| Djet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wadj, Zet, Uadji, Ouenephes, Vavenephis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 The famous stela of King Djet which once stood next to his tomb in theUmm el-Qa'ab,Louvre Museum. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 10 years,c.2980 BC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Djer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Merneith,Den | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Consort | Merneith,Ahaneith? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Den | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Djer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Herneith?,Nakhtneith? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Tomb Z,Umm el-Qa'ab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | First Dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Djet, also known asWadj,Zet, andUadji (inGreek possibly the pharaoh known asUenephes or possiblyAtothis;fl. c. 2980 BC), was the fourthpharaoh of theFirst Dynasty, successor ofDjer. Djet's Horus name means "Horus Cobra"[2] or "Serpent of Horus".
Djet's queen was his sisterMerneith, who may have ruled as a pharaoh in her own right after his death.[citation needed] There is a possibility that a woman known asAhaneith was also one of his wives. Djet and Merneith's son wasDen, and their grandson wasAnedjib.
How long Djet ruled is unknown. Only oneSeker festival is attested by ivory labels dating to his reign, whose duration is estimated to be anywhere between six and ten years. According toWolfgang Helck he reigned 10 years.[3] From a calendar entry,Djer is known to have died on 7Peret 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 thelacunas of thePalermo Stone. However, finds of vessel fragments and seal impressions prove that there were intense trading activities with Syria and Canaan at the time. Graves atTarkhan andSaqqara dating to his reign yielded pottery from Canaan.[4] Other activities can be inferred from 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."[5] The other year tablet mentions a victory, the production (birth) of a statue and perhaps the creation of a fortress.[6] Finally, inMarsa Alam in Nubia, the short inscription "Hemka" below "Djet" was discovered.[7]
Clay seals prove that the officialAmka 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.[8] Other senior officials under Djet were Sekhemkasedj and Setka.
Manetho mentions that in his reign a great famine seized Egypt. He also says that he erected pyramids near Kôchômê.[9]
._Abydos%2c_Umm_el-Qaab%2c_Tomb_Z._Petrie%2c_W.M.F._Royal_Tombs_(1900)._pl._XI.1%2c_XIII.3.jpg)
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 beingretainers 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 a falcon (Horus) and could be interpreted to mean "Horus the snake". Also found within the tomb was anivory 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.[10] The tombs were later renovated because of the association with the cult of Osiris.
Djet owes his fame to the survival, in well-preserved form, of one of his artistically refined tombsteles. It is carved in relief with Djet'sHorus name, and shows that the distinctEgyptian style had already become fully developed at that time. This stela was discovered in 1904 byÉmile Amélineau and is today on display at the Louvre museum. Another artistic landmark dated to Djet's reign is his ivory comb[11] now housed in theEgyptian Museum. It is the earliest surviving depiction of the heavens symbolised by the outspread wings of a falcon. The wings carry the bark ofSeker, below the celestial bark Djet's serekh is surrounded by twoWas scepters and oneAnkh-sign.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Preceded by | Pharaoh of Egypt c. 2980 BC | Succeeded by |
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