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34-492: Djet's queen was his sister Merneith , who may have ruled as a pharaoh in her own right after his death. There is a possibility that a woman known as Ahaneith was also one of his wives. Djet and Merneith's son was Den , and their grandson was Anedjib . How long Djet ruled is unknown. Only one Seker festival is attested by ivory labels dating to his reign, whose duration is estimated to be anywhere between six and ten years. According to Wolfgang Helck he reigned 10 years. From

68-629: A regent of Ancient Egypt during the First Dynasty . She may have been a ruler of Egypt in her own right , based on several official records. If this was the case and the earlier royal wife Neithhotep never ruled as an independent regent, Merneith may have been the first female pharaoh and the earliest queen regnant in recorded history . Her rule occurred around 2950 BC for an undetermined period. Merneith’s name means "Beloved by Neith " and her stele contains symbols of that ancient Egyptian deity . She may have been Djer 's daughter and

102-530: A "real" ruler such as Hor-Aha, Djer or Wadj. It would rather fit someone who ruled as a substitute for the original pharaoh. And this, in turn, is now proven for Queen Neithhotep. Thus, the entry on the Palermo Stone may indeed be a reference to the interregnum of Queen Neithhotep. This would also explain why no contemporary artifact from the 1st Dynasty mentions the royal name Teti , but the others ( Itetj and Ita ). Equating Queen Neithhotep with Teti I

136-559: A calendar entry, Djer is known to have died on 7 Peret III while Djet began his reign on 22 Peret IV. The reason for the 45 days of interregnum is unknown. Details of Djet's reign are lost in the lacunas of the Palermo Stone . However, finds of vessel fragments and seal impressions prove that there were intense trading activities with Syria and Canaan at the time. Graves at Tarkhan and Saqqara dating to his reign yielded pottery from Canaan. Other activities can be inferred from

170-481: A falcon (Horus) and could be interpreted to mean "Horus the snake". Also found within the tomb was an ivory comb with the name of Djet on it, along with a picture of the stele. Copper tools and pottery were also found in the tomb, a common find in Egyptian tombs. There is evidence that Djet's tomb was intentionally burned, along with other tombs at Abydos from this time period. The tombs were later renovated because of

204-518: A great famine seized Egypt. He also says that he erected pyramids near Kôchômê. Djet's tomb is located at Abydos in Petrie's Tomb Z. It is located west of his father, King Djer's tomb. Surrounding Djet's tomb are 174 subsidiary burials most of them being retainers that were sacrificed upon Djet's death to serve him in the afterlife. Found within Djet's tomb was a stele. This stele was a snake surmounted by

238-461: A king Teti listed in the Ramesside king lists and indirectly mentioned on the famous Palermo Stone . The Palermo Stone provides an interregnum between king Aha and Djer by mentioning a "double date of death" in column I of the event years. The discrepancy between the date of death for Hor-Aha and the second death note spans around 1 year, 1 month and 15 days. Such a time span seems too short for

272-471: A kneeling foe. Neithhotep's name appears at the left side diagonally above the serekh. After the discovery of her mastaba, Neithhotep was thought to be a male ruler: her outstandingly large tomb and the royal serekh bearing her name on several seal impressions led Egyptologists and historians to the erroneous belief that she might have been a yet unknown king. However, as the understanding of early Egyptian writings developed, scholars learned that Neithhotep

306-498: A previously unknown pharaoh. The tomb was excavated and was shown to contain a large underground chamber, lined with mud bricks, which was surrounded by rows of small satellite burials, with at least 40 subsidiary graves for servants. The servants were thought to assist the ruler in the afterlife. The burial of servants with a ruler was a consistent practice in the tombs of the early first dynasty pharaohs. Large numbers of sacrificial assets were buried in her tomb complex as well, which

340-440: Is another honor afforded to pharaohs that provided the ruler with powerful animals for eternal life. This first dynasty burial complex was very important in the Egyptian religious tradition and its importance grew as the culture endured. Inside her tomb archaeologists discovered a funerary boat that would allow her to travel with the sun deity in the afterlife. Abydos was the site of many ancient temples, including Umm el-Qa'ab,

374-416: Is connected to Neith , the goddess of war and hunting. This followed a tradition notably practiced during the first dynasty: many queens (such as Merneith /Meritneith, another possible female pharaoh and descendant of Neithhotep) and princesses (such as Aha-Neith, Her-Neith, Nakht-Neith and Qa'-Neith ) also had names referencing the deity. As a queen, Neithhotep bore several elite and pious titles: It

