View source for Nekauba

{{Infobox pharaoh
| name           = Nekauba
| alt_name       = Nechepsos
| image          = 
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| role           =
| reign          = 678 &ndash; 672 BC 
| dynasty        = "[[26th Dynasty|Proto-saite" Dynasty]]
| coregency      =
| predecessor    = [[Tefnakht II]]?
| successor      = [[Necho I]]

| notes          =
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| spouse         =
| children       =
| father         =Tefnakht II?
| mother         =
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}}

Almost nothing is known of '''Nekauba''' ([[Ancient Greek]]: {{lang|grc|{{script|Grek|Νεχεψὼς}}}} {{transl|grc|Nekhepsṑs}}). He is listed as one of the early kings of the [[26th Dynasty|26th Saite Dynasty]] in [[Manetho]]'s Epitome and ruled for six years. However, his status as king is not confirmed by any contemporary documents and he may well be an invention of later Saite rulers to legitimise their kingship. Manetho writes that Nekauba is supposed to have succeeded Stephinates the founder of the 26th Dynasty—perhaps [[Tefnakht II]]—and was, in turn, followed by the well known [[Necho I]], father of [[Psamtik I]]. Nekauba would have reigned as a local Saite king under the [[Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt|25th Nubian Dynasty]] between 678 BC to 672 BC if he did have an independent reign.<ref>Karl-Heinz Priese, "Der Beginn der Kuschitischen Herrschaft in Ägypten," ''ZÄS'' 98 (1970), pp.&nbsp;16–32</ref> If not, he would merely have been a local mayor of Sais who served in office for this period of time prior to the accession of king Necho I.

The [[Egyptology|Egyptologist]] [[Kenneth Kitchen]] has suggested<ref>Kenneth Kitchen, ''The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650&nbsp;BC)'', 1996, Aris & Phillips Limited, Warminster, {{ISBN|0-85668-298-5}}, §§&nbsp;117-18.</ref> that Nekauba's reign be raised by a decade from six to 16 years, though this seems somewhat ambitious for such an obscure ruler. It appears far more economical to adopt – at face value – Manetho's far shorter figure of only six years. This may suggest that only a small amount of time passed between the reign of Tefnakht II and the accession of Necho I.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

It is probable that Nekauba and Necho I were both sons of Tefnakht II. 

==Doubtful existence==
In 2002, [[Olivier Perdu]] published a newly discovered Year 2 donation stela found near [[Sebennytos]] which dates to [[Necho I]]'s reign. Perdu revealed that it is close in style, form and content with the Year 8 donation stela of [[Tefnakht I|Shepsesre Tefnakht I]], hence suggested that these two Saite kings were close contemporaries and that Tefnakht I would have ruled Sais around 685 BC-678 BC, just before Nekauba and Necho I, thus equating him with Tefnakht II.<ref>Olivier Perdu, "De Stéphinatès à Néchao ou les débuts de la XXVIe dynastie," ''Compte-rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (CRAIBL)'' 2002, pp.&nbsp;1215–1244</ref> Perdu's arguments are not accepted by many Egyptologists who criticized the epigraphic criteria used by him.

In 2011, [[Kim Ryholt]]<ref name=Ryholt>Kim Ryholt, "New Light on the Legendary King Nechepsos of Egypt", ''[[Journal of Egyptian Archaeology]]'' 97 (2011), pp.&nbsp;61-72 [https://www.academia.edu/1601667/New_Light_on_the_Legendary_King_Nechepsos_of_Egypt online PDF]</ref> assumed that Nekauba's name translates as "Necho the Wise" and that Nekauba or Nechepsos' name refers to [[Necho II]] instead. Ryholt maintained that there was no independent Saite king named Nekauba who intervened between Tefnakht II and Necho I. Ryholt also stressed that possible evidence for the removal of an intervening king between [[Tefnakht II]] and Necho I was provided by Perdu's aforementioned argument concerning the similarity of the two stelae (although Ryholt attributed the Year 8 stela to Tefnakht II instead); the attribution of 6 years to Nekauba would separate the two stela by a minimum of seven years whereas if Nekauba did not exist, the two stela might have been produced within one to two years since Necho I would have been Tefnakht II's immediate successor.<ref>Ryholt, op. cit., p.&nbsp;66</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Tefnakht II]]? }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Pharaoh|Pharaoh of Egypt]] | years=678 &ndash; 672 BC <br> [[Twenty-sixth Dynasty]] }}
{{s-aft | after=[[Necho I]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Pharaohs}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:7th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt]]