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Second Dynasty of Egypt

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Second Dynasty of Egypt
c. 2890 BC–c. 2686 BC
Statue of Khasekhemwy, Ashmolean Museum
Statue of Khasekhemwy, Ashmolean Museum
CapitalThinis
Common languagesEgyptian language
Religion
ancient Egyptian religion
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy
Historical eraBronze Age
• Established
c. 2890 BC
• Disestablished
c. 2686 BC
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
First Dynasty of Egypt
Third Dynasty of Egypt
Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt
All years are BC
Predynastic
Protodynastic 0 c. 3300–3150
Early Dynastic
First Dynasty I c. 3150–2890
Second Dynasty II 2890–2686
Old Kingdom
Third Dynasty III 2686–2613
Fourth Dynasty IV 2613–2498
Fifth Dynasty V 2498–2345
Sixth Dynasty VI 2345–2181
First Intermediate
Seventh Dynasty VII spurious
Eighth Dynasty VIII 2181–2160
Ninth Dynasty IX 2160–2130
Tenth Dynasty X 2130–2040
Early Eleventh Dynasty XI 2134–2061
Middle Kingdom
Late Eleventh Dynasty XI 2061–1991
Twelfth Dynasty XII 1991–1803
Thirteenth Dynasty XIII 1803–1649
Second Intermediate
Fourteenth Dynasty XIV 1705–1690
Fifteenth Dynasty (Hyksos) XV 1674–1535
Sixteenth Dynasty XVI 1660–1600
Abydos Dynasty 1650–1600
Seventeenth Dynasty XVII 1580–1549
New Kingdom
Eighteenth Dynasty XVIII 1549–1292
Nineteenth Dynasty XIX 1292–1189
Twentieth Dynasty XX 1189–1077
Third Intermediate
Twenty-first Dynasty XXI 1069–945
Twenty-second Dynasty XXII 945–720
Twenty-third Dynasty XXIII 837–728
Twenty-fourth Dynasty XXIV 732–720
Twenty-fifth Dynasty (Nubian) XXV 732–653
Late Period
Twenty-sixth Dynasty XXVI 672–525
XXVII 525–404
Twenty-eighth Dynasty XXVIII 404–398
Twenty-ninth Dynasty XXIX 398–380
Thirtieth Dynasty XXX 380–343
XXXI 343–332
Hellenistic Egypt
Thirty-second Dynasty XXXII 332–305
Thirty-third Dynasty XXXIII 305–30
Roman Egypt
XXXIV 30 BC – 313 AD
Byzantine Egypt
XXXV 379 AD – 641 AD

The Second Dynasty of ancient Egypt (or Dynasty II, c. 2890 – c. 2686 BC[1]) is the latter of the two dynasties of the Egyptian Archaic Period, when the seat of government was centred at Thinis. It is most known for its last ruler, Khasekhemwy, but is otherwise one of the most obscure periods in Egyptian history.

Though archaeological evidence of the time is very scant, contrasting data from the First and Third Dynasties indicates important institutional and economic developments during the Second Dynasty.[2][3]

Writing

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The Second Dynasty of Egypt sees the advent of the first known complete sentences in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Probably the first known such sentence is a seal impression from Peribsen's tomb, at the end of the Second Dynasty, dating to ca. 2660–2650 BC. The sentence relates to the unification of Egypt: “Sealing of everything of Ombos (i.e., Naqada): He of Ombos has joined the Two Lands for his son, the Dual King Peribsen.”[4][5]

Conflicts

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The base of a lime statue of king Khasekhemwy has depictions of killed enemies on its four sides, recording a military campaign against the 'northern rebels', referring to the inhabitants of the Nile Delta.[6] On the front, the number of slain enemies is given as 47,209 dead, with a symbol generally considered as designating "Libyans".[6][7][8] This scene seems to record the victory of King Khasekhem over a northern Egyptian population led by their ruler, Besh.[9] The name Besh may be a variation or nomen of Peribsen, or more probably the name of a Libyan northern tribe near the Fayum.[10] This iconography of the king crushing enemies at his feet would remain a central theme of royal iconography for the next three millennia.[6]

Base of the statue of Khasekhemwy with depiction of slain enemies. Hierakonpolis, 2700-2686 BC (Ashmolean Museum)

Rulers

[edit]

For the first three pharaohs, sources are fairly close in agreement and the order is supported by an inscription on the statuette of Hetepdief, who served in the mortuary cults of these three kings.[11]

Name Years Reigned Burial
Hotepsekhemwy 25–29 Gallery Tomb A, Saqqara?
Nebra (also known as Kakau) 10–14 Gallery Tomb A, Saqqara?
Nynetjer 40 Gallery Tomb B, Saqqara

But the identity of the next few rulers is unclear. Surviving sources might be giving the Horus name or the Nebty name and the birth names of these rulers. They may also be entirely different individuals, or could be legendary names. This might never be resolved.

