# Nofret

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{{Short description|Ancient Egyptian princess of 4th Dynasty}}
{{About}}
{{Infobox Egyptian dignitary
| name = Nofret
| image = Ägyptisches Museum Kairo 2016-03-29 Nofret 03.jpg
| alt = Nofret 
| caption = Nofret's statue, [Cairo Museum](/source/Cairo_Museum) 
| egyptian_name=<hiero>sw-r:x:t-n:f:r-nfr:t-B1</hiero>(Nfr-t) <br>King's Acquaintance 
| burial = [mastaba](/source/mastaba) at [Meidum](/source/Meidum)
| style = Princess of [Egypt](/source/Egypt)
| spouse = [Prince Rahotep](/source/Prince_Rahotep) 
| children = ♂ [Djedi](/source/Prince_Djedi)<br/>♂ Itu<br/>♂ Neferkau<br/>♀ Mereret<br/> ♀ Nedjemib<br/>♀ Sethtet
}}

'''Nofret''' was a noblewoman and princess who lived in [Ancient Egypt](/source/Ancient_Egypt) during the 4th dynasty of [Egypt](/source/Egypt) c. 2613 to 2494 BC. ''Nefert'' means "beautiful". Nofret is alternatively known as '''Nefert''' or '''Neferet'''.

== Biography ==
[[File:CairoMuseumNofret.jpg|thumb|Nofret's statue in the [Egyptian Museum](/source/Egyptian_Museum), Cairo]]

Nofret's parents are not known. Nofret married [Prince Rahotep](/source/Prince_Rahotep), a son of [Pharaoh](/source/Pharaoh) [Sneferu](/source/Sneferu). She had six children with Rahotep: three daughters - Mereret, Nedjemib, and Sethtet - and three sons, [Djedi](/source/Prince_Djedi), Itu, and Neferkau. They all had the same title of "King's Acquaintance".<ref name="autogenerated2004">Dodson and Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004</ref>

Nofret was buried with her husband in [mastaba](/source/mastaba) 6 at [Meidum](/source/Meidum).<ref name="autogenerated2004"/> In 1871 by Daninos, beautiful statues of Rahotep and Nofret were found.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jacques Kinnaer |url=http://www.ancient-egypt.org/glossary/people/rahotep-nofret.html |title=Rahotep and Nofret |publisher=Ancient-egypt.org |accessdate=2012-05-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414185832/http://www.ancient-egypt.org/glossary/people/rahotep-nofret.html |archivedate=2012-04-14 }}</ref> Nofret is depicted with a black wig and very fair face. Her titles in hieroglyphs on the back of her chair name her as "King's Acquaintance".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.egyptorigins.org/rahotepandnofret.htm |title=Rahotep and Nofret |publisher=Egyptorigins.org |date= |accessdate=2012-05-01 |archive-date=2020-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124133628/http://www.egyptorigins.org/rahotepandnofret.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The statues are now in the [Egyptian Museum](/source/Egyptian_Museum) in Cairo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://euler.slu.edu/~bart/egyptianhtml/kings%20and%20Queens/Seneferu.html |title=Seneferu |publisher=Euler.slu.edu |date= |accessdate=2012-05-01}}</ref> The mastaba of the couple had two burial chambers and two cult chapels. The Southern cult chapel belonged to Rahotep, the northern one to Nofret. Here she is depicted with Rahotep in front of an offering table. The inscription over the scene provides a second title for her: ''{{not a typo|miteret}}'' (translation still not known today).<ref>{{cite book|first=William Matthew Flinders |last=Petrie|authorlink= Flinders Petrie |title=Medum (plates IX, X and XV)|location= London 1892 |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028670465}}</ref>

