Abydos King List Explained
The Abydos King List, also known as the Abydos Table, is a list of the names of 76 kings of ancient Egypt, found on a wall of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, Egypt. It consists of three rows of 38 cartouches (borders enclosing the name of a king) in each row. The upper two rows contain names of the kings, while the third row merely repeats Seti I's throne name and nomen.
Besides providing the order of the Old Kingdom kings, it is the sole source to date of the names of many of the kings of the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties, so the list is valued greatly for that reason.
This list omits the names of many earlier pharaohs. The bulk of these appear to have been left out because although they claimed royal titles and rule over all Egypt, their actual authority was limited to only part of the country. This category includes all the rulers of the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties, the early rulers of the Eleventh Dynasty (Mentuhotep I, Intef I, Intef II, and Intef III), all the rulers of the Thirteenth Dynasty, and all of the rulers of Second Intermediate Period (including the Hyksos Fifteenth Dynasty, who may also have been seen as illigitimate because they were not native Egyptian). The rulers of the chaotic Amarna Period (Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Neferneferuaten, Tutankhamun, and Ay), seem to have been removed for reasons of political propaganda or as a form of damnatio memoriae; their reigns were within living memory in Seti's day, and the repudiation of the Amarna Period had been state policy since the reign of Horemheb (who had chosen Seti's father Ramesses I to succeed him). Two pharaohs known to have been women, Sobekneferu and Hatshepsut, are also excluded, most likely due to their gender. Finally, Mentuhotep IV may have been excluded for political reasons (having been overthrown by his vizer and successor Amenemhat I) or simply because his brief and poorly documented reign was unknown to Seti and his scribes.[1]
Contents of the king list
First Dynasty
| Cartouches 1 to 8 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 1 | Meni. Same name in Turin King List. Probably identical to Narmer. | Menes |
| 2 | Teti. Same name in Turin King List. | Hor-Aha |
| 3 | Iti. Same name in Turin King List. | Djer |
| 4 | Ita. Itui in Turin King List. | |
| 5 | Septi. Qenti in Turin King List. | |
| 6 | Meribiap. Merbiapen in Turin King List. | |
| 7 | Semsu. Semsem in Turin King List. | Semerkhet. |
| 8 | Qebeh. Same name in Turin King List. | Qa'a. | |
Second Dynasty
| Cartouches 9 to 14 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 9 | Bedjau. Baunetjer in Turin King List. | Hotepsekhemwy |
| 10 | Kakau. Same name in Turin King List. | Nebre |
| 11 | Banetjer. Same name in Turin King List. | Ninetjer |
| 12 | Wadjnas. Name damaged in Turin King List. | |
| 13 | Sendi. Senedj in Turin King List. | Senedj |
| 14 | Djadjay. Bebti in Turin King List. | Khasekhemwy | |
Third Dynasty
| Cartouches 15 to 19 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 15 | Nebka. Same name in Turin King List. | Nebka |
| 16 | Djeser-za. Djoser-it in Turin King List. | Djoser |
| 17 | Teti. Djoser-ti in Turin King List. | Sekhemkhet |
| 18 | Sedjes. Hudjefa in Turin King List. | |
| 19 | Neferkare. Huni in Turin King List. | Huni | |
Fourth Dynasty
| Cartouches 20 to 25 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 20 | Sneferu. Senefer in Turin King List. | Sneferu |
| 21 | Khufu. Name missing in Turin King List. | Khufu |
| 22 | Djedefre. Name missing in Turin King List. | Djedefre |
| 23 | Khafre. Name damaged in Turin King List | |
| 24 | Menkaure. Name missing in Turin King List. | Menkaure |
| 25 | Shepseskaf. Name missing in Turin King List. | Shepseskaf | |
Fifth Dynasty
| Cartouches 26 to 33 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 26 | Userkaf. Name damaged in Turin king list. | Userkaf |
| 27 | Sahure. Name missing in Turin King List. | Sahure |
| 28 | Kakai. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferirkare Kakai |
| 29 | Neferefre. Name missing in Turin King List. | |
| 30 | Nyuserre. Name missing in Turin King List. | Nyuserre Ini |
| 31 | Menkauhor. Same name in Turin King List. | Menkauhor Kaiu |
| 32 | Djedkare. Djed in Turin King List. | Djedkare Isesi |
| 33 | Unis. Same name in Turin King List. | Unas | |
Sixth Dynasty
| Cartouches 34 to 39 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 34 | Teti. Name missing in Turin King List. | Teti |
| 35 | Userkare. Name missing in Turin King List. | Userkare |
| 36 | Meryre. Name missing in Turin King List. | Pepi I Meryre |
| 37 | Merenre. Name missing in Turin King List. | |
| 38 | Neferkare. Name missing in Turin King List. | Pepi II Neferkare |
| 39 | Merenre Saemsaf. Name missing in Turin King List. | Merenre Nemtyemsaf II | |
Seventh/Eighth Dynasty
| Cartouches 40 to 47 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 40 | Netjerikare. Neitiqerty in Turin King List. | Netjerkare Siptah |
| 41 | Menkare. Neferka in Turin King List. | Menkare |
| 42 | Neferkare. Nefer in Turin King List. | Neferkare II |
| 43 | Neferkare Neby. Name missing in Turin King List. | |
| 44 | Djedkare Shemai. Name missing in Turin King List. | Djedkare Shemai |
| 45 | Neferkare Khendu. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferkare Khendu |
| 46 | Merenhor. Name missing in Turin King List. | Merenhor |
| 47 | Sneferka. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferkamin | |
| Cartouches 48 to 56 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 48 | Nikare. Name missing in Turin King List. | Nikare |
| 49 | Neferkare Tereru. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferkare Tereru |
| 50 | Neferkahor. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferkahor |
| 51 | Neferkare Pepiseneb. Name missing in Turin King List. | |
| 52 | Sneferka Anu. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferkamin Anu |
| 53 | Kaukare. Ibi in Turin King List. | Qakare Ibi |
| 54 | Neferkaure. Neferkare in Turin King List. | Neferkaure II |
| 55 | Neferkauhor. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferkauhor |
| 56 | Neferirkare. Name missing in Turin King List. | Neferirkare | |
Eleventh/Twelfth Dynasty
| Cartouches 57 to 61 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 57 | Nebhepetre. Same name in Turin King List. | Mentuhotep II |
| 58 | Sankhkare. Seankhkare in Turin King List. | Mentuhotep III |
| 59 | Sehetepibre. Name damaged in Turin King List. | Amenemhat I |
| 60 | Kheperkare. Name damaged in Turin King List. | |
| 61 | Nubkaure. Name missing in Turin King List. | Amenemhat II | |
| Cartouches 62 to 65 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 62 | Khakheperre. Name missing in Turin King List. | Senusret II |
| 63 | Khakaure. Name missing in Turin King List. | Senusret III |
| 64 | Nimaatre. Name missing in Turin King List. | Amenemhat III |
| 65 | Maakherure. Same name in Turin King List. | | |
Eighteenth Dynasty
Nineteenth Dynasty
| Cartouches 75 and 76 | n° | Name written in the list | Common name |
|---|
| 75 | Menpehtire | Ramesses I |
| 76 | Menmaatre | Seti I | |
See also
External links
Notes and References
- 187: The Abydos King List . The History of Egypt Podcast . Dominic Perry . 15 August 2023 .
