Abydos King List

The Abydos King List, also known as the Abydos Table or the Abydos Tablet, is a list of the names of 76 kings of ancient Egypt, found on a wall of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, Egypt. It consists of three rows of 38 cartouches (borders enclosing the name of a king) in each row. The upper two rows contain names of the kings, while the third row merely repeats Seti I's throne name and nomen.

The start of the king list, showing Seti I and his son Ramesses II on the way to making an offering to Ptah-Seker-Osiris, on behalf of their 75 ancestors: the contents of the king list. Ramesses is depicted as a prince holding censers.

Besides providing the order of the Old Kingdom kings, it is the sole source to date of the names of many of the kings of the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties, so the list is valued greatly for that reason.

This list omits the names of many earlier pharaohs. The bulk of these appear to have been left out because although they claimed royal titles and rule over all Egypt, their actual authority was limited to only part of the country. This category includes all the rulers of the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties, the early rulers of the Eleventh Dynasty (Mentuhotep I, Intef I, Intef II, and Intef III), all the rulers of the Thirteenth Dynasty, and all of the rulers of Second Intermediate Period (including the Hyksos Fifteenth Dynasty, who may also have been seen as illegitimate because they were not native Egyptian). The rulers of the chaotic Amarna Period (Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Neferneferuaten, Tutankhamun, and Ay), seem to have been removed for reasons of political propaganda or as a form of damnatio memoriae; their reigns were within living memory in Seti's day, and the repudiation of the Amarna Period had been state policy since the reign of Horemheb (who had chosen Seti's father Ramesses I to succeed him). Two pharaohs known to have been women, Sobekneferu and Hatshepsut, are also excluded, most likely due to their gender. Finally, Mentuhotep IV may have been excluded for political reasons (having possibly been overthrown by his vizer and successor Amenemhat I) or simply because his brief and poorly documented reign was unknown to Seti and his scribes.^[1]

Contents of the king list

Drawing of the cartouches in the Abydos King List.

First Dynasty

Cartouches 1 to 8	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 1 to 8 (Click to enlarge)	1	Meni. Same name in Turin King List. Probably identical to Narmer.	Menes
	2	Teti. Same name in Turin King List.	Hor-Aha
	3	Iti. Same name in Turin King List.	Djer
	4	Ita. Itui in Turin King List.	Djet
	5	Septi. Qenti in Turin King List.	Den
	6	Meribiap. Merbiapen in the Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Anedjib
	7	Semsu. Semsem in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List.	Semerkhet.
	8	Qebeh. Same name in Turin King List. Qebehu in Saqqara King List.	Qa'a.

Second Dynasty

Cartouches 9 to 14	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 9 to 14 (Click to enlarge)	9	Bedjau. Baunetjer in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Hotepsekhemwy
	10	Kakau. Same name in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Nebre
	11	Banetjer. Same name in Turin King List. Banetjeru in Saqqara King List.	Ninetjer
	12	Wadjnas. Wadjlas in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List.	Weneg
	13	Sendi. Senedj in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Senedj
	14	Djadjay. Bebti in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Khasekhemwy

Third Dynasty

Cartouches 15 to 19	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 15 to 19 (Click to enlarge)	15	Nebka. Same name in Turin King List. Nebkara in Saqqara King List.	Nebka
	16	Djeser-za. Djoser-it in Turin King List. Djoser in Saqqara King List.	Djoser
	17	Teti. Djoser-ti in Turin King List. Djoser-teti in Saqqara King List.	Sekhemkhet
	18	Sedjes. Hudjefa in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Khaba
	19	Neferkare. Huni in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Huni

Fourth Dynasty

Cartouches 20 to 25	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 20 to 25 (Click to enlarge)	20	Sneferu. Same name in Saqqara King List. Senefer in Turin King List.	Sneferu
	21	Khufu. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Khufu
	22	Djedefre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Djedefre
	23	Khafre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List	Khafre
	24	Menkaure. Name missing in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Menkaure
	25	Shepseskaf. Name missing in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Shepseskaf

