Biographies Online

Snefru came from a family in Middle Egypt, near Hermopolis, 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 he strongly supported the policy of appointing members of the royal family 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, according to later tradition, he also received credit for the conquest of Sinai. Two reliefs of the king attest his presence in the turquoise mines there. Excavations in the valley temple of one of Snefru's pyramids at Dahshūr, southwest of Cairo, disclosed the earliest list of nomes (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 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 built a true 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 Giza. Later Middle Kingdom 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.