The Abydos Canon, also known as the Abydos Table or Abydos king list is a list with the names of 76 pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.
It is still in place, on a wall in the Mortuary Temple of Seti I at Abydos in Egypt. 🧭
The king list was part of a ritual where the spirits of the ancestors were invoked. The names on the list wasered or celebrated "ancestors" of Seti I, and was not meant to be a historically correct chronological list. It shows only those pharaohs that were deemed worthy. Queen Hatshepsut and the Amarna period pharaohs were not included, nor any from the Second Intermediate Period.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
The incribed list of kings is found in the Mortuary Temple of Seti I, on the right wall of the passage coming from the second Hypostyle Hall, referred to as the Gallery of Lists. Seti I is on the left wearing the blue crown, holding a censor in one hand and gesturing towards the right with the other. In front of him, young prince Ramesses is shown holding a papyrus to read from with an accompanying text before him:
Reciting praises by the hereditary prince; the eldest, of his body, his beloved (son), Ramesses, justified, true of voice.
The text runs in six vertical columns above Ramesses, and is the speech given by Seti I:
Words spoken by King Menmaatra. Bringing the god to his food offering, the making of offerings for the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt. Greetings to thee, Ptah Sokar, who is South-of-His Wall! Come, that I may make for thee these (things) which Horus made for his father Osiris.
The first fifty-six names shows an orderly progression of legitime rulers of Memphis. The kings who are not included are those whose rule over the Two Lands is questioned or who had some measure of political/religious bias towards them, for example, not ruling from Memphis.
The list consists of three rows of thirty-eight cartouches on each row. The upper two rows contain names of the ancestral kings, while the third row repeats Seti I’s throne- and birth-names. In all, seventy-six kings are mentioned. The hieroglyphics are read from left to right, the upper row is read before the lower. The cartouches of the kings are preceded by the words n nisu, which translates as "To king.....". The third row with Seti’s names is preceded by "By the gift of.....".
Upper row - From left to right | |||
---|---|---|---|
# | Hieroglyphs | Name in list | Pharaoh |
1 | |
Meni mni |
Narmer |
2 | |
Teti tti |
Aha |
3 | |
Ateti itti |
Djer |
4 | |
Ita itꜢ |
Djet |
5 | |
Sepati spꜢti |
Den |
6 | |
Meribiap mri-biꜢ-p |
Adjib |
7 | |
Semsu smsw |
Semerkhet |
8 | |
Qebeh ḳbḥ |
Qaa |
9 | |
Bedjau bḏꜤw |
Hotepsekhemwy |
10 | |
Kakau kꜢ-kꜢw |
Nebra |
11 | |
Banetjer bꜢ-nṯr |
Ninetjer |
12 | |
Wadjnes wꜢḏns |
Wadjenes |
13 | |
Senedj sndi |
Senedj |
14 | |
Djadjay ḏꜢ-ḏꜢ-y |
Khasekhemwy |
15 | |
Nebka nb-kꜢ |
Nebka |
16 | |
Djosersa ḏsr-sꜢ |
Djoser |
17 | |
Teti tti |
Sekhemkhet |
18 | |
Sedjes sḏs |
Hudjefa II |
19 | |
Neferkara nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Neferkara |
20 | |
Sneferu s-nfr-w |
Sneferu |
21 | |
Khufu ḫfw |
Khufu |
22 | |
Djedefra ḏd-f-rꜤ |
Radjedef |
23 | |
Khafra ḫꜤ-f-rꜤ |
Khafra |
24 | |
Menkaura mn-kꜢw-rꜤ |
Menkaura |
25 | |
Shepseskaf &scꜤron;ps-s-kꜢ-f |
Shepseskaf |
26 | |
Userkaf wsr-kꜢ-f |
Userkaf |
27 | |
Sahura sꜢḥw-rꜤ |
Sahura |
28 | |
Kakai kꜢ-kꜢ-i |
Neferirkara I Kakai |
29 | |
Neferefra nfr.f-rꜤ |
Neferefra Isi |
30 | |
Niuserra ni-wsr-rꜤ |
Niuserra Ini |
31 | |
Menkauhor mn-kꜢw-ḥr |
Menkauhor Kaiu |
32 | |
Djedkara ḏd-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Djedkara Isesi |
33 | |
Unas wnis |
Unas |
34 | |
Teti tti |
Teti |
35 | |
