Saqqara Tablet

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The Saqqara Tablet, now in the Egyptian Museum, is an ancient stone engraving surviving from the Ramesside Period of Egypt which features a list of pharaohs. It was found in 1861 in Saqqara, in the tomb of Tjuneroy (or Tjenry), an official ("chief lector priest" and "Overseer of Works on All Royal Monuments") of the pharaoh Ramesses II.[1]

The inscription lists fifty-eight kings, from Anedjib (First Dynasty) to Ramesses II (Nineteenth Dynasty), in reverse chronological order. The names (each surrounded by a border known as a cartouche), of which only forty-seven survive, are badly damaged. As with other Egyptian king lists, the Saqqara Tablet omits certain kings and entire dynasties. The list counts backward from Ramesses II to the mid-point of the First Dynasty, except for the Eleventh and Twelfth Dynasties, which are reversed. A well known photograph of the king list was published in 1865.[2] Detailed and high resolution images are able to be viewed online and inside the book Inside the Egyptian Museum with Zahi Hawass [3]

Like with other Ramesside lists, the Saqqara Tablet omits the names of "rulers from the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos, and those rulers... who had been close to the heretic Akhenaten".[4] Despite being nearly a slimmed down copy of the Abydos King List, the Saqqara Tablet has some notable changes. For example, both Huni and Sobekneferu are listed in the Saqqara Tablet, despite both being absent in the Abydos King List. Likewise, the early rulers of the First Dynasty (Menes/Narmer, Hor-Aha, Djer, Djet, and Den) are excluded from the Saqqara Tablet for some unknown reason, despite being present in the Abydos King List.

Drawing of the Saqqara King List based on photographs and drawings from 1864-65.

Kings in the list

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The names are listed in reverse chronological order from the upper right to the bottom left, as they were meant to be read.

Upper row Bottom row
No. Pharaoh Name written in the list No. Pharaoh Name written in the list
1 Ramesses II Usermaatre setepenre 30 Neferefre Khaneferre
2 Seti I Menmaatre 31 Shepseskare Shepseskare
3 Ramesses I Menpehtire 32 Neferirkare Kakai Neferirkare
4 Horemheb Djeserkheperure setepenre 33 Sahure Sahure
5 Name destroyed Name destroyed 34 Userkaf Userkaf
6 Name destroyed Name destroyed 35 Name destroyed Name destroyed
7 Name destroyed Name destroyed 36 Name destroyed Name destroyed
8 Name destroyed Name destroyed 37 Name destroyed Name destroyed
9 Name destroyed Name destroyed 38 Name destroyed Name destroyed
10 Name destroyed Name destroyed 39 Name destroyed Name destroyed
11 Amenhotep I Djeserkare 40 Khafre Khafre
12 Ahmose I Nebpehtire 41 Djedefre Djedefre
13 Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre 42 Khufu Khufu
14 Mentuhotep III Seankhkare 43 Sneferu Sneferu
15 Amenemhat I Sehetepibre 44 Huni Huni
16 Senusret I Kheperkare 45 Nebka Nebkare
17 Amenemhat II Nubkaure 46 Sekhemkhet Djoser-teti
18 Senusret II Khakheperre 47 Djoser Djoser
19 Senusret III Khakhaure 48 Khasekhemwy Beby
20 Amenemhat III Nimaatre 49 Hudjefa "Name missing"
21 Amenemhat IV Maatkherure 50 Sekhemib-Perenmaat? Neferkasokar
22 Sobekneferu Kasobekre 51 Seth-Peribsen? Neferkare
23 Pepi II Neferkare Neferkare 52 Senedj Senedj
24 Merenre Nemtyemsaf I Merenre 53 Wadjenes Wadjlas
25 Pepi I Meryre Pepi 54 Nynetjer Banetjeru
26 Teti Teti 55 Raneb Kakau
27 Unas Unis 56 Hotepsekhemwy Baunetjer
28 Djedkare Maatkare 57 Qa'a Qebehu
29 Menkauhor Menkauhor 58 Anedjib Merbapen

Proposed reconstruction

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As names 5-10 and 35-39 are missing or badly damaged, the following names are suggested to have once been listed here. Note that this reconstruction is based on other kings lists and circumstantial evidence.

Upper row Bottom row
No. Pharaoh Name likely written in the list No. Pharaoh Name likely written in the list
5 Amenhotep III Nebmaatre 34 Userkaf Userkaf
6 Thutmose IV Menkheperure 35 Khentkaus I? Khentkaus?
7 Amenhotep II Aakheperure 36 Thamphthis? Djedefptah/Djedefhor?
8 Thutmose III Menkheperre 37 Shepseskaf Shepseskaf
9 Thutmose II Aakheperenre 38 Menkaure Menkaure
10 Thutmose I Aakheperkare 39 Bicheris? Bakare/Baufre?

Other New Kingdom royal lists

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References

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  1. ^ Robert Morkot. The Egyptians: An Introduction. Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0-415-27103-7. Page 74.
  2. ^ de Rougé, Emmanuel (1865). Album photographique de la mission remplie en Égypte. Paris. pp. 152, photographs 143–145.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Hawass, Zahi (2010). Inside the Egyptian Museum with Zahi Hawass. Cairo: American Univ in Cairo Press. pp. 299, photographs 156-157. ISBN 9789774163722.
  4. ^ Quoted from: Gerald Verbrugghe, John Moore Wickersham. Berossos and Manetho, Introduced and Translated. University of Michigan Press, 2001. Page 104.

Bibliography

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  • Auguste Mariette: La table de Saqqarah in Revue Archeologique Vol 10, Paris 1864, p. 168-186, Pl. 17
  • Emmanuel de Rougé: Album photographique de la mission remplie en Égypte, Paris 1865, Photographs, No. 143-145
  • Auguste Mariette: Monuments divers recueillis en Égypte et en Nubie (Tables), Paris 1872, Vol. II, Pl. 58
  • Eduard Meyer: Ägyptische Chronologie, Pl. 1, (Berlin 1904)
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