Famous Pharaohs

Anendjib (2949—2897)

Cartouche name of Merbiape

Anedjib was the fifth king during the first dynasty. He kept Memphis as his capitol city throughout his 14 years of rule. Anedjib's crown carried the symbols of both Upper and Lower Egypt, a representation of the unification of the country associate his power. Historians, however, doubt that Anedjib really controlled the northern, due to the fact that the northern Nomes rebelled against him always throughout his reign. His wife, Queen Betrest, was the mother of King Semerkhet, who was his successor. The queen provided Anedjib with legitimacy and power since she was a related from the Memphite royal line. Anedjib is a swayer that not so often is known about. He was also called Enezib and Merbiapen and governed from Memphis. According to Manetho (Af.) who called him Miebidos, his reign was 26 years. He may have come to power by marriage to queen Betrest of the Memphite royal family and in that case he was not son of pharaoh Den. A struggle between the Lower Egyptian classes and the south seems to have been temporary solved by Anedjib whose name is the first of all kings in the Sakkara list. Maybe he was the first king not to be directly related to the Thinis line of pharaohs. However the theory that he was an supplanter (or his successor was) and wasn't established by all his generation, has some means, because his memorials were deliberately violated by his immediate follower on the throne. His name in a serek has been deleted and the new king's put there instead in many stone vessels found at Sakkara.

Likewise there his name has only been found in two other places in Egypt: Abydos and Helwan, and out its borders possibly at En Besor in southern Palestine. At Sakkara a great mastaba, plausibly for his prime minister, revealed a new architectural building within when it was dug out in the 1950s. In contrast his own tomb in Abydos was a crude small construction and so were the rows of 64 satellite tombs. This high number tells that though is rule seems to have been a step backwards for the country as a whole (internal struggle?) the pharaoh's power over the commoners was unbroken.

King Anendjib's Burial place:

His tomb in abydos (tomb x), very small with burial chamber of wood. 64 alternative burials. Its Walls about 1.3 –1.6 meters. It was take one of the lowest Egyptian royal tombs.

Den (Udimu) (2963—2949)

Cartouche of Den

Den was created a chancelor place for Lower Egypt filled by hemaka, who has a tomb at saqqara first 'double crown' representation. Den was the fourth king during the first Dynasty. Because the king came to power in Egypt as an infant, Queen Merenith was established as his political advisor, which essentially meant that she ruled Egypt until he was capable of doing so himself. Den governed Egypt for about fifty years after Djet (Wadj) (2970—2963). He was an energetic and athletic person, and was artistic as well. He figures in the Ebers papyrus as well as the Berlin medical Papyrus. Den was militarily actibe in the Sinai, which was straight by his concern in protective the mineral resources of the peninsula. His mortuary complex was built in the ancient city of Abydos, but his body was buried at Saqqara. When king Den was old sufficient to take care of office from his mother, he became a great leader. He had a essential length of reign, credibly much longer then the twenty years he is given by Manetho. Many things remaining of him is found from all over Egypt, and he is by far the greatest documented of all kings from the first dynasty. His name was hardly pronounced "Den" the way he is usually called, and other names were Semti and Udimu. Zemti was spelled by a the hieroglyphic sign for "high desert" or "foreign land", probably to commemorate his deeds making campaigns against people at the north border as well as the desert mountains in the eastern Nile Valley. One of these efforts is depicted on a known ivory label, now in British Museum.

Ebony label (from Den's tomb)

Den had a comfortable time on the throne, and art , and economy seem to have expanded. Many innovations saw the daylight during his reign and he adopted the double crown to underline his dual kingship over the two countries. His tomb at the royal burial ground at Abydos was an ordinary square memorial, but had a new feature in form of a very long broad staircase leading directly to the grave chamber. This new architectural design was rapidly adopted in the secret tomb sector as well as the following pharaohs. He is said to have improved the administration, and on the Palermo Stone is recorded that he had a nose-count "of all people of the northern, west and east" taking place in the country, obviously to see how many subjects he was ruling, and could make pay taxes. About 30 great mastabas from his reign were developed by officials from Saqqara and up north to Abu Roash. This was far more than during the dominates of his predecessors who only had a few established during their time on the throne.

Djet (Wadj) (2970—2963)

Djet or Wadj, the third king of the 1st Egyptian Dynasty. His stela is exposed at the Louvre in Paris. It is made of limestone sliced by the sculptor Serekh. The stele was discovered almost the ancient city of Abydos where Wadj's mortuary complex is located. The only other place that Egyptologists found a quotation to him was in an inscription near the city of Edfu, to the south of Egypt. His wife was Queen Mereneith, who acted as mentor and advisor for his successor, King Den. King Djet have variants of his name alike Uadji and Zet, but Wadjet is probably the correct form. His Horus-name was written by a snake. Manetho gives a king called Kenkenes 31 years and one called Uenepes 23, and likely one of them is Djet, the latter one being the most future.

King Djet's Burial position:

His tomb in Abydos had a new feature - little rooms close the grave chamber within the building itself, a feature similar to mastabas. From the same site he has left a masterpiece of Egyptian art from all times - a magnificent over two metre high stone stele found outside the tomb, now in the Louvre in Paris. It was from the beginning erected at the spot marking the position where visitors cold give protection to the remembering of the dead pharaoh. The tomb itself had probably no visible part above ground in contrast to his rite area by the Nile, with its high walls. A year-label came to light, establishing the king's name and symbols doing Upper and Lower Egypt - the vulture and the red royal crown. Other memorials from Djet's reign are a couple of large mastabas at Tarkhan but most of all a fantastic large mastaba (nr 3504) from the capital's necropolis at Sakkara. It measures 20 by 50 metres and was located by English archaeologist Emery in 1953-56. It had over four hundred bulls' heads sculptured with good horns all placed in straight rows around the walls, and beside it stood of over 60 side burials for retainers. The grave chamber was plundered briefly after the burial by robbers tunneling in from the side and setting fire to the wooden roof and lining. A carefully restoration took position probably in the rule of king Qaa at the end of the dynasty, when new offer and goods were put in.

Anendjib (2949—2897)

Den (Udimu) (2963—2949)

Djet (Wadj) (2970—2963)

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