The Old Kingdom was a period of internal stability and prosperity for the kingdom that lasted about five centuries. During this time, the king became a living god, ruling with absolute authority. Memphis replaced Thinis as the capital, and a large number of pyramids were built nearby as burial places for the kings.
The line of succession is not entirely clear as the evidence is scarce and contains conflicting information, making it very difficult even to associate the various names with a particular king. There is some evidence that a civil war broke out towards the end of this dynasty. The reigns of the kings are poorly documented, but Djoser is thought to be the first king of the Third Dynasty, mainly because he buried Khasekhemwy, the last king of the Second Dynasty.
Dating the dynasty is difficult and the only figures available are those found in column 4 of the Turin King List, which was written some 1,500 years after the fact (see Table 2 below).
The chronological order
It is important to note that the chronological order of the pharaohs is an evolving subject and should therefore be treated with a certain degree of caution. As new research is conducted, the order may be subject to change, which is a fundamental principle that applies to all Egyptian dynasties.
| № | Pharaoh | Also known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebka | Hen Nekht (old reading) |
| 2 | Djoser | Zezer, Zozer, Djeser |
| 3 | Sekhemkhet | Djosertety, Djoserteti, Djoserty |
| 4 | Hudjefa II | – |
| 5 | Mesochris | Mesokhris |
| 6 | Nebkara | Nebkare |
| 7 | Neferkara | Neferkare |
| 8 | Huni | – |
The Third Dynasty according to Manetho
Africanus provides details for nine kings of the Third Dynasty, but Eusebius only for two, dismissing the remaining six as insignificant. The nine kings of Africanus do not agree with the archaeological record, nor with the major New Kingdom canons, which contain only 4-5 kings with conflicting names. Moreover, they reigned for less than 100 years, not the seemingly inflated totals of Africanus and Eusebios. It is evident that the older records were already incomplete or corrupted in the later parts of the Old Kingdom, as the surviving details are very sparse and contradictory.
Third dynasty of nine kings of Memphis
- The first of them is Necherophes28 yearsIn his reign, the Libyans revolted from the Egyptians; when the moon waxed unexpectedly, they surrendered out of panic.
- Tosorthros29 yearsAmong the Egyptians, he is considered an Asklepios in recognition of his medical skill. The inventor of the art of building with hewn stone, he also pursued the craft of writing.
- Tyreis7 years
- Mesochris17 years
- Soyphis16 years
- Tosertasis19 years
- Aches42 years
- Sephouris30 years
- Kerpheres26 years
- Total214 years
Syncellus:
Total for these three dynasties, according to Africanus769 years
Third dynasty of eight kings of Memphis
- Necherochis, during whose reign the Libyans revolted from the Egyptians; when the sun waxed unexpectedly, they surrendered out of panic.
- Sesorthos was his successor,' who was called Asklepios by the Egyptians because of his medical skill. The inventor of the art of building with hewn stone, he also pursued the craft of writing.
- The remaining six accomplished nothing worthy of mention.
- These eight reigned a total of198 years
Syncellus:
Total for the three dynasties, according to Eusebios747 years
Third dynasty of 8 kings of Memphis
- Nekʻerovkʻis. In his reign the Libyans revolted from the Egyptians, but when the moon unexpectedly grew in size, they were moved by fear and went back into service [to the Egyptians].
- Sesortʻos. He was called Askłēpios by the Egyptians because of his skill in medicine. He discovered methods of building with hewn stone, and also was interested in writing.
- The other six kings achieved nothing worthy of mention.
- In total, reigned for 197 years
New Kingdom king lists
The king list does not agree on the number, nor the names, suggesting incomplete records used by the New Kingdom creators of these lists. The Abydos Canon and Turin King List contain five, and the Saqqara Canon only four. There are many ways to arrange the names, this is one way.
| № | Abydos Canon | Saqqara Canon | Turin King List |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | ||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | – | ||
| 5 | – | ||
| 6 | – |
Original text from:
https://pharaoh.se/ancient-egypt/dynasty/3/