Semerkhet

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Semerkhet
Semempses, Mempses
National Archaeological Museum (France)
Pharaoh
Reign8½ years, ca. 2920 BC
PredecessorAnedjib
SuccessorQa'a
Royal titulary
Horus name
Hor-Semerkhet
Ḥr-smr.ẖt
Companion of the divine community
Alternative:
Companion of the gods[1]
G5
S29 U23 F32

Abydos King List
Iry?/Semsu?
iry?/smsw?
<
A21A
>


Turin King List
Semsem
smsm
The elder of Horus
<
S29mS29m
>G7
Prenomen  (Praenomen)
Nisut-Bity-Nebty-Iry
nsw.t-bty-nb.ty-iry
King of Upper and Lower Egypt, he of the two ladies,
he who belongs to them
Alternative:
He whom the two ladies guard[1]
M23
t		 L2
t		 G16A21A
Father
Umm el-Qa'ab
DynastyFirst Dynasty

Semerkhet is the

early Egyptian king who ruled during the First Dynasty. This ruler became known through a tragic legend handed down by the historian Manetho, who reported that a calamity of some sort occurred during Semerkhet's reign. The archaeological
records seem to support the view that Semerkhet had a difficult time as king and some early archaeologists questioned the legitimacy of Semerkhet's succession to the Egyptian throne.

Length of reign

Manetho named Semerkhet Semêmpsés and credited him with a reign of 18 years,

inscription, where the complete reign of Semerkhet has been recorded. Additionally, they point to the archaeological records, which strengthen the view that Semerkhet had a relatively short reign.[4]

Name sources

Semsu, cartouche name of Semerkhet in the Abydos king list

Semerkhet is well attested in archaeological records. His name appears in inscriptions on vessels made of

Sakkara.[4][5]

Semerkhet's

hieroglyph khet (Gardiner-sign F32) normally was the symbol for "body" or "divine community".[4][5][6]

Pottery shard inscribed with Semerkhet's serekh name, originally from his tomb, now in the Petrie Museum, UC 36756

Semerkhet's birth name is more problematic. Any artefact showing his birth name curiously lacks any artistic detail of the used hieroglyphic sign: a walking man with waving cloak or skirt, a nemes head dress, and a long, plain stick in his hands. The reading and meaning of this special sign is disputed, since it doesn't appear in this form before association with king Semerkhet. Indeed, the hieroglyph of the cloaked man is extremely rare. It appears only twice in relief inscriptions depicting ceremonial processions of priests and standard bearers.

uniliteral signs of a netjer flag (Gardiner-sign R8) and a human eye (Gardiner-sign D4) nearby the ideogram of the man. Some contemporary ivory tags show the Nebty name written with the single eye symbol only. Thus, the scholars also read Semerkhet's throne name as Iry (meaning "guardian") and the Nebty name as Iry-Nebty (meaning "guardian of the Two Ladies"). This reconstruction is strengthened by the observation that Semerkhet was the first king using the Nebty title in its ultimate form. For unknown reason Semerkhet did not use the Nebuy title of his predecessor. It seems that he felt connected with the 'Two Ladies', a title referring to the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet, the patron deities of the Ancient Egyptians who were worshiped by all after the unification of its two parts, Lower Egypt, and Upper Egypt. The Nebty title in turn was thought to function as an addition to the Nisut-Bity title.[5][6][7] His prenomen is Nisut-Bity-Nebty-Iry, nsw.t-bty-nb.ty-iry meaning, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, he of the two ladies, and he who belongs to them or He whom the two ladies guard.[1]

M23
t		 L2
t		 G16A21A

Scribes and priests of the

Saqqara King List omits Semerkhet's throne name. The reason for that is unknown, but all kings from Narmer up to king Den also are missing their throne names.[5][6][7]

Identity

See also: First Dynasty of Egypt family tree
Nebty name of Semerkhet from Djoser's pyramid complex at Saqqara[8]

Virtually nothing is known about Semerkhet's family. His parents are unknown, but it is thought that one of his predecessors, king

