Editing Huni (section)

== Attestations ==
[[File:Huni Slab.png|thumb|left|170px|Granite cone uncovered on [[Elephantine]] and inscribed with Huni's [[cartouche]]<ref name=WiBa/>]]
Huni is not a well attested pharaoh; most of the attestations only point indirectly to him. There are only two contemporary objects with his name.

The first one is a conical [[stele]] made of [[granite|red granite]], discovered in 1909 on the island of [[Elephantine]] by [[Henri Gauthier]]. The object is {{convert|160|cm|in}} long, {{convert|69|cm|in}} thick and {{convert|50|cm|in}} broad. Its shape resembles a typical [[Benben]] stele, as known from [[mastaba]] tombs of the early dynastic kings. At the front, the cone presents a rectangular niche with an encarved inscription inside. The inscription mentions a royal palace named the ''Palace of the headband of Huni'' and writes Huni's name above it inside a royal cartouche. The decorated niche is interpreted by scholars as a so-called "apparition window". The lower part of the window frame is flattened and elongated and shows traces of a second inscription, apparently the same as inside the window. It is not fully clarified where exactly the object was once on display. Because it was found very close to a stepped pyramid, Egyptologists such as [[Rainer Stadelmann]] propose a position on the very front of the monument, or even visibly embedded in one of the steps. Today Huni's dedication cone is in the possesion of the [[Egyptian Museum|Cairo Museum]] as '''''object JE 41556'''''.<ref name=WiBa>Winfried Barta: ''Zum altägyptischen Namen des Königs Aches.'' In: ''Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo. (MDAIK)'', vol. 29. von Zabern, Mainz 1973, pages 1–4.</ref><ref name=RSH/>

The second finding, discovered in 2007, is a polished stone bowl made of [[magnesite]], found at [[Abusir|South-Abusir]] in the mastaba tomb '''''AS-54''''', belonging to a high official, whose name is yet unknown to archaeologists. The [[Stone vessels in Ancient Egypt|stone vessel]] inscription mentions Huni's name without a cartouche, but with the ''Njswt-Bity'' title. The orthography of the hieroglyphs that form Huni's name makes a reading as ''Njswt-Hw'' or ''Hw-en-Niswt'' plausible.<ref>M. Barta: ''An Abusir Mastaba from the Reign of Huni'', in: Vivienne Gae Callender (et al., editors): ''Times, Signs and Pyramids: Studies in Honour of Miroslav Verner on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday'', Prague: Charles University, Faculty in Art, 2011, {{ISBN|978-8073082574}}, p. 41–51 (inscription depicted as fig. 6 on p. 48)</ref>

Huni is also attested in mastaba ''L6'' at [[Saqqara]], attributed to the official ''[[Metjen]]'' and dating to the end of the third&nbsp;dynasty. There, an inscription was found with the name of a royal domain ''Hw.t-njswt.-hw'' ("Hut-nisut-hu") of Huni.<ref>[[Wolfgang Helck]]: ''Der Name des letzten Königs der 3. Dynastie und die Stadt Ehnas'', in: ''Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur'' (SAK), 4, (1976), pp. 125–128.</ref>

Huni is further mentioned on the back of the [[Palermo stone]] in the section concerning the reign of the [[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt|5th-dynasty]] king [[Neferirkare Kakai]], who apparently had a mortuary temple built for the cult of Huni. The temple, however, has not yet been located.<ref name=TAHW/>

Finally, Huni is attested in the papyrus Prisse, in the [[Instructions of Kagemni]], probably dating to the [[Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt|13th&nbsp;dynasty]]. The papyrus gives an important indication about Huni's succession in column II, line 7:
{{cquote|But then the majesty of king Huni died and the majesty of king Snefru was now raised up as beneficient king in this entire land. And Kagemni was raised as the new mayor of the royal capitol and became vizir of the king.<ref>Hellmut Brunner: ''Altägyptische Erziehung''. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1991, {{ISBN|3447031883}}, p. 154.</ref>}}
Most scholars today think that this extract may strengthen the theory that Huni was the last king of the 3rd&nbsp;dynasty and the immediate predecessor of king Sneferu (the first ruler of the 4th&nbsp;dynasty).<ref>[[Nicolas Grimal]]: ''A History of Ancient Egypt'', pp. 65–67.</ref>