Nebka

Nebka is the birth name of an ancient Egyptian King ( Pharaoh ), who ruled according to the Ramesside king lists in the 3rd dynasty. Since the name " Nebka " has been handed down from time immemorial only as a cartridge name, Egyptology attempts to date to equate the name with one of contemporary testified Horus name, which has led to some conflicting views.

Name evidence

The earliest evidence of the name " Nebka " is the Mastaba of high officials Achtiaa, whose term is dated to the end of the 3rd Dynasty. The next time the name is found in the famous papyrus document Westcar ( 13th Dynasty ), in which a king " Nebka " witnessed a miracle is. The next name evidence appear closed in the 19th Dynasty. The King List of Abydos and the Royal Canon of Turin mention a " Nebka " as the founder of the 3rd Dynasty by chronologically put his name to King Djoser. The list of kings of Saqqara Mastaba of senior officials from the Tjuneroy presented a modified form of " Nebka ", namely " Nebkarê ". However, the Sakkara list places the name to the end of the 3rd Dynasty, as a direct predecessor of King Sneferu.

Identity

Due to the conflicting names traditions has modern research difficulties, chronologically classify the name " Nebka " and to identify with contemporary occupied Horus name. So Toby Wilkinson, Stephan Seidl Mayer, Kenneth Anderson Kitchen and Rainer Stadlmann are convinced that Nebka is identical with King Sanacht. Background of the assumption is a Tonsiegelfragment on which the bottom part is a cartridge appear. In this cartridge Wilkinson, Seidlmayer and Stadelmann mean the remains of a Ka - symbol to see why they reconstruct the name to " Nebka ". Although Dietrich Wildungsmauer favors also equating Nebka with Sanacht, however, questioned the validity of the Tonsiegels, since this is too badly damaged and the inscription preserved a reading of a cartridge with the name " Nebka " not bear.

John D. Degreef, Nabil Swelim and Wolfgang Helck speak out against equating Nebka with Sanacht. They also refer to the question Tonsiegelfragment, and to the fact that the name " Nebka " appears on any monument and in any document from before Djoser. Nabil Swelim identified Nebka with the Horus name Chaba. Wolfgang Helck proposes to equate Sanacht with the Nisut - Biti name Weneg. However Weneg ruled during the 2nd dynasty, which is why Helck 's proposal so far met with disbelief.

Temporal classification

Wilkinson and Stadlmann refer to the Abydos list and the Turin Royal Canon, in both documents Nebka is presented as a predecessor of Djoser. Therefore, they are convinced that Nebka (aka Sanacht ) was the founder of the 3rd Dynasty.

Degreef, Helck, Kitchen, Wilkinson and Jochem Kahl, however, doubt this classification and perform excavations in the grave of King Khasekhemwy at Abydos as an argument to. Tonsiegelabdrücke the ruler mention his wife Nimaathapi, which in turn is recognized as the mother of only one king. In addition, in the grave seals were found with the name of " Horus Netjerichet ". This Horus name is today unanimously equated with King Djoser. Clay seals of Sanacht were not found so far. From this finding situation conclude Degreef, Wilkinson, Helck and Kitchen that Nimaathapi was the mother of Djoser and the latter must have been the direct successor of Khasekhemwy. In addition refers Kitchen ( which in turn Nebka well equates with Sanacht ) to the mastaba of Achtiaa whose dating suggesting that Nebka can not have reigned before Djoser. He also finds it striking that the Turin Royal Canon for the name " Nebka " and " Djoser " indicates the same government each period (19 years).

To make the Fund position comes the question added to the introduction of the royal cartouche. Helck, Kahl and Kitchen indicate that the inclusion of the royal cartouche as an integral part of their name in the royal Titulaturreihe only with King Huni, perhaps the last ruler of the 3rd Dynasty, is certainly detectable, so that the use of cartridges with the name " Nebka " time moves very close to the reign of Huni, which in turn corresponds to the data of the papyrus Westcar and the king list of Sakkara. Therefore conclude Kitchen, Kahl, Helck and Wilkinson that Nebka must have reigned between Djoser and Huni.