New Kingdom king lists compared

Direct comparisions of the kings found in the three main New Kingdom king lists.

The Abydos and Saqqara lists contain two rows of cartouches organised with the names of the pharaohs inscribed in sequential order on a single flat wall. The Karnak list contain 4 rows inscribed on three connected walls and the cartouches are not in sequential order. It is further divided into a left and right part where the pharaohs face the same direction.

Karnak Canon — inscribed during the reign of Thutmose II (1493–1479 BC)
Abydos Canon — inscribed during the reign of Seti I (1290–1279 BC)
Saqqara Canon — inscribed during the reign of Ramesses II (1279–1213 BC)

Where there is no cartouche, the name is represented by a —. All three lists of kings were most likely compiled from a number of different sources, some of which were undoubtedly hieratic writings on papyrus. Discrepancies in the names in the cartouches are probably due to difficulties in reading the originals, which may have been corrupted or damaged in some way.

Pharaoh

Abydos
Canon

Saqqara
Canon

Karnak
Canon

Narmer

mni

—

Aha

tti

—

Djer

itti

—

Wadj

itꜤ

—

Den

spꜢti

—

Anedjib

mr-bꜢp

mri-biꜢpn

—

Semerkhet

smsw

—

Qa'a

ḳbḥ

ḳbḥw

—

Hotepsekhemwy

bḏꜢw

nṯr-bꜢw

—

Nebra

kꜢkꜢw

—

Ninetjer

bꜢ-nṯr

bꜢ-nṯrw

—

Wadjnes

wꜢḏ-ns

wꜢḏ-ls

—

Senedj

sndi

snḏ

—

Neferkara

—

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Neferkasokar

—

nfr-kꜢ-zkr

—

Hudjefa I

—

//-ḏfꜢ-//

—

Khasekhemwy

ḏꜢ-ḏꜢ-y

bby

—

Nebka

nb-kꜢ

—

Djoser

ḏsr-sꜢ

ḏsr

—

Sekhemkhet

tti

ḏsr-tti

—

Hudjefa II

sḏs

nb-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ

Huni

—

ḥwni

—

Sneferu

snfrw

Khufu

ḫfw

ḫfw(f)

—

Djedefra

ḏd-f-rꜤ

ḏd(w)-f-rꜤ

—

Khafra

ḫꜤ-f-rꜤ

ḫꜤ(w)-f-rꜤ

—

Menkaura

mn-kꜢw-rꜤ

—

Shepseskaf

šps-kꜢf

—

Userkaf

wsr-kꜢf

—

Sahura

sꜢḥ.w-rꜤ

Neferirkara

kꜢ-kꜢ-i

nfr-ir-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Shepseskara

—

šps-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Neferefra

nfr-f-rꜤ

ḫꜤ-nfr-rꜤ

—

Niuserra Ini

ni-wsr-rꜤ

—

ini

Menkauhor

mn-kꜢw-ḥr

mn-kꜢ-ḥr

—

Djedkara Isesi

ḏd-kꜢ-rꜤ

mꜢꜤ-kꜢ-rꜤ

issi

Unas

wn-i-s

—

Teti

tti

tty

Userkara

wsr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Pepi I

mr-y-rꜤ

ppy

Nemtiemsaf I

mr-n-rꜤ

Pepi II

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Nemtiemsaf II

mr-n-rꜤ sꜢ-m-sꜢ-f

—

Netjerikara

nṯr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Menkara

mn-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Neferkara III

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Neferkara Neby

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ nby

—

Djedkara Shemai

ḏd-kꜢ-rꜤ šmꜢi

—

Neferkara Khendu

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ ḫndw

—

Merenhor

mr-n-ḥr

—

Neferkamin

z-nfr-kꜢ

—

Nikara

ni-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Neferkara Tereru

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ tr-rw

—

Neferkahor

nfr-kꜢ-ḥr

—

Neferkara Pepiseneb

nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ ppy-snb

—

Neferkamin Anu

z-nfr-kꜢ Ꜥnw

—

Qakara Ibi

ḳꜢ-kꜢw-rꜤ

—

Neferkaura

nfr-kꜢw-rꜤ

—

Neferkauhor

nfr-kꜢw-ḥr

—

Neferirkara II

nfr-ir-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Mentuhotep II

nb-ḥꜢpt-rꜤ

Mentuhotep III

s-Ꜥnḫ-kꜢ-rꜤ

s-nfr-kꜢ-rꜤ

Amenemhat I

s-ḥtp-ib-rꜤ

Senusret I

ḫpr-kꜢ-rꜤ

Amenemhat II

nbw-kꜢw-rꜤ

nbw-kꜢ-rꜤ

nbw-kꜢw-rꜤ

Senusret II

ḫꜤ-ḫpr-rꜤ

—

Senusret III

ḫꜤ-kꜢw-rꜤ

ḫꜤ-kꜢ-rꜤ

Amenemhat III

nj-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ

—

Amenemhat IV

mꜢꜤ-ḫrw-rꜤ

Neferusobek

—

sbk-kꜢ-rꜤ

sbk-nfrw-rꜤ

Wegaf

—

ḫw-tꜢwi-rꜤ

Sekhemra Khutawy

—

sḫm-rꜤ ḫw-tꜢwi

Amenemhat V ???

