The Second Dynasty of Ancient Egypt
Pharaoh Hotepsekhemwy united the kingdom and founded the Second Dynasty. The records from the time are very scarce, and many theories about the actual chronology have been postualeted by various Egyptologists. The Turin papyrus contain the names of nine kings, the same number Africanus and Eusebius give for Manetho's second dynasty. The Abydos king list only mention six, while the Saqqara list gives eight. During the later parts of the reign of Ninetjer, he decided to divide the kingdom between two of his sons. After his death there were presumably some who did not like the new division, and it is not far-fetched to imagine different factions struggling for power, or, even setting up their own ruler. The knowledge about the later parts of the dynasty is murky at best, as is reflected in the various king lists.
| # | Pharaoh | Throne name | Also known as | Reign* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotepsekhemwy | Hetepsekhemwy, Hotepsekhemui | 2730–? | |
| 2 | Nebra | Raneb, Kakau | ?–2700 | |
| 3 | Ninetjer | Nynetjer, Banetjer | 2700–2660 | |
| 4 | Wadjenes | |||
| 5 | Senedj | Sened | ?–2610 | |
| 6 | Sekhemib | 2650–? | ||
| 7 | Peribsen | Seth-Peribsen, Perabsen | 2660–2650 | |
| 8 | Sneferka | Sekanefer, Neferseka, Seneferka | ||
| 9 | Neferkasokar | |||
| 10 | Hudjefa I | |||
| 11 | Khasekhemwy | Khasekhemui | 2610–2593 |
- Turin king list
223 kings – Dynasty 19 - Abydos Canon
76 kings – Dynasty 19 - Saqqara Canon
58 kings – Dynasty 19 - Karnak Canon
61 kings – Dynasty 18 - Comparing the canons
Abydos, Saqqara and Karnak - Ramesseum Canon
Ramesses II Mortuary Temple - Medinet Habu Canon
Ramesses III Mortuary Temple
Ancient historians
- Herodotus
450 BC – Histories - Manetho
250 BC – Aegyptiaca - Diodorus
50 BC – Bibliotheca Historica - Josephus
100 CE – Against Apion - Africanus
220 CE – Chronographai - Eusebius
325 CE – Chronicon - Jerome
380 CE – Chronicon - Syncellus
800 CE – Egloga Chronographai - Eratosthenes
Probably a forgery (date unknown) - Comparing the sources
Transmission of Manetho
by Africanus et. al.
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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