Djedefre
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Sphinx face
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Djedefre ruined pyramid |
| Rule | 4th Dynasty: 2528 - 2520 BC. |
| Predecessor | Father Khufu |
| Mother | Libyan consort |
| Praenomen | Throne name: Djedefre: Enduring like Ra |
| Consorts | Hetepheres II was his main wife
Khentet-en-ka was a lesser wife |
| Capital city | Memphis |
| Reign |
He killed his elder half-brother Kauab who was the rightful heir, and married Hetepheres II, the widow of his dead brother to claim the throne
He was the first Pharaoh to use the title Son of Ra as part of his royal title, indicating the growing popularity of the solar god
Djedefre completed his father's burial at Giza and was responsible for the provision of his funerary boats, where his name was found.
A number of statues have been discovered of this Pharaoh, including a statue of his wife Hetepheres II, shown in the form of a sphinx, the earliest in Egyptian history.
Experts in identification, took various measurements of the size, angles and proportions of the head of the Great Sphinx. They concluded that it had a great resemblance to Djedefre's face
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| Burial |
He abandoned the necropolis of Giza and moved north by constructing his pyramid at Abu Rawash 8 km north of the traditional site
The original volume of his pyramid approximately equaled that of Menkaura's, with an original base at about 140 meters, and a steep inclination angle of 60 degrees, far steeper than the pyramids at Giza
However his pyramid was extensively plundered in later periods, and only small traces of his mortuary temple have been found
It is believed to have originally been the most beautiful of the pyramids, constructed with fine limestone,
with an exterior of polished granite, and crowned with a large Pyramidion
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| Successor | Younger half-brother Khafre |
| Wikipedia | Djedefre |
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