It has been theorised that following the reign of Nynetjer, the country was split and ruled by two successors due to the overly complex state administration of the whole of Egypt.[12]

The following list contains various king names from different sources:

Name Years reigned
(Manetho)[13] 		Notes Burial
Weneg / Wadjenes 17 Listed as the fourth king of the dynasty on the Turin, Saqqara and Abydos king lists.
Only attested in Lower Egypt.[14]
Weneg is generally accepted as a nebti (or throne) name and it is unknown what his horus name was.[15]
Theorised to be the same person as Raneb,[16] Sekhemib-Perenmaat[17] or a completely separate king from the others of the Second dynasty.
Known as Tlas in Manetho's Aegyptica.[13]
Senedj 41 Listed as the fifth king of the dynasty on the Turin, Saqqara and Abydos king lists.
Horus name unknown.
Theorised to be the same person as Horus Sa[18] or Peribsen.[19][20]
Known as Sethenes in Manetho's Aegyptica.[13] 		Tomb P, Umm El Qa'ab (?)
Neferkara I 17 Only attested in later documents dated long after the time period of the Second dynasty.
Listed as the sixth king of the dynasty in the Saqqara and Turin King lists, but omitted from the Abydos King List.
May have only ruled Lower Egypt.
Known as Khaires in Manetho's Aegyptica.[13]
Neferkasokar 25 Only attested in later documents dated long after the time period of the Second dynasty.
Listed as the seventh king of the dynasty in the Saqqara and Turin King lists, but omitted from the Abydos King List.
May have only ruled Lower Egypt.
Known as Nephercheres in Manetho's Aegyptica.[13]
Hudjefa I 48 Name literally means "erased" or "missing", showing that this king's name was unknown or lost by the Nineteenth Dynasty.
Listed as the eighth king of the dynasty on the Saqqara Tablet, but omitted from the Abydos King List.
May have only ruled Lower Egypt.
Theorised to be the same person as Peribsen and may have been deliberately omitted.[21]
Known as Sesochris in Manetho's Aegyptica.[13]
Seth-Peribsen ? Name connected to Seth deity rather than the traditional Horus.
Attested by contemporary inscriptions, but not on later king lists.
Only attested in Upper Egypt.[22] 		Tomb P, Umm El Qa'ab
Sekhemib-Perenmaat ? Attested by contemporary inscriptions, but not on later king lists.
May be the same person as Seth-Peribsen[23] or his immediate successor.[24][25] 		Tomb P, Umm El Qa'ab (?)
Nubnefer ? Birth name of a king, unknown placement.
Name does not appear on any known official king lists.
May be birth name of Raneb[26] or a completely separate ephemeral king who ruled at some point following Nynetjer's reign.[27]

With the last ruler, the sources return to an agreement:

Name Years Reigned Notes Burial Consort(s)
Khasekhemwy 17–18 Known as Kheneres in Manetho's Aegyptica.[13]
Reigned for 30 years according to Manetho.[13] 		Tomb V, Umm El Qa'ab Nimaathap

Manetho states Thinis was the capital, as in the First Dynasty, but the first three kings were buried at Saqqara, suggesting the center of power had moved to Memphis. Beyond this, little can be said about the events during this period as the annual records on the Palermo stone only survive to the end of the reign of Nebra and for parts of Nynetjer's. One important event, the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, might have occurred during the reign of Khasekhemwy as many Egyptologists read his name as "the Two Powers arise".

Comparison of regnal lists

[edit]

The surviving Turin, Abydos and Saqqara king lists, all from the New Kingdom of Egypt, provide a list of kings of this dynasty, though the Abydos list omits Neferkara, Neferkasokar, and Hudjefa I.

Historical Pharaoh Abydos King List Saqqara Tablet Turin King List Manetho[13]
Hotepsekhemwy Bedjau Baunetjer Baunetjer Boethos
Nebra Kakau Kakau Kakau Kaiekhos
Nynetjer Banetjer Banetjeru Banetjer Binothris
Weneg Wadjnas Wadjlas [...]s Tlas
Senedj Sendi Senedj Sened[...] Sethenes
Neferkara I – Neferkare Neferka Khaires
Neferkasokar – Neferkasokar Neferkasokar Nephercheres
Hudjefa – Hudjefa – Sesochris
Khasekhemwy Djadjay Bebti Bebti Kheneres

