TheSaqqara Tablet, also known as theSaqqara King List or theSaqqara Table, now in theEgyptian Museum, is an ancient stone engraving surviving from theRamesside Period of Egypt which features a list ofpharaohs. It was found in 1861 inSaqqara, in the tomb ofTjuneroy (or Tjenry), an official ("chief lector priest" and "Overseer of Works on All Royal Monuments") of the pharaohRamesses II.[1]
The inscription lists fifty-eight kings, fromAnedjib (First Dynasty) to Ramesses II (Nineteenth Dynasty), in reverse chronological order. The names (each surrounded by a border known as acartouche), of which only forty-seven survive, are badly damaged. As with other Egyptian king lists, the Saqqara Tablet omits certain kings and entire dynasties. The list counts backward from Ramesses II to the mid-point of the First Dynasty, except for theEleventh andTwelfth Dynasties, which are reversed. A well known photograph of the king list was published in 1865.[2] Detailed and high resolution images are able to be viewed online and inside the bookInside the Egyptian Museum with Zahi Hawass[3]
Like with other Ramesside lists, the Saqqara Tablet omits the names of "rulers from theSecond Intermediate Period, theHyksos, and those rulers... who had been close to the hereticAkhenaten".[4] Despite being nearly a slimmed down copy of theAbydos King List, the Saqqara Tablet has some notable changes. For example,Neferirkare Kakai is listed under hisprenomenNeferirkare like with every other pharaoh in the list, despite being listed under hisnomenKakai in the Abydos King List. Also,Neferkare,Neferkasokar,Hudjefa,Huni andSobekneferu are listed in the Saqqara Tablet, despite being absent in the Abydos King List. Likewise,Nyuserre Ini andUserkare are absent for some unknown reason, despite being present in the Abydos King List. In addition, the early rulers of theFirst Dynasty (Menes/Narmer,Hor-Aha,Djer,Djet,Den, andSemerkhet) are all excluded from the Saqqara Tablet for some unknown reason, despite being present in the Abydos King List. The Saqqara Tablet additionally omits all kings who reigned betweenPepi II andMentuhotep II.
The names are listed in reverse chronological order from the upper right to the bottom left, as they were meant to be read.
| Upper row | Bottom row | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Pharaoh | Name written in the list | No. | Pharaoh | Name written in the list |
| 1 | Ramesses II | Usermaatre setepenre | 30 | Neferefre | Khaneferre |
| 2 | Seti I | Menmaatre | 31 | Shepseskare | Shepseskare |
| 3 | Ramesses I | Menpehtire | 32 | Neferirkare Kakai | Neferirkare |
| 4 | Horemheb | Djeserkheperure setepenre | 33 | Sahure | Sahure |
| 5 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed | 34 | Userkaf | Userkaf |
| 6 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed | 35 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed |
| 7 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed | 36 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed |
| 8 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed | 37 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed |
| 9 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed | 38 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed |
| 10 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed | 39 | Name destroyed | Name destroyed |
| 11 | Amenhotep I | Djeserkare | 40 | Khafre | Khafre |
| 12 | Ahmose I | Nebpehtire | 41 | Djedefre | Djedefre |
| 13 | Mentuhotep II | Nebhepetre | 42 | Khufu | Khufu |
| 14 | Mentuhotep III | Seankhkare | 43 | Sneferu | Sneferu |
| 15 | Amenemhat I | Sehetepibre | 44 | Huni | Huni |
| 16 | Senusret I | Kheperkare | 45 | Nebka | Nebkare |
| 17 | Amenemhat II | Nubkaure | 46 | Sekhemkhet | Djoser-teti |
| 18 | Senusret II | Khakheperre | 47 | Djoser | Djoser |
| 19 | Senusret III | Khakhaure | 48 | Khasekhemwy | Bebti |
| 20 | Amenemhat III | Nimaatre | 49 | Hudjefa | "Name missing" |
| 21 | Amenemhat IV | Maakherure | 50 | Sekhemib-Perenmaat? | Neferkasokar |
| 22 | Sobekneferu | Kasobekre | 51 | Sneferka? | Neferkare |
| 23 | Pepi II Neferkare | Neferkare | 52 | Seth-Peribsen? | Senedj |
| 24 | Merenre Nemtyemsaf I | Merenre | 53 | Wadjenes | Wadjlas |
| 25 | Pepi I Meryre | Pepi | 54 | Nynetjer | Banetjeru |
| 26 | Teti | Teti | 55 | Raneb | Kakau |
| 27 | Unas | Unis | 56 | Hotepsekhemwy | Baunetjer |
| 28 | Djedkare | Maatkare | 57 | Qa'a | Qebehu |
| 29 | Menkauhor | Menkauhor | 58 | Anedjib | Merbapen |
As names 5-10 and 35-39 are missing or badly damaged, the following names are suggested to have once been listed here.Jürgen von Beckerath proposes kingNyuserre as the holder of cartouche #35; he thinks it is possible that Nyuserre was simply misplaced to the beginning of the 5th Dynasty. The Saqqara king list would therefore give the following succession: Khafre → Bikheris → Menkaure → Shepseskaf → Thamphthis → Nyuserrê → Userkaf.[5] However, in recent years, it's been thought that the holder of cartouche #35 should actually beQueen Khentkaus; which would make the Saqqara king list succession be: Khafre → Bikheris → Menkaure → Shepseskaf → Thamphthis → Khentkaus → Userkaf.[6][7] Note that this reconstruction is based on other kings lists and circumstantial evidence.
| Upper row | Bottom row | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Pharaoh | Name likely written in the list | No. | Pharaoh | Name likely written in the list |
| 5 | Amenhotep III | Nebmaatre | 34 | Userkaf | Userkaf |
| 6 | Thutmose IV | Menkheperure | 35 | EitherKhentkaus I orNyuserre Ini | Khentkaus?, Nyuserre? |
| 7 | Amenhotep II | Aakheperure | 36 | Thamphthis? | Djedefptah/Djedefkaf/Djedefhor? |
| 8 | Thutmose III | Menkheperre | 37 | Shepseskaf | Shepseskaf |
| 9 | Thutmose II | Aakheperenre | 38 | Menkaure | Menkaure |
| 10 | Thutmose I | Aakheperkare | 39 | Bicheris? | Bakare/Baufre? |
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