Den, might have been his father. Possibly, Semerkhet was born to queen Betrest. On the Cairo Stone she is described as his mother, but definite evidence for that view has not yet been found. It would be expected that Semerkhet had sons and daughters, but their names have not been preserved in the historical record. A candidate as a possible member of his family line is his immediate successor, king Qa'a.[9]

Reign

Ivory label of Semerkhet
Ivory label of Semerkhet, on display in the British Museum. The right section, introduced by the 'year'-sign Renpet (a bald palm stem), reports -from top to bottom- a feast of the Sokar-bark, a visitation to the temple of the ancestor-deity, Wer-Wadyt, and the travelling in a royal boat. The left part of the label shows the throne name Iry-Nebty of Semerkhet with a blessing wish below. On the upper left corner is described the content of the jar, to which the label was once adjusted. Also the name of the high official Henuka is preserved, who was obviously responsible for the delivery of the mentioned jar.

An old theory, supported by Egyptologists and historians such as

Adjib, are attested in local mastabas.[4][10][11]

Today this theory has little support. Egyptologists such as

Meritneith and king Den also were found. The lack of any high official's tomb at Saqqara might be explained by the rather short reign of Semerkhet. It seems that the only known official of Semerkhet, Henu-Ka, had survived his king: His name appears on ivory tags from Semerkhet's and Qaa's tomb.[5][9]

Seal impressions from Semerkhet's burial site show the new royal domain, Hor wep-khet, (meaning "Horus, the judge of the divine community") and the new private household Hut-Ipty (meaning "house of the harem"), which was headed by Semerkhet's wives. Two ivory tags show the yearly 'Escort of Horus', a feast connected to the regular tax collections. Other tags report the cult celebration for the deity of the ancestors, Wer-Wadyt ("the Great White"). And further tags show the celebration of a first (and only) Sokar feast.[5][12][13]

While the Cairo Stone reports the whole of Semerkhet's reign, unfortunately, the surface of the stone slab is badly worn and most of the events are now illegible. The following chart follows the reconstructions by Toby A. H. Wilkinson, John D. Degreef, and Hermann Alexander Schlögl:

Cairo Stone, main fragment:

  • Year of coronation: Appearance of the king of Lower- and Upper Egypt; unifying the two realms; circumambulation of the White Wall of Memphis
  • first year: Escort of Horus; destruction of Egypt
  • second year: Appearance of the king; creation of a statue for Seshat and Sed
  • third year: Escort of... (rest is missing)
  • fourth year: Appearance of the king of Upper Egypt; creation of... (rest is missing)
  • fifth year: Escort of... (rest is missing)
  • sixth year: Appearance of the king of Upper Egypt... (rest is missing)
  • seventh year: Escort of... (rest is missing)
  • eighth year: Appearance of the king of Lower- and Upper Egypt... (rest is missing)
  • year of death: The ...th month and ...th day. (damaged)

[7][13][14]

Egyptologists and historians pay special attention to the entry "Destruction of Egypt" in the second window of Semerkhet's year records. The inscription gives no further information about that event, but it has a resemblance to Manetho's report. The Eusebian version says: "His son, Semémpsês, who reigned for 18 years; in his reign a very great calamity befell Egypt." The Armenian version sounds similar: "Mempsis, 18 years. Under him many portents happened and a great pestilence occurred." None of the documents from after Semerkhet's reign provide any details about this "calamity".[2][7][13]

Tomb

Umm el-Qa'ab[15]