==Statues of Nofret and Rahotep==
Prince Rahotep's statue has six columns of text, naming his titles and duties, with columns three and six, each ending with his name, Ra-Hotep. Nofret has identical texts, one column both right and left. Her name appears at the bottom, with the [determinative](/source/determinative) for 'women'. Her complete name is "Nsw-r(kh)-t, Nfr-t". The last, nfr-t means "beautiful woman" (the t being the [bread bun](/source/bread_bun_(hieroglyph)) for feminine); nsw-r(kh)-t, means "King's Acquaintance". Nofret's statue depicts her with noticeably paler skin than her male counterpart and with blue eyes. Her hair is hidden by a dark thick wig, though her natural hairline, showing dark straight hair, is visible.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Statues of Rahotep and Nofret |url=https://arce.org/statues-rahotep-and-nofret/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=ARCE |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Egypt |date=2022-08-25 |title=Seated Statues of Rahotep and Nofret |url=https://egypt-museum.com/statues-of-rahotep-and-nofret/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=Egypt Museum |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Global Egyptian Museum {{!}} Seated Statues of Rahotep and Nofret |url=http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/detail.aspx?id=14847 |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=www.globalegyptianmuseum.org}}</ref> Nofret is seen wearing a floral diadem, similar to actual diadems made of gold with inlays found at Giza.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bard |first=Kathryn A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MH7sAgAAQBAJ&dq=nofret+floral+diadem&pg=PT583 |title=Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt |date=2005-11-03 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-66524-2 |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Ägyptisches Museum Kairo 2016-03-29 Rahotep Nofret 01.jpg|(Statue 1 + 2)<br>the pair: Ra-hotep and Nofret
File:Rahotep statue.jpg|[Ra-hotep](/source/Prince_Rahotep)<br><hiero>r:a ! R4:t*p</hiero><ref>''The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt'', Ian Shaw, c 2000, p. 129.</ref>
</gallery>

== Philately and numismatics ==
Nofret is depicted on Egyptian stamps of 1958,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.123rf.com/photo_13983450_egypt-circa-1958-stamp-printed-by-egypt-shows-sculpture-of-princess-nofret-circa-1958.html|title=EGYPT - CIRCA 1958: stamp printed by Egypt, shows Sculpture of..|publisher=123RF|language=en|accessdate=2019-12-29}}</ref> 1989,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.123rf.com/photo_13634769_egypt-circa-1989-stamp-printed-by-egypt-shows-statue-of-princess-nofret-circa-1989.html|title=EGYPT - CIRCA 1989: stamp printed by Egypt, shows Statue of princess..|publisher=123RF|language=en|accessdate=2019-12-29}}</ref> and 2000 (the cost is 20&nbsp;[PT.](/source/Egyptian_pound); No. 1669)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/328028-Nofret_wife_of_Rahotep-Definitives-Egypt|title=Stamp: Nofret, wife of Rahotep (Egypt) (Definitives) Mi:EG 2016I, Sn:EG 1752, Yt:EG 1669|publisher=Colnect|language=en|accessdate=2019-12-29}}</ref> and on the [Fujairah](/source/Emirate_of_Fujairah) stamp of 1966 (pair statue).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/607306-Statues_of_Prince_Rahotep_and_Princess_Nofret-Intl_Stamp_Exhibition_Cairo_100_Years_of_Egyptian_Stamps-Fujairah|title=Stamp: Statues of Prince Rahotep and Princess Nofret (Fujairah) (Intl. Stamp Exhibition, Cairo: 100 Years of Egyptian Stamps) Mi:FU 53A, Yt:FU 42|publisher=Colnect|language=en|accessdate=2019-02-10}}</ref>

The watermark of the {{EGP|20|link=yes}} banknote depicts the head of a sculptural image of Nofret.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://colnect.com/en/banknotes/banknote/41509-20_Pounds-1994-2015_Issue-Egypt|title=Egypt 20 Pounds, 2016, P-65n, Princess Nofret, Muhammed Ali Mosque, PMG 67|publisher=Colnect|language=en|accessdate=2019-12-29}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline}}

{{authority control}}

Category:27th-century BC women
Category:26th-century BC women
Category:Princesses of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt
Category:Egyptian Museum

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nofret](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nofret) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nofret?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.