Khuit

Khuit in hieroglyphs

xwit

Wife of Teti and mother of Tetiankhkem

Buried in a pyramid in Saqqara

Khuit II was a wife of King Teti, the first pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt.^[1]

Biography

Khuit may have been the first prominent royal wife from the reign of Teti. If so, her position would later be taken over by Iput. Khuit may have been the mother of King Userkare (according to Jánosi and Callender),^[2] but this is not at all certain and some would have a queen named Khentkaus IV as the mother of Userkare.^[3] Khuit was a mother of Tetiankhkem, whilst Khuit's daughter could be Seshseshet Sheshit.^[4]

According to her monuments Khuit held the titles:

King’s Wife (ḥmt-niswt) and King’s Wife, his beloved (ḥmt-niswt mryt.f)
Companion of Horus (smrt-ḥrw)^[5]

Burial

The pyramids of Iput I and Khuit were discovered between July 1897 and February 1899 by Victor Loret just north of Teti's pyramid complex at Saqqara.^[6]

Loret initially thought Khuit's tomb was a mastaba. Excavations in the 1960s by Maragioglio and Rinaldi first suggested that Khuit had been buried in a pyramid. Remains of masonry belonging to the ruins of a small mortuary temple were found as well. Further excavations in 1995 by Hawass have confirmed that Khuit's tomb was a pyramid. Excavations of the pyramid itself revealed a burial chamber with a pink granite sarcophagus. The mortuary temple associated with her funerary complex is located to the east of the pyramid. The temple included an offering room with a false door and an altar. The temple walls were decorated and showed scenes of offering bearers.^[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khuit.

References

^ Dodson, Aidan; Hilton, Dyan (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05128-3., p.76
^ ^a ^b Verner, Miroslav. The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments. Grove Press. 2001. ISBN 0-8021-3935-3
^ Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3
^ N. Kanawati, Mereruka and King Teti. The Power behind the Throne, 2007, p. 20, 32 et 35
^ Grajetzki, Wolfram Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary, p.22
^ Lauer, Jean Phillipe. Saqqara: The Royal Cemetery of Memphis, Excavations and Discoveries since 1850. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1976. ISBN 0-684-14551-0

Queens of Ancient Egypt

Protodynastic Period to First Intermediate Period (<3150–2040 BC)

Period

Dynasty	Pharaoh uncertain

Early Dynastic
(3150–2686 BC)

I	Neithhotep Benerib Khenthap Herneith Nakhtneith Penebui Merneith Seshemetka Semat Serethor Betrest
II	Menka Nimaathap

Old Kingdom
(2686–2181 BC)

III	Hetephernebti Djeseretnebti Djefatnebti Meresankh I
IV	Hetepheres I Meritites I Henutsen Khentetka Meresankh II Hetepheres II Meresankh III Khamerernebty I Persenet Hekenuhedjet Khamerernebty II Rekhetre Bunefer
V	Khentkaus I Neferhetepes Meretnebty Khentkaus II Khentkaus III Reptynub Khuit I Meresankh IV Setibhor Nebet Khenut Nimaethap II
VI	Iput I Khuit II Ankhesenpepi I Ankhesenpepi II Nubwenet Meritites IV Inenek-Inti Nedjeftet Neith Iput II Udjebten Ankhesenpepi III Ankhesenpepi IV Nitocris

Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period (2040–1550 BC)

Period

Dynasty	Pharaoh uncertain

Middle Kingdom
(2040–1802 BC)

XI	Neferu I Neferukayet Iah Tem Neferu II Ashayet Henhenet Sadeh Kawit Kemsit
XII	Neferitatjenen Neferu III Keminub Senet Khenemetneferhedjet I Nofret II Khenmet Khenemetneferhedjet II Neferthenut Meretseger Aat Khenemetneferhedjet III Sobekneferu

2^nd Intermediate
(1802–1550 BC)

XIII	Nofret Nubhetepti Senebhenas Neni Senebsen Tjan Ineni Nubkhaes Aya Abetni Satsobek
XIV	Tati
XVI	Mentuhotep
XVII	Nubemhat Sobekemsaf Haankhes Tetisheri Ahhotep I Ahmose Inhapy Sitdjehuti Ahhotep II

New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period (1550–664 BC)

Period

Dynasty	Pharaoh uncertain

New Kingdom
(1550–1070 BC)

XVIII	Ahmose-Nefertari Ahmose-Sitkamose Ahmose-Henuttamehu Ahmose-Meritamun Ahmose Mutnofret Hatshepsut Iset Satiah Merytre-Hatshepsut Nebtu Menhet, Menwi and Merti Nebsemi Tiaa Nefertari Iaret Mutemwiya Tiye Gilukhipa Sitamun Iset Tadukhipa / Kiya Nefertiti Meritaten Neferneferuaten Ankhesenamun Tey Mutnedjmet Nebetnehat
XIX	Sitre Tuya Tanedjemet Nefertari Isetnofret Henutmire Maathorneferure Meritamen Bintanath Nebettawy Merytre Isetnofret II Takhat Twosret Tiaa Anuketemheb
XX	Tiy-Merenese Iset Ta-Hemdjert Tyti Tiye Duatentopet Henutwati Tawerettenru Nubkhesbed Baketwernel Tentamun

3^rd Intermediate
(1069–664 BC)

XXI	Tentamun Mutnedjmet Karimala
XXII	Karomama Penreshnes Maatkare Tashedkhonsu Nesitaudjatakhet Nesitanebetashru Kapes Karomama I Tadibast III
XXIII	Karomama II
XXV	Pebatjma Tabiry Abar Khensa Peksater Arty Qalhata Tabekenamun Takahatenamun Naparaye Atakhebasken Malaqaye

Late Period and Hellenistic Period (664–30 BC)

Period

Dynasty	Pharaoh uncertain

Late
(664–332 BC)

XXVI	Mehytenweskhet Khedebneithirbinet I Takhuit Tentkheta Nakhtubasterau Ladice
XXVII	Atossa Artystone Parmys Amestris Damaspia Parysatis
XXXI	Stateira I

Hellenistic
(332–30 BC)

Argead	Roxana Stateira II Parysatis II Eurydice II of Macedon
Ptolemaic	Eurydice Berenice I Arsinoe I Arsinoe II Berenice II Arsinoe III Cleopatra I Syra Cleopatra II Cleopatra III Cleopatra IV Cleopatra Selene Berenice III Cleopatra V Cleopatra VI Berenice IV Cleopatra VII Arsinoe IV