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408-475: Is his ivory comb now housed in the Egyptian Museum . It is the earliest surviving depiction of the heavens symbolised by the outspread wings of a falcon. The wings carry the bark of Seker , below the celestial bark Djet's serekh is surrounded by two Was scepters and one Ankh -sign. Merneith Merneith (also written Merit -neith and Meryt-Neith ; died c. 2950 BC) was a consort and

442-516: Is not commonly accepted. Egyptologists such as Werner Kaiser and Walter B. Emery point to several clay seal fragments with the Horus names of all kings from Narmer to Den. Such seals were discovered in Den's and Queen Meritneith's tombs and they all consequently begin their list with Narmer, who was the husband of Neithhotep. Kaiser and Emery see this as evidence that it was Narmer, not Hor-Aha, who started

476-515: Is of extraordinary size and it has its own cultic enclosure. Such a case is otherwise known only from queen Meritneith. Thirdly are the Wadi Ameyra inscriptions themselves: these reveal that Neithhotep arranged and ordered an expedition through the Wadi in attempt to mine ore and harvest feedstocks. But such an act commonly required royal powers that a mere queen consort didn't have – not unless she

510-501: Is possible that Neithhotep bore more royal titles, but these haven't yet been discovered. At the time Neithhotep ruled, many royal titles for kings and queens had not yet been introduced. At this early state of hieroglyphic development, the early Egyptians may not have known how to express certain titles. Alternatively, the belief in the dynastic roles of queens was different from what it was in Meritneith's time. Neithhotep's name

544-460: Is possible that they show Merneith together with her son king Den. Merneith is believed to have become ruler upon the death of Djet . The title she held, however, is debated. It is possible that her son Den was too young to rule when Djet died, so she may have ruled as regent until Den was old enough to be the king in his own right. Before her, Neithhotep is believed to have ruled in the same way after her husband King Narmer died, as Narmer's son

578-558: Is the base of a stepped structure, a juxtaposition of two different methods of building. It is perhaps indicative of the fusion of northern and southern styles that was to lead, ultimately, to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, or influenced the design of the Third Dynasty structure. Neithhotep Neithhotep or Neith-hotep ( fl.   c. 3050 BC ) was an ancient Egyptian queen consort who lived and ruled during

612-517: The First Dynasty. In addition, Kaiser points to seal fragments which mention the name Menj beside the serekh of Narmer. Thus, it is at least likewise possible that Narmer is identical to king Menes . This, in turn, would mean that the cartouche name "Teti" belongs to Hor-Aha, not to Queen Neithhotep. Neithhotep's tomb was discovered in 1897 by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan at the site of Naqada , who spent just 15 days excavating

646-497: The association with the cult of Osiris. Djet owes his fame to the survival, in well-preserved form, of one of his artistically refined tomb steles . It is carved in relief with Djet's Horus name , and shows that the distinct Egyptian style had already become fully developed at that time. This stela was discovered in 1904 by Émile Amélineau and is today on display at the Louvre museum. Another artistic landmark dated to Djet's reign

680-628: The creation of a fortress. Finally, in Marsa Alam in Nubia, the short inscription "Hemka" below "Djet" was discovered. Clay seals prove that the official Amka begun his career under King Djer, as manager of the "Hor-sekhenti-dju" estate. Under Djet, Amka became royal steward. In the early years of the king's successor Amka died after he was appointed to regional responsibilities in the western Nile Delta. Other senior officials under Djet were Sekhemkasedj and Setka. Manetho mentions that in his reign

714-427: The early First Dynasty . She was once thought to be a male ruler: her outstandingly large mastaba and the royal serekh surrounding her name on several seal impressions previously led Egyptologists and historians to the erroneous belief that she might have been an unknown king. As the understanding of early Egyptian writings developed, scholars learned that Neithhotep was in fact a woman of extraordinary rank. She

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748-409: The mother of Den, it is likely that Merneith was the wife of Djet. No information about the identity of her mother has been found. A clay seal found in the tomb of her son, Den, was engraved with "King's Mother, Merneith". It also is known that Den’s father was Djet, making it likely that Merneith was Djet’s royal wife. From Abydos comes a small ivory fragment with the remains of two figures. It

