Saqqara Tablet

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

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

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

References

^ Robert Morkot. The Egyptians: An Introduction. Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0-415-27103-7. Page 74.
^ 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)
^ Hawass, Zahi (2010). Inside the Egyptian Museum with Zahi Hawass. Cairo: American Univ in Cairo Press. pp. 299, photographs 156-157. ISBN 9789774163722.
^ Quoted from: Gerald Verbrugghe, John Moore Wickersham. Berossos and Manetho, Introduced and Translated. University of Michigan Press, 2001. Page 104.

Bibliography

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)

[1] Robert Morkot. The Egyptians: An Introduction. Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0-415-27103-7. Page 74.

[2] 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.

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