Third dynasty of Egypt
Encyclopedia
For the Sumerian Renaissance, see Third Dynasty of Ur
.
The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt
is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom
. Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include the Fourth
, Fifth
and Sixth
. The capital during the period of the Old Kingdom was at Memphis
.
which may have included civil war, Egypt came under the rule of Djoser
and this marks the beginning of the Third dynasty. Both the Turin King List and the Abydos King List record five kings, while the Saqqara Tablet only records four.
The archaeological evidence shows that Khasekhemwy
, the last ruler of the 2nd dynasty, was succeeded by Djoser, who is usually attested by his Horus
name Netjeriket. Djoser’s successor was Sekhemkhet
who had the nebty name Djeserty. The last king of the dynasty is Huni. There are three remaining Horus names of known 3rd dynasty kings: Sanakht, Kaba and Qahedjet. One of these three went by the nebty name Nebka.
Dating the 3rd dynasty is similarly challenging. Shaw gives the dates as being approximately from 2686 to 2613 BC. The Turin King List suggests a total of 75 years for the third dynasty. Baines and Malek have placed the third dynasty as spanning the years 2650 – 2575 BC, while Dodson and Hilton date the dynasty to 2584 – 2520 BC. It is not uncommon for these estimates to be off by more than a century.
s of Dynasty III ruled for approximately seventy-five years. The order of the kings is based on Wilkinson. The number of years as king, the regnal years, is based on Dodson and Hilton. They have the dynasty lasting only 64 years.
While Manetho
names Necherophes, and the Turin King List
names Nebka (a.k.a. Sanakhte), as the first pharaoh
of the Third Dynasty, many contemporary Egyptologists believe Djoser
was the first king of this dynasty, pointing out the order in which some predecessors of Khufu
are mentioned in the Papyrus Westcar suggests that Nebka should be placed between Djoser and Huni, and not before Djoser. More importantly, seals naming Djoser were found at the entrance to Khasekhemwy's tomb at Abydos, which demonstrates that it was Djoser, rather than Sanakhte, who buried and succeeded this king. The Turin King List scribe wrote Djoser's name in red ink, which indicates the Ancient Egyptians recognition of this king's historical importance in their culture. In any case, Djoser is the best known king of this dynasty, for commissioning his vizier
Imhotep
to build the earliest surviving pyramid
s, the Step Pyramid
.
Some authorities believe that Imhotep lived into the reign of the Pharaoh Huni. Little is known for certain of Sekhemkhet
. However, it is believed that Khaba
possibly built the Layer Pyramid
at Zawyet el'Aryan
.
Third Dynasty of Ur
The Third Dynasty of Ur, also known as the Neo-Sumerian Empire or the Ur III Empire refers simultaneously to a 21st to 20th century BC Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state that some historians regard as a nascent empire...
.
The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
. Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include the Fourth
Fourth dynasty of Egypt
The fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
, Fifth
Fifth dynasty of Egypt
The fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and VI under the group title the Old Kingdom. Dynasty V dates approximately from 2494 to 2345 BC.-Rulers:...
and Sixth
Sixth dynasty of Egypt
The sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and V under the group title the Old Kingdom.-Pharaohs:...
. The capital during the period of the Old Kingdom was at Memphis
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
.
Overview
After the turbulent last years of the 2nd dynastySecond dynasty of Egypt
The second dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasty I under the group title Early Dynastic Period. It dates approximately from 2890 to 2686 BC. The capital at that time was Thinis.-Rulers:...
which may have included civil war, Egypt came under the rule of Djoser
Djoser
Netjerikhet or Djoser is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt. He commissioned his official, Imhotep, to build the first of the pyramids, a step pyramid for him at Saqqara...
and this marks the beginning of the Third dynasty. Both the Turin King List and the Abydos King List record five kings, while the Saqqara Tablet only records four.
