Hugronaphor

Who is Hugronaphor?

Hugronaphor was an Upper Egyptian of apparently Nubian origin who led Upper Egypt in secession from the rule of Ptolemy IV Philopator in 205 BC. No monuments are attested to this king but along with his successor Ankhmakis he held a large part of Egypt until 186 BC. A graffito on an Abydos temple wall giving him the Greek name Hyrgonaphor and dating to about 201 BC is an attestation to the extent of his influence. He appears to have died before 197 BC.

The graffito in the mortuary temple of Seti I at Abydos, one of the few documents remaining from his reign, is written in Egyptian using Greek letters, the oldest testimony of a development which would end in the Coptic script replacing the native Egyptian demotic.