—

s-Ꜥnḫ-ib-rꜤ

Neferhotep I

—

ḫꜤ-sḫm-rꜤ

Sobekhotep IV

—

ḫꜤ-nfr-rꜤ

Sobekhotep V

—

ḫꜤ-ḥtp-rꜤ

Sobekhotep VI Merhotepra

—

mr-ḥtp-rꜤ

Mersekhemra Ined

—

mr-sḫm-rꜤ

Sobekhotep VII

—

mr-kꜢw-rꜤ

Senebmiu

—

s-wꜢḥ-n-rꜤ

Rahotep

—

wꜢḥ-kꜢw-rꜤ

Sobekemsaf I

—

sḫm-wꜢḏ-kꜢw-rꜤ

Djehuty

—

sḫm-rꜤ s-mn-tꜢwi

Sobekhotep VIII

—

sḫm-rꜤ s-wsr-tꜢwi

Nebirau

—

s-wꜢḏ-n-rꜤ

Bebiankh

—

s-wsr-n-rꜤ

Pharaoh

Abydos

Saqqara

Karnak

Intef VII

—

nbw-ḫpr-rꜤ

Senakhtenra Ahmose

—

s-nḫt-n-rꜤ

Seqenenra

—

s-ḳn-n-rꜤ

Ahmose

nb-pḥti-rꜤ

nb-pḥt(i)-rꜤ

—

Amenhotep I

ḏsr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Thutmose I

ꜤꜢ-ḫpr-kꜢ-rꜤ

—

Thutmose II

ꜤꜢ-ḫpr-n-rꜤ

—

Thutmose III

mn-ḫpr-rꜤ

—

Amenhotep II

ꜤꜢ-ḫprw-rꜤ

—

Thutmose IV

mn-ḫprw-rꜤ

—

Amenhotep III

nb-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ

—

Horemhab

ḏsr-ḫprw-rꜤ stp-n-rꜤ

ḏsr-wprw-rꜤ stp-n-rꜤ

—

Ramesses I

mn-pḥti-rꜤ

—

Seti I

mn-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ

—

Ramesses II

—

wsr-mꜢꜤt-rꜤ stp-n-rꜤ

—

Undetermined kings (Karnak)

Selected Bibliography

Abydos king list

Mariette, Auguste: Abydos description des fouilles, Vol 1, Plate 43 (Paris 1869)
Duemichen, Johannes: Historische inschriften altägyptischer denkmäler, Vol 2, Plate XLV (Leipzig 1869)
Kitchen, Kenneth A.: Ramesside Inscriptions, Vol. I, pp. 176-179 (Oxford 1975)
Porter and Moss: The Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts, reliefs, and paintings, Vol. VI, 25 (229)-(230)

Karnak king list

Burton, James: Excerpta Hieroglyphica, (Cairo 1825)
Young, Thomas: Hieroglyphics, Vol. 2, (London 1828) Plate 96 (copy from Burton)
Wilkinson, J. G.: Extracts from several Hieroglyphical Subjects found at Thebes, and other parts of Egypt, (Malta 1830) Plate IV
l'Illustration, Journal Universel, Vol. VII, p 244-245, (Paris 1846)
d'Avennes, Prisse: Monuments Égyptiens, bas-reliefs, peintures, inscriptions, etc., (Paris 1847) Plate I
Lepsius, Karl Richard: Über die zwölfte Aegyptische Königsdynastie in "APAW 1852" pp. 425-455, (Berlin 1853) Plate I
Sethe, Kurt: Urkunden der 18. dynastie, IV.8-198, p. 607-610 (Leipzig, 1906)

Saqqara king list

Mariette, Auguste: La table de Saqqarah in Revue Archeologique, Vol 10, (Paris 1864) p. 169-186, Plate XVII
Mariette, Auguste: Monuments divers recueillis en Égypte et en Nubie, (Paris 1872) Vol. II, Pl. 57b, 58, text Vol. I, p. 18-19
Meyer, Eduard: Ägyptische Chronologie, Plate 1, (Berlin 1904)
Kitchen, Kenneth A.: Ramesside Inscriptions, Vol. III, pp. 481-482 (Oxford 1980)

New Kingdom king lists compared

Undetermined kings (Karnak)

Selected Bibliography

Abydos king list

Karnak king list

Saqqara king list

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