- The Turin King ListTurin King ListThe Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is a hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio at Turin...
gives: Nebka, Djoser, Djoserti, Hudjefa and HuniHuniHuni was the last Pharaoh of Egypt of the Third dynasty. He was the successor to Khaba.-Family:Huni was the father of Hetepheres I, the wife of Sneferu who was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty... - The Abydos King ListAbydos King ListThe Abydos King List, also called the Abydos Table is a list of the names of seventy-six kings and pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, found on the walls of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, Egypt. It consists of three rows of thirty-eight cartouches on each row...
gives: Nebka, Djoser, Teti, Sedjes, and Neferkare - The Saqqara TabletSaqqara TabletThe Saqqara Tablet in the Egyptian Museum contains one of several lists of Egyptian pharaohs surviving from the Ramesside Period. It was found in 1861 in the Saqqara tomb of Tjenry , an official of Ramesses II.The inscription lists 58 kings from Anedjib and Qa'a to Ramesses II...
gives: Djoser, Djoserteti, Nebkare and Huni
The archaeological evidence shows that Khasekhemwy
Khasekhemwy
Khasekhemwy was the fifth and final king of the Second dynasty of Egypt. Little is known of Khasekhemwy, other than that he led several significant military campaigns and built several monuments, still extant, mentioning war against the Northerners...
, the last ruler of the 2nd dynasty, was succeeded by Djoser, who is usually attested by his Horus
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
name Netjeriket. Djoser’s successor was Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet was a Pharaoh in Egypt during the Third dynasty. According to the Manethonian tradition, a king known as Tyris reigned for a relatively brief period of seven years, and modern scholars believe Djoserty and Sekhemkhet are the same person...
who had the nebty name Djeserty. The last king of the dynasty is Huni. There are three remaining Horus names of known 3rd dynasty kings: Sanakht, Kaba and Qahedjet. One of these three went by the nebty name Nebka.
Dating the 3rd dynasty is similarly challenging. Shaw gives the dates as being approximately from 2686 to 2613 BC. The Turin King List suggests a total of 75 years for the third dynasty. Baines and Malek have placed the third dynasty as spanning the years 2650 – 2575 BC, while Dodson and Hilton date the dynasty to 2584 – 2520 BC. It is not uncommon for these estimates to be off by more than a century.
Rulers
The pharaohPharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
s of Dynasty III ruled for approximately seventy-five years. The order of the kings is based on Wilkinson. The number of years as king, the regnal years, is based on Dodson and Hilton. They have the dynasty lasting only 64 years.
| Horus-name | Personal Name | Regnal years | Burial | Consort(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netjerikhet | Djoser Djoser Netjerikhet or Djoser is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt. He commissioned his official, Imhotep, to build the first of the pyramids, a step pyramid for him at Saqqara... |
19 | Saqqara Saqqara Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of... |
Hetephernebti Hetephernebti Hetephernebti was a queen of the third dynasty of ancient Egypt. She was the only known wife of Pharaoh Djoser.Hetephernebti and a King's Daughter Inetkaes were named on stelae found around Djoser's Sakkara pyramid complex and on a Heliopolis relief showing Djoser accompanied by the two of... |
| Sekhemkhet Sekhemkhet Sekhemkhet was a Pharaoh in Egypt during the Third dynasty. According to the Manethonian tradition, a king known as Tyris reigned for a relatively brief period of seven years, and modern scholars believe Djoserty and Sekhemkhet are the same person... |
Djoserty | 6 | Saqqara Saqqara Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of... : Buried Pyramid Buried Pyramid The ' is the common name for the funerary complex of pharaoh Sekhemkhet, and is a collection of monuments dating from the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt. It is located in the Saqqara necropolis, close to modern Memphis.... |
Djeseretnebti Djeseretnebti Djeseretnebti is possibly the name of an Ancient Egyptian queen. Since this name appears without any queen's title, Egyptologists dispute the true meaning and reading of this name.- Evidence :... |
| Khaba Khaba Khaba was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom and is generally considered to have reigned near the end of the Third Dynasty. He was successor to Sekhemkhet, and he was probably a son of Sekhemkhet... |
