Parahotep was the son of the High Priest of PtahPahemnetjer and his wife Huneroy. Parahotep had an older brother named Didia who also served as a High Priest of Ptah. A seated statue, now in the British Museum, depicts the vizier Rahotep and on the seat his son Mery, Deputy of the House of Life, his wife Huneroy, who is a chief of the harem of Herishef and his mother-in-law Buia named Khat'nesu are mentioned. Prehotep's wife Huneroy was the daughter of the High Priest of Anhur, named Minmose.
Life
Prehotep's father Pahemnetjer became High Priest of Ptah about year 20 of Ramesses II. Prehotep may have still been young at that time. It seems that by about year 35 - after being in office for 15 years - Pahemnetjer died or at least stepped down as high priest. That position went to Prehotep's elder brother Didia. In year 45 Didia is no longer High Priest of Ptah, but the priestly appointment does not go to Prehotep. It is Khaemwaset, the son of Ramesses II who takes on that role in Memphis, Egypt. About 5 years later Prehotep is appointed as Northern Vizier. At the same time Neferronpet is Vizier of the South and between the two of them these men head the civil administration of Egypt. In year 55 Khaemwaset dies and following in the footsteps of his father and older brother Prehotep becomes High Priest of Ptah in Memphis, Egypt. Prehotep also takes on the position of High Priest of Ra in Heliopolis. That position he seems to have taken over after the death of prince Meryatum, the son of Ramesses II and Nefertari, who had been in office for almost 20 years. Prehotep held the positions of vizier and high priest of Ptah and Ra until the end of the reign of Ramesses II, thereby serving as vizier for at least 17 years and as high priest for at least 12 years.
There is not yet any full agreement in Egyptology whether there were two or just one viziers with the name Prehotep. Indeed, some scholars regard Prehotep I and Prehotep II as one person, others as two. When Flinders Petrie excavated the tomb of Prehotep at Sedment, he found two sarcophagi in the burial chamber and distinguished between Prehotep and Rehotep. However, the second, not well preserved sarcophagus belonged to the wife of the vizier named Huneroy. Wolfgang Helck saw two viziers with these slightly different names. However, Cerny in a review of Helck's book draw attention to a scribe at Deir -el-Medina with the same name who appears sometimes as Prehotep, sometimes as Rehotep and concluded that there is only one vizier with the name Prehotep and the variation of the name Rehotep. De Meulenaere saw the main reason for dividing the sources onto two people in the canopic jars of Prehotep. Indeed, there are five canopic jars with his name and titles, while Egyptians in general had only four of them. It was argued that the fifth jar comes from a cenotaph of the vizier. Supporter for one vizier with that name also argue that there is only one tomb of a vizier Prehotep known and that the sources better fit to just one person.
The tomb in Sedment which has a statue group of the Vizier and his wife, a sarcophagus, a stela, an offering table, a column, several tomb scenes and two fragmentary canopic jars.
