General Notes

Great Chief (Pharoah) of Upper Egypt (XI Dynasty)

Antef II (Wahankh) was the second king of the 11th Dynasty. He was a younger brother of pharaoh Antef I.
His opponents from Herakleopolis in the north campaigned all the way down to the province of Abydos before he could manage stop them and drive them back. He then seems to have decided not to be involved in a constant battle and instead developed a peaceful trade. Considering Antef's long reign of almost half a century, he obviously had to deal wit several kings from the north where the change of rulers was constant and fast.
On a stela from his tomb (upper right) he is seen offering.
His cartouche left makes his name Antef by the five lower signs. The duck and the sun disc is the title: "Son of Re".

Antef II was the second king of the 11th dynasty and his Horus name Wah-ankh (seen within the serek right) means "Strong in life".
His reign was, according to the Turin king list, 49 years long. The rulers of the 9/10th dynasties tried to take back the territory they had lost previously and moved south to retaliate. Antef II stroke back and manage to drive the enemies north and extended his territory by capturing the area far north of Abydos and break through to the first cataract at Aswan in the south, the traditional border to the south.

After his earthly deeds he was buried in a rock-tomb next to his predecessor's at Western Thebes.
In his mortuary chapel was found a magnificent limestone stela with reliefs of the king's favourite dogs (see picture left). Standing by their master the pharaoh. They can be identified by their Libyan names with the Egyptian translation at the side except for the middle one.
From top they are: 1) BEHEKAY (Egyptian Mahedj) meaning gazelle. 2) Is ABAQER (no translation) and meaning greyhound. 3) PEHETEZ (Egyptian Kemu) as "Blackie", the same word root as in Kemet ("the black land") which was the Egyptians' name of their country. These dogs are probably the oldest in world history whose names are known.