Teti | 6 | Zawyet el'Aryan Zawyet el'Aryan Zawyet el-Aryan is a town in Egypt, located between Giza and Abusir. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis, referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet el-Aryan, there are 2 pyramid complexes.* The Layer Pyramid was built in... : Layer Pyramid Layer Pyramid The Layer Pyramid is located in the necropolis of Zawyet el'Aryan. It is thought to be the tomb of Khaba, of the Third Dynasty, but this is based upon excavations in a tomb inside the pyramid complex, and is disputed.-References:* Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids – Their Archaeology and... |
|
| Sanakht | Nebka | 9 | Abydos Abydos, Egypt Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana... ? |
|
| Qahedjet | Huni Huni Huni was the last Pharaoh of Egypt of the Third dynasty. He was the successor to Khaba.-Family:Huni was the father of Hetepheres I, the wife of Sneferu who was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty... |
24 | Meidum Meidum Located about 100 km south of modern Cairo, Meidum or Maidum is the location of a large pyramid, and several large mud-brick mastabas.-Pyramid:... ? |
Djefatnebti Djefatnebti Djefatnebti was a royal lady in ancient Egypt. She lived at the end of the 3rd dynasty and may have been a wife of the last king of that dynasty, Huni.- Evidence :... Meresankh I Meresankh I Meresankh I was Ancient Egyptian king's wife and the mother of King Sneferu. She may have been a wife of King Huni, the last king of the 3rd dynasty.... |
While Manetho
Manetho
Manetho was an Egyptian historian and priest from Sebennytos who lived during the Ptolemaic era, approximately during the 3rd century BC. Manetho wrote the Aegyptiaca...
names Necherophes, and the Turin King List
Turin King List
The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is a hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio at Turin...
names Nebka (a.k.a. Sanakhte), as the first pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
of the Third Dynasty, many contemporary Egyptologists believe Djoser
Djoser
Netjerikhet or Djoser is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt. He commissioned his official, Imhotep, to build the first of the pyramids, a step pyramid for him at Saqqara...
was the first king of this dynasty, pointing out the order in which some predecessors of Khufu
Khufu
Khufu , also known as Cheops or, in Manetho, Suphis , was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom. He reigned from around 2589 to 2566 BC. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. He is generally accepted as being the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of...
are mentioned in the Papyrus Westcar suggests that Nebka should be placed between Djoser and Huni, and not before Djoser. More importantly, seals naming Djoser were found at the entrance to Khasekhemwy's tomb at Abydos, which demonstrates that it was Djoser, rather than Sanakhte, who buried and succeeded this king. The Turin King List scribe wrote Djoser's name in red ink, which indicates the Ancient Egyptians recognition of this king's historical importance in their culture. In any case, Djoser is the best known king of this dynasty, for commissioning his vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
Imhotep
Imhotep
Imhotep , fl. 27th century BC was an Egyptian polymath, who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis...
to build the earliest surviving pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
s, the Step Pyramid
Pyramid of Djoser
The Pyramid of Djoser , or step pyramid is an archeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the city of Memphis. It was built during the 27th century BC for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by Imhotep, his vizier...
.
Some authorities believe that Imhotep lived into the reign of the Pharaoh Huni. Little is known for certain of Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet was a Pharaoh in Egypt during the Third dynasty. According to the Manethonian tradition, a king known as Tyris reigned for a relatively brief period of seven years, and modern scholars believe Djoserty and Sekhemkhet are the same person...
. However, it is believed that Khaba
Khaba
Khaba was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom and is generally considered to have reigned near the end of the Third Dynasty. He was successor to Sekhemkhet, and he was probably a son of Sekhemkhet...
possibly built the Layer Pyramid
Layer Pyramid
The Layer Pyramid is located in the necropolis of Zawyet el'Aryan. It is thought to be the tomb of Khaba, of the Third Dynasty, but this is based upon excavations in a tomb inside the pyramid complex, and is disputed.-References:* Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids – Their Archaeology and...
at Zawyet el'Aryan
Zawyet el'Aryan
Zawyet el-Aryan is a town in Egypt, located between Giza and Abusir. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis, referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet el-Aryan, there are 2 pyramid complexes.* The Layer Pyramid was built in...
.