782-525: The name Hetepjw . A new discovery site of Neithhotep's name lies in the Wadi Ameyra at the Sinai Peninsula . At the site, several rock carvings date to the kings Iry-Hor , Narmer , Djer and Nebra . King Djer's inscription depicts at its left a procession of royal festive boats, at the right a royal serekh with Djer's name inside. The Horus-falcon atop the serekh holds a war mace, clubbing

816-411: The only two known years tablets of the ruler, one of which is preserved in two copies. The reading of the events described on the tablets is highly problematic. Helck translated: "Year of the planning of the underground/basement (?) of the dual plant, birth of lotus buds, standing in the crown shrine of the two Ladies." The other year tablet mentions a victory, the production (birth) of a statue and perhaps

850-414: The reign of Merneith. A few other pieces of evidence exist elsewhere about Merneith: At Abydos , the tomb belonging to Merneith was found in an area associated with other pharaohs of the first dynasty, Umm el-Qa'ab . Two stelae made of stone, identifying the tomb as hers, were found at the site. In 1900, Flinders Petrie discovered Merneith’s tomb and, because of its nature, believed it belonged to

884-449: The royal necropolis, where early pharaohs were entombed. These tombs began to be seen as extremely significant burials and in later times it became desirable to be buried in the area, leading to the growth of the town's importance as a cult site. At Saqqara , Merneith's tomb exhibits features that possibly preview the builders of the Third Dynasty. Concealed within the normal rectangular palace façade mastaba of Merneith's tomb at Saqqara

918-532: The structure. The tomb was investigated again by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in 1898. John Garstang re-excavated the tomb in 1904 and uncovered hundreds of objects left behind by the previous excavations, around two hundred of which are now housed in the Garstang Museum at the University of Liverpool . The superstructure consisted of a huge mastaba made of hardened mudbricks, of which

952-476: Was buried close to Djet and Den. Her tomb is of the same scale as the tombs of the kings of that period. Two grave stelae bearing her name were discovered near her tomb. Merneith's name is not included in the king lists from the New Kingdom . A seal containing a list of pharaohs of the first dynasty was found in the tomb of Qa'a , the third known pharaoh after Den , her son. However, this list does not mention

986-404: Was found at Helwan , Abydos and Naqada . It appears on clay seal impressions, on ivory tags, and as inscriptions on stone bowls. Most of the objects were found in her burial complex and in the tombs of Aha and Djer. On several clay seals, Neithhotep's name was written inside a double serekh, and between the merged serekhs perches the divine standard of Neith. One unusual seal impression gives

1020-422: Was in fact a female noble of extraordinary rank. Along with this realization, scholars viewed her now as the wife of king Narmer and mother of Hor-Aha . This view was promoted by clay seal impressions found in her tomb showing the serekhs of Narmer and Aha. Neithhotep's name appears on several clay seal impressions inside a serekh – a fashion that was commonly reserved for male rulers only. Secondly, her tomb

1054-631: Was in fact an independent, fully authorized ruler. The case of queen Neithhotep shows astonishing similarities to that of queen Meritneith, who had held the royal office for her still minor son, king Hor Den . This realization lead Egyptologists now to the theory that Queen Neithhotep may have also held the royal office for an infant child king as some kind of substitute king. Such an act is now known to have been fairly common in early Egyptian times. Royal dynasties were founded in early times by royal mothers, not by inheritance from father to son. Some scholars even believe that Neithhotep may be identical to

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1088-403: Was probably Djet 's senior royal wife. The former meant that she would have been the great-granddaughter of unified Egypt's first pharaoh, Narmer . She was also the mother of Den , her successor. Merneith is linked with the kings Djer , Djet , and Den in a variety of seal impressions and inscribed bowls. Merneith may have been the daughter of Djer, but there is no conclusive evidence. As

1122-455: Was subsequently considered to be the wife of unified Egypt's first pharaoh, Narmer , and the mother of Hor-Aha . More recent discoveries suggest that Neithhotep might have instead been a spouse of Hor-Aha, and the mother and co-regent of successive ruler Djer . Archeological evidence also indicates that she may have ruled as pharaoh in her own right, and as such would have been the earliest known female monarch in history. Neithhotep's name

1156-514: Was too young to rule. Her name was written on a Naqada seal inside a serekh, which was the way the kings' names were written. This would mean Merneith may have actually been the second female in Egypt's first dynasty to have ruled as pharaoh. The strongest evidence that Merneith was a ruler of Egypt is her tomb. This tomb in Abydos (Tomb Y) is unique among the otherwise exclusively male tombs. Merneith

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