Snefru

/snef"rooh/, n.

fl. c2920 B.C., Egyptian ruler of the 4th dynasty.

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▪ king of Egypt

also spelled  Sneferu  

flourished 25th century BCE

      first king of ancient Egypt of the 4th dynasty (Egypt, ancient) (c. 2575–c. 2465 BCE). He fostered the evolution of the highly centralized administration that marked the climax of the Old Kingdom (Egypt, ancient) (c. 2575–c. 2130 BCE).

      Snefru came from a family in Middle Egypt, near Hermopolis (Hermopolis Magna), and probably ascended the throne by marrying the royal heiress, his predecessor's daughter. Records of his reign are sparse, but it is clear from extensive cemeteries around his own and his son's pyramids that members of the royal family were appointed to the highest administrative offices. The office of vizier became especially important, and its holders were princes very close to the succession.

      Royal annals of the Old Kingdom state that Snefru led an extensive raid southward into Nubia, where he captured much booty. Later in his reign a smaller raid was conducted westward against the Libyans, and in the Sinai (Sinai Peninsula) two reliefs of the king attest his presence in the turquoise mines. Excavations in the valley temple of one of Snefru's pyramids at Dahshūr, southwest of Cairo, disclosed the earliest list of nomes (nome) (administrative and governmental divisions of Egypt), although the actual organization of the country probably occurred earlier. The list also shows that the king held extensive estates throughout Egypt.

 Snefru built two large pyramids at Dahshūr. The first pyramid, called the Blunted (or Bent) Pyramid, was begun with steep sides. When structural faults became evident, the angle was sharply reduced, producing the bent appearance of the structure. This monument was the first attempt to build a true pyramid. Some years later Snefru successfully built a true pyramid, called the Red Pyramid, north of the first, which perhaps became the king's burial place. Both monuments stand today.

      After a 24-year reign, Snefru was succeeded by his son Khufu, the renowned builder of the Great Pyramid at Al-Jīzah (Jīzah, Al-) (see Pyramids of Giza (Giza, Pyramids of)). Later Middle Kingdom (Egypt, ancient) (1938–c. 1630 BCE) tradition viewed Snefru's reign as a golden age. The king was pictured as a beneficent ruler, and numerous places named for him kept their names long after his death. He also became the central or secondary figure of a number of popular tales.

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