The Vizier Ankhu and the Dual Vizierate in the Late Middle Kingdom

Abstract

The conjecture that the vizier Ankhu’s centre of life lay in Thebes has been expressed by previous scholars. This paper reviews the available evidence, complemented by a new reading of stela Cairo CG 20102 and the accounts of the smaller manuscript of pBoulaq 18. Taken together, the data suggests that Ankhu, his father, and his sons, all holding the office of the vizier, had their seat in Thebes. Given that at least one other vizier stands chronologically between Ankhu and his father, the association of Ankhu’s family with Thebes supports the hypothesis of a dual vizierate in the late Middle Kingdom; a theory long proposed but deemed unconfirmed.