priest of Shesmetet, priest of the Banebdjed (The Ram of Mendes), Keeper of the Apis Bull, Keeper of the White Bull, whom his lord loves, elder of the palace, High Priest of Thoth, whom his lord loves, courtier, Overseer of Royal Scribes, priest of the Panther Goddess, Director of Music of the South and North, Overseer of All Construction Projects of the King, king’s [grand]son of his own body”.
The second title from last is perhaps the most important as it confirms that he was the overseer in charge of building the burial place of the pharaoh (among other monuments). As a result he is often credited as the architect responsible for the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. He was buried in a mastaba close to the pyramid.
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
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