Saqqara Tablet

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The Saqqara Tablet, now in the Egyptian Museum, is an ancient stone engraving surviving from the Ramesside Period of Egypt which features a list of pharaohs. It was found in 1861 in Saqqara, in the tomb of Tjuneroy (or Tjenry), an official ("chief lector priest" and "Overseer of Works on All Royal Monuments") of the pharaoh Ramesses II. [1]

Contents

The inscription lists fifty-eight kings, from Anedjib (First Dynasty) to Ramesses II (Nineteenth Dynasty), in reverse chronological order. The names (each surrounded by a border known as a cartouche), of which only forty-seven survive, are badly damaged. As with other Egyptian king lists, the Saqqara Tablet omits certain kings and entire dynasties. The list counts backward from Ramesses II to the mid-point of the First Dynasty, except for the Eleventh and Twelfth Dynasties, which are reversed. A well known photograph of the king list was published in 1865. [2] Detailed and high resolution images are able to be viewed online and inside the book Inside the Egyptian Museum with Zahi Hawass [3]

Like with other Ramesside lists, the Saqqara Tablet omits the names of "rulers from the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos, and those rulers... who had been close to the heretic Akhenaten". [4] Despite being nearly a slimmed down copy of the Abydos King List, the Saqqara Tablet has some notable changes. For example, both Huni and Sobekneferu are listed in the Saqqara Tablet, despite both being absent in the Abydos King List. Likewise, Neferkare, Neferkasokar & Hudjefa are included, despite being absent in the Abydos King List. In addition, the early rulers of the First Dynasty (Menes/Narmer, Hor-Aha, Djer, Djet, and Den) are excluded from the Saqqara Tablet for some unknown reason, despite being present in the Abydos King List.

Drawing of the Saqqara King List based on photographs and drawings from 1864-65. SaqqaraKingList.png
Drawing of the Saqqara King List based on photographs and drawings from 1864-65.

Kings in the list

The names are listed in reverse chronological order from the upper right to the bottom left, as they were meant to be read.

Upper rowBottom row
No.PharaohName written in the listNo.PharaohName written in the list
1 Ramesses II Usermaatre setepenre30 Neferefre Khaneferre
2 Seti I Menmaatre31 Shepseskare Shepseskare
3 Ramesses I Menpehtire32 Neferirkare Kakai Neferirkare
4 Horemheb Djeserkheperure setepenre33 Sahure Sahure
5Name destroyedName destroyed34 Userkaf Userkaf
6Name destroyedName destroyed35Name destroyedName destroyed
7Name destroyedName destroyed36Name destroyedName destroyed
8Name destroyedName destroyed37Name destroyedName destroyed
9Name destroyedName destroyed38Name destroyedName destroyed
10Name destroyedName destroyed39Name destroyedName destroyed
11 Amenhotep I Djeserkare40 Khafre Khafre
12 Ahmose I Nebpehtire41 Djedefre Djedefre
13 Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre42 Khufu Khufu
14 Mentuhotep III Seankhkare43 Sneferu Sneferu
15 Amenemhat I Sehetepibre44 Huni Huni
16 Senusret I Kheperkare45 Nebka Nebkare
17 Amenemhat II Nubkaure46 Sekhemkhet Djoser-teti
18 Senusret II Khakheperre47 Djoser Djoser
19 Senusret III Khakhaure48 Khasekhemwy Beby
20 Amenemhat III Nimaatre49 Hudjefa "Name missing"
21 Amenemhat IV Maatkherure50 Sekhemib-Perenmaat? Neferkasokar
22 Sobekneferu Kasobekre51 Seth-Peribsen? Neferkare
23 Pepi II Neferkare Neferkare52 Senedj Senedj
24 Merenre Nemtyemsaf I Merenre53 Wadjenes Wadjlas
25 Pepi I Meryre Pepi54 Nynetjer Banetjeru
26 Teti Teti55 Raneb Kakau
27 Unas Unis56 Hotepsekhemwy Baunetjer
28 Djedkare Maatkare57 Qa'a Qebehu
29 Menkauhor Menkauhor58 Anedjib Merbapen

Proposed reconstruction

As names 5-10 and 35-39 are missing or badly damaged, the following names are suggested to have once been listed here. Note that this reconstruction is based on other kings lists and circumstantial evidence.

Upper rowBottom row
No.PharaohName likely written in the listNo.PharaohName likely written in the list
5 Amenhotep III Nebmaatre34 Userkaf Userkaf
6 Thutmose IV Menkheperure35 Khentkaus I?Khentkaus?
7 Amenhotep II Aakheperure36 Thamphthis? Djedefptah/Djedefhor?
8 Thutmose III Menkheperre37 Shepseskaf Shepseskaf
9 Thutmose II Aakheperenre38 Menkaure Menkaure
10 Thutmose I Aakheperkare39 Bicheris? Bakare/Baufre?

Other New Kingdom royal lists

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References

  1. Robert Morkot. The Egyptians: An Introduction. Routledge, 2005. ISBN   0-415-27103-7. Page 74.
  2. de Rougé, Emmanuel (1865). Album photographique de la mission remplie en Égypte. Paris. pp. 152, photographs 143–145.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Hawass, Zahi (2010). Inside the Egyptian Museum with Zahi Hawass. Cairo: American Univ in Cairo Press. pp. 299, photographs 156-157. ISBN   9789774163722.
  4. Quoted from: Gerald Verbrugghe, John Moore Wickersham. Berossos and Manetho, Introduced and Translated. University of Michigan Press, 2001. Page 104.

Bibliography