| Mentuhotep IV the Forgotten | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 21 October 1998 - 24 December 1991 |
| Predecessor | Mentuhotep III |
| Successor | Amenemhat I |
| Born | February 9, 2029 Waset, Egypt |
| Died | August 6, 1980 (aged 49) |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Nebtawy Nebty Name: Nebtawy Golden Horus Name: Netjerunebu Praenomen: Nebtawyra Nomen: Mentuhotep | |
| House | Intef |
| Father | Mentuhotep III |
| Mother | Imi |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Nebtawyre Mentuhotep IV was the last king of the 11th Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom. He seems to fit into a 7-year period in the Turin Canon for which there is no recorded king.
Family[]
King's Mother Imi[]
In Setmaat, a rock inscription (Setmaat M 191) with the royal name of Mentuhotep IV also mentions King's Mother Imi. This monument only focus on the title King's Mother, presumably the mother of Mentuhotep IV. It does not include other titles like King's Wife, King's Sister or King's Daughter. As such she was a concubine in the royal harem of Mentuhotep III who is recorded in historical archives to be his father.
Rock inscriptions[]
He is known from several inscriptions at several locations, despite his reign being omitted from the Abydos king list. The inscriptions show the organization and makeup of a large expedition during his reign.
Inet Seshem[]
Also, he is attested by the inscriptions at Inet Seshem.
- Inet Seshem 1 dated to Year 1
- Inet Seshem 2 dated to Year 1
- Inet Seshem 3 dated to Year 1
- Inet Seshem 4 dated to Year 1
Rut Mefkat[]
At the Red Sea port of Rut Mefkat expeditions went to places like the Khetuenmefkat in the Biau. Products like turquoise and copper were transported to Memphis some 120 km across the sand tracks of the Eastern Desert. Or perhaps transported along the Red Sea coast further south to the port of Sawaw. Inscriptions dated to Mentuhotep IV have been found.
Year 1, arrival of the king’s men; workforce: 3000, to bring back turquoise, copper,3 bronze (?) and all fine products of the desert. [rnpt-zp 1: jwt mšʿ n nswt; ṯnw n mšʿ pn 3000 n s r jnt mfkȝt, bjȝ, ḥsmn (?), jnw nb(w) nfr(w) n ḫȝst]
Setmaat (Eastern Desert)[]
He is known from a few inscriptions in Setmaat that record expeditions to the Red Sea coast and to quarry stone for the royal monuments. One of these inscriptions confirms the name of his mother to be King's Mother Imi. The leader of an expedition to Setmaat, during the second year of Mentuhotep IV's reign, was his vizier, Amenemhat, who is assumed to be the future king Amenemhat I, the first king of the 12th Dynasty, and Mentuhotep's immediate successor.
- Setmaat G 52
- Setmaat G 53
- Setmaat G 54 dated to Year 2
- Setmaat G 55
- Setmaat G 56
- Setmaat G 57 dated to Year 2
- Setmaat G 58
- Setmaat G 59
- Setmaat G 60
- Setmaat G 73
- Setmaat G 140
- Setmaat M 1
- Setmaat M 40
- Setmaat M 55
- Setmaat M 105
- Setmaat M 110 dated to Year 2 by Vizier Amenemhat {jrj-pꜥt; jmj-rꜣ njwt; ṯꜣtj; jmj-rꜣ kꜣt nsw n mḥ-jb jmn-m-ḥꜣt}
- Setmaat M 113 dated to Year 2 by Vizier Amenemhat {jrj-pꜥt; jmj-rꜣ njwt; ṯꜣtj; jmj-rꜣ kꜣt nsw n mḥ-jb jmn-m-ḥꜣt}
- Setmaat M 191
- Setmaat M 192 dated to Year 2 by Vizier Amenemhat {jrj-pꜥt; jmj-rꜣ njwt; ṯꜣtj; jmj-rꜣ kꜣt nsw n mḥ-jb jmn-m-ḥꜣt}
- Setmaat M 205 by Vizier Amenemhat {jrj-pꜥt; jmj-rꜣ njwt; ṯꜣtj jmn-m-ḥꜣt}
- Setmaat M 241
Other attestations[]
A fragment of a slate bowl found at Itjtawy North was regarded for a long time to be inscribed on the outside with the official titulary of Mentuhotep IV, and on the inside with that of King Amenemhat I, his successor. Since the two inscriptions are incised in a different style of writing, according to Dorothea Arnold, this indicates that Amenemhat had his name added to an older vessel that already bore the name of Mentuhotep IV. However, Peter Janosi showed that Mentuhotep IV is not mentioned on the bowl, the titulary preserved there fits better to Mentuhotep II.
End of Reign[]
The final years of Mentuhotep IV's reign were marred by intense conflict as his authority was challenged by Amenemhat, a powerful figure who would eventually become the founder of the 12th Dynasty. This struggle escalated into a full-blown civil war, with Egypt becoming a battleground as both sides fought for control of the throne.
Amenemhat, backed by a coalition of loyalists from the northern regions and several influential nomarchs who had pledged their support, steadily gained the upper hand. The war was not solely a series of military confrontations; it also involved significant political maneuvering, as Amenemhat worked to legitimize his claim to the throne and gather more support.
The conflict reached its climax when Amenemhat's forces besieged and captured Mentuhotep IV's stronghold. Despite his defeat, Mentuhotep IV was spared; instead of facing execution, he was allowed to live out his days in Thebes.