Snefru

The History of Egypt for Kids - King Snefru

The Civilization, Culture & History of Ancient Egypt and facts about Pharaoh Snefru and the Red Pyramid

Ancient Egyptians

Ancient Egyptians - Pharaoh Snefru
A comprehensive guide and fact sheet about King Snefru. Discover fascinating facts and information about the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
 
Interesting facts & information about King Snefru the founder of the 4th dynasty
The dynasty and period in history when he was the pharaoh who reigned 2575–2551 BC
Major events in his life - the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid
Fact based biography of the pharaoh Snefru
The life and accomplishments of this ancient Egyptian King
The famous people in his life
His consort, Queen Hetepheres, and family
An overview of Snefru, a famous King of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians - Snefru
Click a link for additional information and interesting facts about subjects relating to King Snefru, the greatest pharaohs of Egypt or other aspects of daily life, the people and places of ancient Egypt.

Profile of Pharaoh Snefru
The following profile provides a fast overview of Snefru, the founder of the 4th Dynasty also known as the Age of the Pyramids. This was the pharaoh who completed the building of the Meidum Pyramid and went on to build the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.
 

Profile of Snefru

  
History Time Period:Old Kingdom
Dynasty:4th Dynasty
Predecessor:Huni
Parents:King Huni and Meresankh
Dates of his Reign:2575–2551 BC
Principal Wife:Queen Hetepheres
Successor:Khufu aka Cheops
  

King Snefru
Interesting facts, biography & information about the life of Pharaoh Snefru, the ancient Egyptian King. The Pharaoh Snefru fact sheet provides details of the major events and accomplishments in his life, his consort and his family. Information about the dynasty and period in ancient Egyptian history in which King Snefru lived. Refer to Pharaohs for additional interesting facts and information.
 

Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Snefru:

Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt was also known as Sneferu. His name means "He of Beauty" and he was also known as the "Beneficent Ruler".
 

Fact 2 on Snefru:

History: Snefru ruled as the king of Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom and was the pharaoh and founder of the 4th dynasty of kings which he founded. He succeeded his father, Pharaoh Huni, to the throne of Egypt.
 

Fact 3 on Snefru:

Family: His father was King Huni and his mother was Meresankh. King Huni also had a daughter called Hetepheres who would become the consort of her brother, or half brother, Snefru. It was acceptable for the pharaoh to practise incest in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline.
 

Fact 4 on Snefru:

Family: Snefru married Hetepheres, whose status and titles included "King's Principal Wife", "God’s Daughter of his body", "Attendant of Horus", "King’s Mother" and "Mother of the Dual King". Their son and heir to the throne was the Crown Prince Khufu (aka Cheops) and their daughter was also named Hetepheres after her mother
 

Fact 5 on Snefru:

The king had two 'lesser wives' but their names are unknown. It was acceptable for the king of Egypt to practise Polygamy, meaning he had more than one wife at the same time. Having several wives or concubines in the Royal Harem enabled the pharaoh to maintain the 4th dynasty and ensure the line of succession of his family.
 

Fact 6 on Snefru:

Children of the King: Snefru had many other children as well as Khufu and Hetepheres.
 

SonsDaughters
Khufu
Ankhhaf
Kanefer
Nefermaat
Netjeraperef
Rahotep
Ranefer
Iynefer
 
Hetepheres
Nefertkau
Nefertnesu
Meritites I
Henutsen

Fact 7 on Snefru:

His many children guaranteed the continuance of the 4th dynasty and the king ensured that the highest ranking positions in the government were held by his children.
 

Fact 8 on Snefru:

Nepotism (favoritism granted to relatives) was practised by all of the kings of the 4th dynasty who followed the lead of Snefru ensuring that the wealth and power of the kingdom remained in the family.
 

Fact 9 on Snefru:

The name of the High Chancellor (Vizier) to Huni was a man called Kagemi who continued in this prestigious position under the new king. Kagemi was a man of extraordinary talent, often referred to as a 'Sage' and was famous for his sound judgment and prudence.
 

Fact 10 on Snefru:

The first action of Snefru and his ministers was to revue the plans for construction, including the future tomb of the pharaoh. The Meidum Pyramid, started in the reign of King Huni, was completed at Meidum, on the edge of the Faiyum, near Crocodilopolis (see map below).
 

Fact 11 on Snefru:

The construction of the Meidum pyramid was highly significant as it marked the transition from 'stepped' pyramid structures to that of a “true” pyramid structures in which the sides were made smooth with a layer of limestone.

continued...
 

Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet

Pyramid at Meidum

The Meidum Pyramid

Pharaoh Snefru
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Pharaoh Snefru for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Snefru for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about this king of Egypt for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

 

The Ancient Egyptians

 

King Snefru
Learn about this ancient Egyptian pharaoh the fast and easy way via the Snefru Fact sheet.
 

