The two last kings of the Twelfth Dynasty are not well-known figures. There is a wide range of sources for each, but those monuments do not provide that information a modern historian would regard as important. Therefore, the end of the Twelfth Dynasty remains shrouded in mystery and speculation.
Amenemhat IV
Amenemhat IV, who reigned c.1808- 1799 BC, was the last male ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty. The Turin Canon, a Ramesside king list, gives him 9 years, 3 months, and 27 days. His father is not known for certain, but was most likely Amenemhat III. Both kings ruled together in a coregency of about two years, and they are mentioned together on several monuments, in particular the private stelae of middle-ranking officials. Amenemhat IV’s mother Hetepti was depicted in the Temple of Renenutet at Medinet Madi (ancient Dja). In the much-destroyed inscription, she is called ‘king’s mother’, but not ‘king’s wife’. The latter title might simply have been lost, as the relief on the wall is not well preserved, but this still leaves some speculation about her relationship to Amenemhat III.
There are no known inscriptions naming a wife of Amenemhat IV, but he may have been married to the later ruling queen Sobeknefru who, according to the Egyptian-Greek historian Manetho, was his sister. Another lady named Neferuptah might also have been a sister (see AE 152). She is known from many monuments, and held a special position under Amenemhat III. It is probable that Neferuptah died during the reign of Amenemhat IV.
Excavating the CA Archive: Derbyshire