Fifth Dynasty

Cartouches 26 to 33	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 26 to 33 (Click to enlarge)	26	Userkaf. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin king list.	Userkaf
	27	Sahure. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Sahure
	28	Kakai. Neferirkare in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferirkare Kakai
	29	Neferefre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferefre
	30	Nyuserre. Name missing in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List.	Nyuserre Ini
	31	Menkauhor. Same name in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Menkauhor Kaiu
	32	Djedkare. Djed in Turin King List. Maatkare in Saqqara King List.	Djedkare Isesi
	33	Unis. Same name in Turin King List and Saqqara King List.	Unas

Sixth Dynasty

Cartouches 34 to 39	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 34 to 39 (Click to enlarge)	34	Teti. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Teti
	35	Userkare. Name missing in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List.	Userkare
	36	Meryre. Pepi in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Pepi I Meryre
	37	Merenre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Merenre Nemtyemsaf I
	38	Neferkare. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Pepi II Neferkare
	39	Merenre Saemsaf. Name missing in Turin King List. Name absent in Saqqara King List.	Merenre Nemtyemsaf II

Seventh/Eighth Dynasty

Cartouches 40 to 47	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 40 to 47 (Click to enlarge)	40	Netjerikare. Neitiqerty in Turin King List.	Netjerkare Siptah
	41	Menkare. Name missing in Turin King List.	Menkare
	42	Neferkare. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkare II
	43	Neferkare Neby. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkare Neby
	44	Djedkare Shemai. Name missing in Turin King List.	Djedkare Shemai
	45	Neferkare Khendu. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkare Khendu
	46	Merenhor. Name missing in Turin King List.	Merenhor
	47	Sneferka. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkamin

Cartouches 48 to 56	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 48 to 56 (Click to enlarge)	48	Nikare. Name missing in Turin King List.	Nikare
	49	Neferkare Tereru. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkare Tereru
	50	Neferkahor. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkahor
	51	Neferkare Pepiseneb. Neferka-khered in Turin King List.	Neferkare Pepiseneb
	52	Sneferka Anu. Nefer in Turin King List.	Neferkamin Anu
	53	Kaukare. Ibi in Turin King List.	Qakare Ibi
	54	Neferkaure. Neferkare in Turin King List.	Neferkaure II
	55	Neferkauhor. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferkauhor
	56	Neferirkare. Name missing in Turin King List.	Neferirkare

Eleventh/Twelfth Dynasty

Cartouches 57 to 61	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 57 to 61 (Click to enlarge)	57	Nebhepetre. Same name in Turin King List and in Saqqara King List.	Mentuhotep II
	58	Sankhkare. Seankhkare in Turin King List and in Saqqara King List.	Mentuhotep III
	59	Sehetepibre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List.	Amenemhat I
	60	Kheperkare. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name damaged in Turin King List.	Senusret I
	61	Nubkaure. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Amenemhat II

Cartouches 62 to 65	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 62 to 65 (Click to enlarge)	62	Khakheperre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Senusret II
	63	Khakaure. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Senusret III
	64	Nimaatre. Same name in Saqqara King List. Name missing in Turin King List.	Amenemhat III
	65	Maakherure. Same name in Turin King List and in Saqqara King List.	Amenemhat IV

Eighteenth Dynasty

Cartouches 66 to 74	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 66 to 74 (Click to enlarge)	66	Nebpehtire. Same name in Saqqara King List.	Ahmose I
	67	Djeserkare. Same name in Saqqara King List.	Amenhotep I
	68	Aakheperkare. Name missing in Saqqara King List.	Thutmose I
	69	Aakheperenre. Name missing in Saqqara King List.	Thutmose II
	70	Menkheperre. Name missing in Saqqara King List.	Thutmose III
	71	Aakheperure. Name missing in Saqqara King List.	Amenhotep II
	72	Menkheperure. Name missing in Saqqara King List.	Thutmose IV
	73	Nebmaatre. Name missing in Saqqara King List.	Amenhotep III
	74	Djeserkheperure Setepenre. Same name in Saqqara King List.	Horemheb

Nineteenth Dynasty

Cartouches 75 and 76	n°	Name written in the list	Common name
Cartouches 75 and 76 (Click to enlarge)	75	Menpehtire. Same name in Saqqara King List.	Ramesses I
	76	Menmaatre. Same name in Saqqara King List.	Seti I

See also

• Abydos King List (Ramesses II)
• Manetho King List
• Karnak King List
• Palermo Stone
• Saqqara Tablet
• Turin King List
• Medinet Habu king list