Saqqara Tablet

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

The inscription lists 58 kings, from Anedjib and Qa'a (Dynasty 1) to Ramesses II (Dynasty 19), in reverse chronological order, omitting "rulers from the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos, and those rulers... who had been close to the heretic Akhenaten".[2]

The names (each surrounded by a border known as a cartouche), of which only 47 survive, are damaged badly. Inaccuracies abound, e.g., the tablet mentions only four kings of Dynasty 3. The chronology is correct only for the kings of Dynasty 12.

Drawing of the Saqqara King List as seen in 1864 by A. Mariette.

Kings in the list

Bottom Row Top Row
No. Pharaoh Name written in the list No. Pharaoh Name written in the list
1 Anedjib Merbapen 30 Menkauhor Men-kau-hor
2 Qa'a Qe-behu 31 Djedkare Maat-ka-ra
3 Hotepsekhemwy Bau-netjer 32 Unas Unis
4 Raneb Kakau 33 Teti Teti
5 Nynetjer Ba-netjeru 34 Pepi I Meryre Pepi
6 Wneg Wadjlas 35 Merenre Nemtyemsaf I Mer-en-ra
7 Senedj Senedj 36 Pepi II Neferkare Nefer-ka-ra
8 Seth-Peribsen? Nefer-ka-ra 37 Sobekneferu Sobek-ka-ra
9 Sekhemib-Perenmaat? Nefer-ka-sokar 38 Amenemhat IV Maat-kheru-ra
10 Hudjefa "Name missing" 39 Amenemhat III Ni-maat-ra
11 Khasekhemwy Beby 40 Senusret III Kha-khau-ra
12 Djoser Djoser 41 Senusret II Kha-kheper-ra
13 Sekhemkhet Djoser-teti 42 Amenemhat II Nub-kau-ra
14 Khaba Neb-ka-ra 43 Senusret I Kheper-ka-ra
15 Huni Huni 44 Amenemhat I Se-hetep-ib-ra
16 Sneferu Sneferu 45 Mentuhotep III Se-ankh-ka-ra
17 Khufu Khufu 46 Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre
18 Djedefra Djed-ef-re 47 Ahmose I Neb-pehti-ra
19 Khafra Kha-f-ra 48 Amenhotep I Djeser-ka-ra
20 Menkaura Name destroyed. 49 Thutmose I Aa-kheper-ka-ra
21 Shepseskaf Name destroyed. 50 Thutmose II Aa-kheper-en-ra
22 Djedefptah Name destroyed. 51 Thutmose III Men-kheper-ra
23 Bicheris? Name destroyed. 52 Amenhotep II Aa-kheperu-ra
24 Thamphthis? Name destroyed. 53 Thutmose IV Men-kheperu-ra
25 Userkaf User-ka-f 54 Amenhotep III Neb-maat-ra
26 Sahure Sahura 55 Horemheb Djeser-kheperu-ra Setep-en-ra
27 Neferirkare Kakai Nefer-ir-ka-ra 56 Ramses I Men-pehty-ra
28 Shepseskare Shepses-ka-ra 57 Seti I Men-maat-ra
29 Neferefre Kha-nefer-ra 58 Ramses II User-maat-ra Setep-en-ra

Other New Kingdom royal lists

References

  1. ↑ Robert Morkot. The Egyptians: An Introduction. Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0-415-27103-7. Page 74.
  2. ↑ Quoted from: Gerald Verbrugghe, John Moore Wickersham. Berossos and Manetho, Introduced and Translated. University of Michigan Press, 2001. Page 104.

Bibliography