The start of the king list, showing Seti I and his son Ramesses II on the way to making an offering to Ptah -Seker -Osiris , on behalf of their 75 ancestors: the contents of the king list. Ramesses is depicted as a prince holding censers . The Abydos King List , also known as the Abydos Table or the Abydos Tablet , is a list of the names of 76 kings of ancient Egypt , found on a wall of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, Egypt . It consists of three rows of 38 cartouches (borders enclosing the name of a king) in each row. The upper two rows contain names of the kings, while the third row merely repeats Seti I 's throne name and nomen .
Besides providing the order of the Old Kingdom kings, it is the sole source to date of the names of many of the kings of the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties, so the list is valued greatly for that reason.
This list omits the names of many earlier pharaohs. The bulk of these appear to have been left out because although they claimed royal titles and rule over all Egypt, their actual authority was limited to only part of the country. This category includes all the rulers of the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties , the early rulers of the Eleventh Dynasty (Mentuhotep I , Intef I , Intef II , and Intef III ), all the rulers of the Thirteenth Dynasty , and all of the rulers of Second Intermediate Period (including the Hyksos Fifteenth Dynasty , who may also have been seen as illegitimate because they were not native Egyptian). The rulers of the chaotic Amarna Period (Akhenaten , Smenkhkare , Neferneferuaten , Tutankhamun , and Ay ), seem to have been removed for reasons of political propaganda or as a form of damnatio memoriae ; their reigns were within living memory in Seti's day, and the repudiation of the Amarna Period had been state policy since the reign of Horemheb (who had chosen Seti's father Ramesses I to succeed him). Two pharaohs known to have been women, Sobekneferu and Hatshepsut , are also excluded, most likely due to their gender. Finally, Mentuhotep IV may have been excluded for political reasons (having possibly been overthrown by his vizer and successor Amenemhat I ) or simply because his short and poorly documented reign was unknown to Seti and his scribes.[ 1]
Contents of the king list Drawing of the cartouches in the Abydos King List.
First Dynasty Cartouches 1 to 8 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 1 to 8 (Click to enlarge) 1 Meni. Same name in Turin King List . Probably identical to Narmer . Menes 2 Teti. Same name in Turin King List. Hor-Aha 3 Iti. Same name in Turin King List. Djer 4 Ita. Itui in Turin King List. Djet 5 Septi. Qenti in Turin King List. Den 6 Meribiap. Merbiapen in the Turin King List and Saqqara King List . Anedjib 7 Semsu. Semsem in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List. Semerkhet . 8 Qebeh. Same name in Turin King List. Qebehu in Saqqara King List. Qa'a .
Second Dynasty Cartouches 9 to 14 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 9 to 14 (Click to enlarge) 9 Bedjau. Baunetjer in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Hotepsekhemwy 10 Kakau. Same name in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Nebre 11 Banetjer. Same name in Turin King List. Banetjeru in Saqqara King List. Ninetjer 12 Wadjnas. Wadjlas in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List. Weneg 13 Sendi. Senedj in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Senedj 14 Djadjay. Bebti in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Khasekhemwy
Third Dynasty Cartouches 15 to 19 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 15 to 19 (Click to enlarge) 15 Nebka. Same name in Turin King List. Nebkara in Saqqara King List. Nebka 16 Djeser-za. Djoser-it in Turin King List. Djoser in Saqqara King List. Djoser 17 Teti. Djoser-ti in Turin King List. Djoser-teti in Saqqara King List. Sekhemkhet 18 Sedjes . Hudjefa in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Khaba 19 Neferkare . Huni in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Huni
Fourth Dynasty Cartouches 20 to 25 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 20 to 25 (Click to enlarge) 20 Sneferu. Same name in Saqqara King List. Senefer in Turin King List. Sneferu 21 Khufu. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Khufu 22 Djedefre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Djedefre 23 Khafre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List Khafre 24 Menkaure. Name missing in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Menkaure 25 Shepseskaf. Name missing in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Shepseskaf
