Intef III

Intef III was the fourth pharaoh of the Eleventh Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He is also known by other names such as Inyotef III and Antef III. His Horus name was Nakht-neb-Tepnefer which, after being translated, is similar in meaning to the name Horus: "Victorious One, the Lord of the Good Beginning."

Intef III's Reign

Intef II reigned for 49 years, so it can be inferred that Intef III likely received the throne in his middle-aged or at an elder age. His reign has been determined from the Turin Canon (list of king compiled in early Ramesside Period), to be eight years in length.

From the Canon and from the two blocks from the Temple of Montu at Tod, there are several dates that are proposed for his reign period-2069-2061 BC, 2063 BC-2055 BC and 2016 BC-2009 BC.

Due to this short reign of eight years, Intef III left next to no impact on the history of the late First Intermediate Period in 21st Century BC. During his reign, he had a rule along with his predecessor’s (Intef II) are all the regions his Theban predecessors had. He had defended the city of Abydos from a number of Herakloepolitan invasions. As any Eleventh Dynasty King, Thebes was capital for his throne. His eight years reign extended over peaceful Upper Egypt, the North Domain being extended as far as the 17th Nome against the 10th Dynasty State.

His Life

The name of Intef III was once inscribed in the mountains of Silsileh. The fact that he was the son of Intef II can be confirmed by the biographical detail founded in the tomb of the treasurer Tjetjy: "Then, when his son assumed his place, Horus, Nakht-neb-Tepnefer, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Son of Re, Intef, fashioner of beauty, living like Re, forever, I followed him to all his good seats of pleasure."

Queen Aoh or Iah was Intef III's main wife while Henite was his second wife. Queen Aoh was the mother of his successor, Montuhotep II, who successfully reunited Egypt. Queen Aoh was his sister as some inscriptions describe her as the king’s mother and also the king’s daughter. Like the inscription in the tomb of Neferu II, wife of Montuhotep II, where she was depicted as the king’s daughter and Iah or Aoh had been mentioned as her mother.

Epilogue: The Death Of Intef III

Intef III was buried in a staff-tomb in the necropolis of the Eleventh Dynasty in El-Tarif, opposite bank of Nile from Thebes, next to Intef I and Intef II, near Deir el-Bahri, the site of Montuhotep II's Mortuary Temple. Though there’s no such inscription founded in these tombs, Intef II’s only odd one out, but, with the latter assessment of the chronological succession led the Saff-el-Baqar to Intef III.

The tomb resembles that of Intef II and consists of a 75 m (246 ft) wide and 85–90 m (279–295 ft) long courtyard on a northwest-southeast axis facing a canal. The courtyard leads to a large double-pillared facade totaling 48 columns with many more chambers located behind this pillar.