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Semerkhet
EntityQ151805· pop 45· linked from 490 articles

Semerkhet is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the First Dynasty. This ruler became known through a tragic legend handed down by the historian Manetho, who reported that a calamity of some sort occurred during Semerkhet's reign. The archaeological records seem to support the view that Semerkhet had a difficult time as king and some early archaeologists questioned the legitimacy of Semerkhet's succession to the Egyptian throne.

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Key facts

Pharaoh.name
Semerkhet
Pharaoh.alt_name
Semempses, Mempses
Pharaoh.image
PotterySherdWithNameOfSemerkhet-PetrieMuseum-August21-08.jpg
Pharaoh.caption
Pottery shard inscribed with Semerkhet's serekh, originally from his tomb, now in the Petrie Museum, UC 36756
Pharaoh.reign
8½ years, ca. 2920 BC
Pharaoh.dynasty
First Dynasty
Pharaoh.predecessor
Anedjib
Pharaoh.successor
Qa'a
Pharaoh.prenomen
Nisut-Bity-Nebty-Irynsw.t-bty-nb.ty-iryKing of Upper and Lower Egypt, he of the two ladies, he who belongs to themAlternative:He whom the two ladies guardM23:t-L2:t-G16-A21AAbydos King List Iry?/Semsu?iry?/smsw?Turin King ListSemsemsmsmHorus the Elder-G7
Pharaoh.horus
Hor-SemerkhetḤr-smr.ẖtCompanion of the divine communityAlternative:Companion of the gods
Pharaoh.father
Anedjib ? Den ?
Pharaoh.mother
Betrest
Pharaoh.burial
Tomb U, Umm el-Qa'ab
Pharaoh/Serekh.Horus
S29*U23-F32
Pharaoh/Serekh.prefix
G5

via Wikipedia infobox

~13 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Length of reign
  • Name sources
  • Identity
  • Reign
  • Usurper debate
  • Celebration of certain rituals
  • Year by year records
  • "Calamity"
  • Tomb
  • References
  • External links

Semerkhet is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the First Dynasty. This ruler became known through a tragic legend handed down by the historian Manetho, who reported that a calamity of some sort occurred during Semerkhet's reign. The archaeological records seem to support the view that Semerkhet had a difficult time as king and some early archaeologists questioned the legitimacy of Semerkhet's succession to the Egyptian throne.

==Length of reign== Manetho named Semerkhet Semêmpsés and credited him with a reign of 18 years, whilst the Royal Canon of Turin credited him with an implausibly long reign of 72 years. Egyptologists and historians now consider both statements as exaggerations and credit Semerkhet with a reign of 8½ years. This evaluation is based on the Cairo Stone inscription, where the complete reign of Semerkhet has been recorded. Additionally, they point to the archaeological records, which strengthen the view that Semerkhet had a relatively short reign.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Semerkhet” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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