Semerkhet's burial site was

William Matthew Flinders Petrie at Abydos and is known as "Tomb U". While excavating, Petrie found no stairways as he did at the necropolis of Den and Adjib. He found a ramp, four metres wide and leading straight into the main chamber. The ramp starts approximately ten metres east outside the tomb and has a base slope of 12°. Inside the tomb the ramp shows irregular graduations. Petrie was also confused by the small number of clay seals. Only 17 seals were found. For archaeologists and Egyptologists, the complete arrangement of the burial site suggests that the builders were pressed for time. When Petrie freed the ramp from sand, he found that the complete ramp was thickly covered in aromatic oil, which still gave off a scent. Beside the ramp several wooden and hand-made baskets and earthen jars were found. These were dated to the Ramesside era. Scholars now think that Semerkhet's tomb was re-opened and restored when Ramesside priests and kings saw the tomb of king Djer as the ritual burial of Osiris's head. The findings inside the main chamber included precious objects such as inlays and fragments of furniture (especially pedestals), copper-made armatures, and jewelry made of ebony, amethyst, and turquoise. Some vessels originating from the Levant were also found. They once contained Bescha oil, which was of great value to the Egyptians. Outside the tomb, close to the entrance, a damaged tomb stela made of black granite displaying Semerkhet's serekh name was excavated.[5][11][16][17][18]

The burial chamber measures 29.2 × 20.8 metres and is of simple construction. Petrie found that the king's

Qaa, one of the last rulers of the First Dynasty. The tombs of Second Dynasty founder, Hotepsekhemwy, onward have no subsidiary tombs.[11][16][18]

  • Calcite dish, from Royal Tomb "U" , Semerkhet, at Abydos, Egypt, First Dynasty, The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
    Calcite dish, from Royal Tomb "U" , Semerkhet, at Abydos, Egypt, First Dynasty, The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
  • Pottery shard bearing Semerkhet's serekh, on display at the Musée du Louvre
    Pottery shard bearing Semerkhet's serekh, on display at the
    Musée du Louvre
  • Clay jar incised with Semerkhet's serekh, Musée du Louvre
    Clay jar incised with Semerkhet's serekh,
    Musée du Louvre
  • Fragment of a vessel of white marble bearing the serekh of Semerkhet, at the left of the serekh a per bja, meaning "brazen house" or "house of ore", is mentioned, Egyptian Museum, Cairo
    Fragment of a vessel of white marble bearing the serekh of Semerkhet, at the left of the serekh a per bja, meaning "brazen house" or "house of ore", is mentioned, Egyptian Museum, Cairo
  • Tomb stela of Semerkh
    Tomb stela of Semerkh

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-63-119396-8
    , p. 54
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-674-99385-3
    , page 33–37.
  3. ISBN 0-900416-48-3
    ; page 15 & Table I.
  4. ^
    ISBN 3-447-02677-4
    , page 124, 160 - 162 & 212 - 214.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-415-18633-1
    , page 78, 79 & 275.
  6. ^
    ISBN 3-447-04594-9
    , Seite 46.
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-7103-0667-9
    , page 76.
  8. ^ Pierre Lacau, J.-Ph. Lauer: La Pyramide a Degrees. Band 4: Inscriptions gravées sur les vases. Fasc. 1: Planches. Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Kairo 1959, Abb. 37.
  9. ^
    ISBN 0-521-07791-5
    , page 27–31.
  10. ISBN 0-415-05092-8
    , page 127.
  11. ^
    ISBN 0-415-18633-1
    , page 15–17 & 94–95.
  12. ISBN 90-429-1469-6
    , page 705–710.
  13. ^
    ISBN 3-406-48005-5
    , page 71–72.
  14. ISBN 0-8109-9096-2
    , page 202.
  15. ^ Dieter Arnold: Lexikon der ägyptischen Baukunst, Patmos Verlag, 2000, S. 11
  16. ^
    ISBN 0-19-280458-8
    , page 69.
  17. ^ G. Dreyer, A. Effland, U. Effland, E.M. Engel, H. Hartmann, R. Hartung, Lacher, Müller, Pokorny: Excavations in the Tomb of Semerkhet. In: Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Institut Kairo, vol. 62. von Zabern, Mainz 2006, page 95-97.
  18. ^ a b Günter Dreyer: Zur Rekonstruktion der Oberbauten der Königsgräber der 1. Dynastie in Abydos (Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts Kairo 47). von Zabern, Mainz 1991, page 56.

External links

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Preceded by Pharaoh of Egypt Succeeded by
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