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Shaw, Ian, ed. (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 480. ISBN 0-19-815034-2.
  2. ^ Romer, John (2013) [2012]. "Chapter 18 – The Lost Dynasty". A History of Ancient Egypt. Vol. 1. London, ENG: Penguin Books. pp. 221–222. ISBN 978-1-8-4614377-9. Whatever else was taking place at the court of the Second Dynasty of kings, it is clear that the fundamental institutions of pharaonic government, its systems of supply, not only survived throughout that century and a half, but flourished to the extent that, when the kings emerge into the light of history again with the pyramid builders of the Third Dynasty, the state on the lower Nile was more efficient than it had ever been: that there was, therefore, strong institutional continuity.
  3. ^ Bard, Kathryn A. (2002) [2000]. "Chapter 4 – The Emergence of the Egyptian State". In Shaw, Ian (ed.). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (paperback) (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-19-280293-4. There is much less evidence for the kings of the 2nd Dynasty than those of the 1st Dynasty until the last two reigns (Peribsen and Khasekhemwy). Given what is known about the early Old Kingdom in the 3rd Dynasty, the 2nd Dynasty must have been a time when the economic and political foundations were put in place for the strongly centralized state, which developed with truly vast resources. Such a major transition, however, cannot be demonstrated from the archaeological evidence for the 2nd Dynasty.
  4. ^ Wagensonner, Klaus, Yale University, Department Member (1 January 2024). "Visible Language: The Early Use of Writing in Egypt".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Mieroop, Marc Van De (20 January 2021). A History of Ancient Egypt. John Wiley & Sons. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-119-62089-1.
  6. ^ a b c Ashmolean Museum notice
  7. ^ Gaspa, Salvatore; Vigo, Matteo (1 September 2019). Textiles in Ritual and Cultic Practices in the Ancient Near East from the Third to the First Millennium BC. Ugarit-Verlag. p. 59. ISBN 978-3-86835-188-0.
  8. ^ Schneider, Thomas (2023). Language Contact in Ancient Egypt. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 9. ISBN 978-3-643-91507-8.
  9. ^ Kemp, Barry John (2018). Ancient Egypt: anatomy of a civilization (3rd ed.). New-York (NY): Routledge. p. 32/44, Fig.2.18. ISBN 978-0415827263. Incised designs on the base of a seated limestone statue of King Khasekhem from Hierakonpolis. The design shows the bodies of the slain, the plant motif above one symbolizing the north of Egypt, and the numerals 42,209. The name Khasekhem is on the top surface of the base, beside the king's feet; hence its reversal. After Quibell and Petrie, Hierakonpolis I, Pl. XL (redrawn by M. Bertram). Both designs seem to record the victory of King Khasekhem/Khasekhemwy over a northern Egyptian population and their ruler, Besh.
  10. ^ The Cambridge Ancient History 3rd Edition. p. 43. The interpretation of Besh is, however, extremely problematical; at different times it has been explained as the personal name of the king, as the name of a Libyan people dwelling in the neighbourhood of El-Kab, and as a more northern Libyan tribe domiciled near the Faiyum. The title of the scene, 'The Year of fighting and smiting the Northerners', favours the last interpretation, but no final proof is yet forthcoming.
  11. ^ Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. Routledge. p. 83. ISBN 0-415-26011-6.
  12. ^ Nicolas Grimal: A History of Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell, Weinheim 1994, ISBN 978-0-631-19396-8, p. 55.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lundström, Peter. "The Dynasties of Manetho". Pharaoh.se. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  14. ^ Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 0-415-26011-6.
  15. ^ Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. Routledge. p. 87. ISBN 0-415-26011-6.
  16. ^ Kahl, Jochem (2007), "Ra is my Lord", Searching for the Rise of the Sun God at the Dawn of Egyptian History, Wiesbaden{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^ Wolfgang Helck: Untersuchungen zur Thinitenzeit. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 978-3-447-02677-2, pp. 103–107.
  18. ^ Von der Way, Thomas (1997), "Zur Datierung des "Labyrinth-Gebäudes" auf dem Tell el-Fara'in (Buto)", Göttinger Miszellen, 157: 107–111
  19. ^ Kenneth Anderson Kitchen: Ramesside Inscriptions. page 234–235
  20. ^ Jürgen von Beckerath: Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen.. Deutscher Kunstverlag, München/Berlin 1984, ISBN 3-422-00832-2, page 171.
  21. ^ Wolfgang Helck: Untersuchungen zur Thinitenzeit: Ägyptologische Abhandlungen., Volume 45. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-447-02677-4, p. 125.
  22. ^ Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 0-415-26011-6.
  23. ^ Walter Bryan Emery: Ägypten – Geschichte und Kultur der Frühzeit. Fourier, Munich 1964, p. 106.
  24. ^ Wolfgang Helck: Untersuchungen zur Thintenzeit. (Ägyptologische Abhandlungen, Volume 45), Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-447-02677-4, pp. 104–111, 183.
  25. ^ Hermann A. Schlögl: Das Alte Ägypten. Geschichte und Kultur von der Frühzeit bis zu Kleopatra. Verlag C. H. Beck, München 2006, ISBN 3-406-54988-8, p. 78.
  26. ^ I. E. S. Edwards: The early dynastic period in Egypt; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1964; p. 25.
  27. ^ Wilkinson, Toby (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 0-415-26011-6.
Preceded by Dynasty of Egypt
c. 2890 – 2686 BC 		Succeeded by
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