Fifth Dynasty Cartouches 26 to 33 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 26 to 33 (Click to enlarge) 26 Userkaf. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin king list. Userkaf 27 Sahure. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Sahure 28 Kakai. Neferirkare in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferirkare Kakai 29 Neferefre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferefre 30 Nyuserre. Name missing in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List. Nyuserre Ini 31 Menkauhor. Same name in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Menkauhor Kaiu 32 Djedkare. Djed in Turin King List. Maatkare in Saqqara King List. Djedkare Isesi 33 Unis. Same name in Turin King List and Saqqara King List. Unas
Sixth Dynasty Cartouches 34 to 39 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 34 to 39 (Click to enlarge) 34 Teti. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Teti 35 Userkare. Name missing in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List. Userkare 36 Meryre. Pepi in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Pepi I Meryre 37 Merenre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Merenre Nemtyemsaf I 38 Neferkare. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Pepi II Neferkare 39 Merenre Saemsaf. Name missing in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List. Merenre Nemtyemsaf II
Seventh/Eighth Dynasty Cartouches 40 to 47 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 40 to 47 (Click to enlarge) 40 Netjerikare. Neitiqerty in Turin King List. Netjerkare Siptah 41 Menkare. Name missing in Turin King List. Menkare 42 Neferkare. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkare II 43 Neferkare Neby. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkare Neby 44 Djedkare Shemai. Name missing in Turin King List. Djedkare Shemai 45 Neferkare Khendu. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkare Khendu 46 Merenhor. Name missing in Turin King List. Merenhor 47 Sneferka. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkamin
Cartouches 48 to 56 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 48 to 56 (Click to enlarge) 48 Nikare. Name missing in Turin King List. Nikare 49 Neferkare Tereru. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkare Tereru 50 Neferkahor. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkahor 51 Neferkare Pepiseneb. Neferka-khered in Turin King List. Neferkare Pepiseneb 52 Sneferka Anu. Nefer in Turin King List. Neferkamin Anu 53 Kaukare. Ibi in Turin King List. Qakare Ibi 54 Neferkaure. Neferkare in Turin King List. Neferkaure II 55 Neferkauhor. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferkauhor 56 Neferirkare. Name missing in Turin King List. Neferirkare
Eleventh/Twelfth Dynasty Cartouches 57 to 61 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 57 to 61 (Click to enlarge) 57 Nebhepetre. Same name in Turin King List and in Saqqara King List. Mentuhotep II 58 Sankhkare. Seankhkare in Turin King List and in Saqqara King List. Mentuhotep III 59 Sehetepibre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List. Amenemhat I 60 Kheperkare. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List. Senusret I 61 Nubkaure. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Amenemhat II
Cartouches 62 to 65 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 62 to 65 (Click to enlarge) 62 Khakheperre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Senusret II 63 Khakaure. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Senusret III 64 Nimaatre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List. Amenemhat III 65 Maakherure. Same name in Turin King List and in Saqqara King List. Amenemhat IV
Eighteenth Dynasty Cartouches 66 to 74 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 66 to 74 (Click to enlarge) 66 Nebpehtire. Same name in Saqqara King List. Ahmose I 67 Djeserkare. Same name in Saqqara King List. Amenhotep I 68 Aakheperkare. Name missing in Saqqara King List. Thutmose I 69 Aakheperenre. Name missing in Saqqara King List. Thutmose II 70 Menkheperre. Name missing in Saqqara King List. Thutmose III 71 Aakheperure. Name missing in Saqqara King List. Amenhotep II 72 Menkheperure. Name missing in Saqqara King List. Thutmose IV 73 Nebmaatre. Name missing in Saqqara King List. Amenhotep III 74 Djeserkheperure Setepenre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Horemheb
Nineteenth Dynasty Cartouches 75 and 76 n° Name written in the list Common name Cartouches 75 and 76 (Click to enlarge) 75 Menpehtire. Same name in Saqqara King List. Ramesses I 76 Menmaatre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Seti I
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