Sanakht
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| Sanakht | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebka | |||
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |||
| Reign | ca. 2686–2667 BC, 3rd Dynasty | ||
| Predecessor | Khasekhemwy | ||
| Successor | Djoser | ||
Sanakht, generally identified with the Nebka of much later king lists, was probably either the first or second pharaoh of the Third Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. The dates assigned to his reign by Shaw are ca. 2686-2667 BC; for various conjectures of other scholars, see the Ancient Egypt History and Chronology.
Sanakht's name means strong protection. He may have gained his position by marriage to a daughter of Khasekhemwy, his predecessor as pharaoh — the kingship even at this early period possibly being passed down through the female line in what is referred to as matrilineality.
While Sanakht's existence is attested by a mastaba tomb and a graffito, among other objects, his position as the founder of the Third dynasty, as recorded by Manetho and the Turin Canon, has been seriously undermined by recent archaeological discoveries at Abydos.
These discoveries establish that it was likely Djoser who helped bury--and thus succeed-- Khasekhemwy, rather than Sanakht. This is determined from seals found at the entrance to the latter's tomb bearing Djoser's name. (see Toby Wilkinson in Early Dynastic Egypt, (1999), p.83 & 95).
It appears instead, that Sanakht, or Nebka, was a later king of the third dynasty. Unlike Djoser, few relics survive from Sanakht's reign, which also casts serious doubts on the traditional figure of an eighteen year reign for this king, as given by both Manetho and the Turin Canon.
It must be stressed that the Turin Canon and Manetho were more than one and two thousand years removed from the time of Egypt's third dynasty, and would be expected to contain some inaccurate or unreliable data. The Turin Canon, for instance, was transcribed on papyri that dates to the reign of the New Kingdom king, Ramesses II, who ruled Egypt from 1279-1213 BC.
A large mastaba near Abydos contained some fragments bearing the name of Sanakht. It also contained skeletal remains, which may have been those of this king. Manetho also credits a certain late 2nd dynasty king he calls Sesochris as being particularly tall, which may refer to these remains.