The Bent Pyramid of Snefru

Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet

Fact 12 on Snefru:

The future, highly ambitious, construction projects of Snefru would include the building of the Bent Pyramid and then the magnificent Red Pyramid (The name derives from the color of the limestone used to build the pyramid).
 

Fact 13 on Snefru:

The Bent Pyramid was located at Dahshur, situated 50 km (31 miles)south of Cairo. Dahshur would become the new location of the royal necropolis, and was the first attempt at a smooth sided pyramid. The Red pyramid was the final version.
 

Fact 14 on Snefru:

The 'Bent Pyramid' was designed to have very steep sides. But the monument lacked stability and the slope of the building made it too steep to continue. The architects therefore changed the angle of the monument halfway through its construction resulting in the 'bent' shape. It was enclosed with the white limestone from the Stone quarry at Tura.
 

Fact 15 on Snefru:

The slope of the lower part of the Bent pyramid had a 55-degree inclination, but the top section was built at the shallower angle of 43 degrees.
 

Fact 16 on Snefru:

The architects learnt from the mistakes of the Bent Pyramid and the new Red Pyramid construction was designed from the start with the shallower angle of 43 degrees. By the time it was completed, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world.
 

Fact 17 on Snefru:

The Stone Quarries were of enormous importance to the king enabling the extraction of stone building materials required for his extensive building projects. The stone quarries, together with the copper, turquoise, and malachite mines were located in the desert area surrounding Egypt.
 

Fact 18 on Snefru:

The nomadic Bedouin tribes were fiercely fought by the ancient Egyptians in order to keep control of the quarries and mines in the desert areas of the Sinai, Canaan, Syria and Arabia.
 

Fact 19 on Snefru:

Military campaigns were launched against Nubia, Libya and Syria. The captives were used to increase the work force who labored in the quarries and mines of King Snefru.
 

Fact 20 on Snefru:

Native Egyptians were only conscripted to work for the pharaoh or a few weeks in every year, ensuring the agriculture and commerce of ancient Egypt was not unduly effected.
 

Fact 21 on Snefru:

The military efforts of Snefru in Libya led to the capture of 11,000 prisoners and 13,100 head of cattle.
 

Fact 22 on Snefru:

The military efforts of the king in Nubia led to the capture of 7,000 prisoners and 200,000 oxen and sheep. His military campaigns against the Nubians were recorded on the Palermo Stone.
 

Fact 23 on Snefru:

The area of the Sinai proved to be extremely troublesome and the Bedouin nomads were confronted and defeated by the Egyptians in a series of military campaigns in the Sinai.
 

Fact 24 on Snefru:

Snefru also built an Egyptian navy to enable trading expeditions to the neighboring countries on the Mediterranean Sea. A successful trading expedition was sent to the city of Byblos in ancient Phoenicia  (modern Lebanon) to obtain cedarwood that used for building ships, making temple doors and expensive coffins refer to Trade in ancient Egypt.
 

Fact 25 on Snefru:

One of the cedar wood ships built during his reign was called the 'Praise of the Two Lands' and is the first recording of a ship being referred to by name.
 

Fact 26 on Snefru:

King  Snefru received the sound advice from his Vizier Kagemi. Another important man in his court was Djedi who held the influential position of the court physician, prophet and magician. (Medicine and magic were inseparable and inherently linked by the Egyptians). The Westcar Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian text containing stories about miracles performed by magicians including those of Djedi.
 

Fact 27 on Snefru:

Sneferu was the first king to use the oval cartouche, as opposed to the rectangular serekh, to frame his name when it was written down.
 

Fact 28 on Snefru:

The king was succeeded by his son Khufu (aka Cheops) who would build one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Pyramid at Giza.
 

Ancient Egyptian King - Snefru Fact Sheet

 All the Giza Pyramids

The Giza Pyramids

 

Snefru

Facts and Information about Snefru

Ancient Egyptian King Snefru

Fact based biography of the pharaoh

Facts and information about Ancient Egypt & the Egyptians

King Snefru for kids and schools

Pharaoh Snefru  for kids, schools, homework and research

Life, bio, times, famous events and family of King Snefru

 

King Snefru and the 4th Dynasty
The following chart provides the names of the kings and the line of succession in the 4th Dynasty together with a map of ancient Egypt.
 

4th Dynasty

 

Name

Dates of Reign

King Snefru2575–2551 BC

King Cheops aka Khufu2551–2528 BC

King Djedefre aka Radjedef2528–2520 BC

King Khafre or Khafra aka Chephren2520–2494 BC

King Menkaure aka Mycerinus2490–2472 BC

King Shepseskaf2472–2467 BC
Succession of the Kings

The Ancient Cities of Egypt

Snefru
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and King Snefru inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Pharaoh Snefru will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Snefru

 

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