Userkara wsr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Userkara |
36 | |
Meryra mry-rꜤ |
Pepi I |
37 | |
Merenra mr-n-rꜤ |
Nemtiemsaf I |
38 | |
Neferkara nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Pepi II |
Lower row - From left to right | |||
# | Hieroglyphs | Name in list | Pharaoh |
39 | |
Merenra Emsaf mr.n-rꜤ sꜢ-m-sꜢ.f |
Nemtiemsaf II |
40 | |
Netjerkara nṯri-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Netjerikara |
41 | |
Menkara mn-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Menkara |
42 | |
Neferkara nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Neferkara II |
43 | |
Neferkara Neby nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ nb-y |
Neferkara Neby |
44 | |
Djedkara Shemay ḏd-kꜢ-rꜤ-šmꜤi |
Djedkara Shemai |
45 | |
Neferkara Khendu nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ ḫndw |
Neferkara Khendu |
46 | |
Merenhor mr-n-ḥr |
Merenhor |
47 | |
Sneferka s-nfr-kꜢ |
Neferkamin I |
48 | |
Nikara ni-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Nikara |
49 | |
Neferkara Tereru nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ tr-r-rw |
Neferkara Tereru |
50 | |
Neferkahor nfr-kꜢ-ḥr |
Neferkahor |
51 | |
Neferkara Pepiseneb nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ pi-pi-snb |
Neferkara Pepiseneb |
52 | |
Neferkamin Anu s-nfr-kꜢ-Ꜥnw |
Neferkamin Anu |
53 | |
Qakara ḳꜢ-kꜢw-rꜤ |
Qakara Ibi |
54 | |
Neferkaura nfr-kꜢw-rꜤ |
Neferkaura |
55 | |
Neferkauhor nfr-kꜢw-ḥr |
Neferkauhor |
56 | |
Neferirkara nfr-ir-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Neferirkara II |
57 | |
Nebhapetra nb-ḥꜢpt-rꜤ |
Mentuhotep II |
58 | |
Sankhkara s-Ꜥnḫ-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Mentuhotep III |
59 | |
Sehotepibra s-ḥtp-ib-rꜤ |
Amenemhat I |
60 | |
Kheperkara ḫpr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Senusret I |
61 | |
Nebukaura nbw-kꜢw-rꜤ |
Amenemhat II |
62 | |
Khakheperra ḫꜤ-ḫpr-rꜤ |
Senusret II |
63 | |
Khakaura ḫꜤ-kꜢw-rꜤ |
Senusret III |
64 | |
Nimaatra ni-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ |
Amenemhat III |
65 | |
Maakherura mꜢꜤt-ḫrw-rꜤ |
Amenemhat IV |
66 | |
Nebpehtyra nb-pḥti-rꜤ |
Ahmose I |
67 | |
Djoserkara ḏsr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Amenhotep I |
68 | |
Aakheperkara ꜤꜢ-ḫpr-kꜢ-rꜤ |
Thutmose I |
69 | |
Aakheperenra ꜤꜢ-ḫpr-n-rꜤ |
Thutmose II |
70 | |
Menkheperra mn-ḫpr-rꜤ |
Thutmose III |
71 | |
Aakheperura ꜤꜢ-ḫprw-rꜤ |
Amenhotep II |
72 | |
Menkheperura mn-ḫprw-rꜤ |
Thutmose IV |
73 | |
Nebmaatra nb-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ |
Amenhotep III |
74 | |
Djoserkheperura setepenra ḏsr-ḫprw stp.n-rꜤ |
Horemheb |
75 | |
Menpehtyra mn-pḥti-rꜤ |
Ramesses I |
76 | |
Menmaatra mn-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ |
Seti I |
OK – Old Kingdom
Dynasties 3-6
MK – Middle Kingdom
Dynasties 11-12
NK – New Kingdom
Dynasties 18-20
SIP – Second Intermediate Period
Dynasties 13-17
Thebes – The Southern capital
Memphis – The Northern capital
Epitome – Manetho’s original Aegyptiaca was lost in antiquity, and in the following centuries, it was replaced by Epitomes (summaries) by rivalling advocates of Jewish, Egyptian, and Greek history that saw each side trying to establish the truth according to their point of view.
Vorlage – From the German for prototype or template, a vorlage is a prior version of a manuscript, in this case an earlier version of the canon.
Recto and verso – Recto is the front side and verso is the back side of a written or printed text.
Cartouche – oval band enclosing a pharaohs name
Hieratic – cursive form of hieroglyphic script
Hyksos – Greek form of
Mortuary Temple – where the gods and the king who built the temple were worshipped.
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