| Neferkasokar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neferkaseker, Sesochris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Relief of the cartouche of Neferkasokar on the Saqqara table | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 8 years, 3 months | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Neferkara I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Hudjefa I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dynasty | 2nd Dynasty; around 2740 B.C. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Neferkasokar (Ancient EgyptianNefer-Ka-Seker; which means “beautiful soul of Sokar” or “the soul of Sokar is perfect”) is thecartouche name of a king (pharaoh) who is said to have ruled during the2nd Dynasty ofAncient Egypt. Very little is known about him, since no contemporary records about him have been found. Rather his name has been found in later sources.[1]
Neferkasokar appears in theSaqqara king list from the tomb of the 19th dynasty high priestTjuneroy, where he is recorded as succeeding king Neferkare I and precedes king Hudjefa I in the ninth cartouche.[2]
He also appears in theRoyal Canon of Turin as the successor of a kingNeferkara I and as the predecessor of kingHudjefa I. His cartouche can be found in column III, line 1. The Turin papyrus records him having a reign of 8 years and 3 months.[3] However, some Egyptologists such asAlan H. Gardiner think it should instead read asAakasokar.[4]
Furthermore, Neferkasokar's name appears on asteatite cylinder seal of unknown provenance. The inscription bears the king's name twice within royal cartouches. The first cartouche shows the name of the godSokar on top, whilst the second cartouche places the syllableNeferka above the god's name. A guiding inscription saysMeri-netjeru, which means "beloved one of the gods". This titulary was common from the Middle Kingdom onwards, thus the cylinder seal is not likely to originate from the 2nd Dynasty. Most Egyptologists date the object to the13th Dynasty. Some Egyptologists also question the authenticity of the seal.[5]
Neferkasokar also plays an important role in a papyrus originating from theMiddle Kingdom. The text was translated around 237 BC into thedemotic language and is preserved in papyrusp. Wien D6319. The papyrus givesinstructions on how to build temples and how the temple priests should perform their tasks.
The papyrus also includes a story that royal scribes under the supervision of princeDjedefhor had discovered an old document in a forgotten chamber, which was sealed by king Neferkasokar. The discovered papyrus contained a report of afamine that affected Egypt for seven years and king Neferkasokar was instructed by a celestial oracle through a dream to restore all Egyptian temples. When the king finished his mission successfully, theNile started flowing normally again. As a result, Neferkasokar issues adecree which is rediscovered by prince Djedefhor.[6]
Egyptologist andlinguistJoachim Friedrich Quack later gave this treatise the name "Book of the Temple".[7]
Very little is known about Neferkasokar's reign. Egyptologists such asIorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards andWalter Bryan Emery think that Neferkasokar ruled only inLower Egypt, since his name appeared in the Sakkara king list, but is missing from the Abydos king list while the Sakkara king lists reflectMemphite traditions. Neferkasokar is also thought to have ruled in Lower Egypt around the same time that kings such asPeribsen andSekhemib-Perenmaat ruled in Upper Egypt. This assumption would be consistent with the view of a number of Egyptologists that at that time Egypt was divided into two parts. The theory of a divided realm since the end of kingNynetjer's reign is based on a study of the name of king Peribsen, whose name is connected to theOmbite deitySeth to show that he came from Ombos and ruled an area that included Ombos. Peribsen himself is contemporaneously documented in materials found in theThinite region, but was excluded from documentation associated with the Memphites. His case therefore corresponds to Neferkasokar's case, but for Lower Egypt. Neferkasokar's predecessors may have been kingSenedj and kingNeferkara I; his successor may have been kingHudjefa I.[8][9][10][11]
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