The Second Dynasty of ancient Egypt (or Dynasty II, – ) is the latter of the two dynasties of the Egyptian Archaic Period, when the seat of government was centred at Thinis. It is most known for its last ruler, Khasekhemwy, but is otherwise one of the most obscure periods in Egyptian history.
Though archaeological evidence of the time is very scant, contrasting data from the First and Third Dynasties indicates important institutional and economic developments during the Second Dynasty.
Writing
The Second Dynasty of Egypt sees the advent of the first known complete sentences in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Probably the first known such sentence is a seal impression from Peribsen's tomb, at the end of the Second Dynasty, dating to ca. 2660–2650 BC. The sentence relates to the unification of Egypt: “Sealing of everything of Ombos (i.e., Naqada): He of Ombos has joined the Two Lands for his son, the Dual King Peribsen.”
Conflicts
The base of a lime statue of king Khasekhemwy has depictions of killed enemies on its four sides, recording a military campaign against the 'northern rebels', referring to the inhabitants of the Nile Delta. On the front, the number of slain enemies is given as 47,209 dead, with a symbol generally considered as designating "Libyans". This scene seems to record the victory of King Khasekhemwy over a northern Egyptian population led by their ruler, Besh. The name Besh may be a variation or nomen of Peribsen, or more probably the name of a Libyan northern tribe near the Fayum. This iconography of the king crushing enemies at his feet would remain a central theme of royal iconography for the next three millennia.
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
!
! Years Reigned
! Burial
|-
| Hotepsekhemwy
| 70px
| 25–29
| Gallery Tomb A, Saqqara?
|-
| Nebra (also known as Kakau)
| 70px
| 10–14
| Gallery Tomb A, Saqqara?
|-
| Nynetjer
| 70px
| 40
| Gallery Tomb B, Saqqara
|}
But the identity of the next few rulers is unclear. Surviving sources might be giving the Horus name or the Nebty name and the birth names of these rulers. They may also be entirely different individuals, or could be legendary names. This might never be resolved.
It has been theorised that following the reign of Nynetjer, the country was split and ruled by two successors due to the overly complex state administration of the whole of Egypt.
The following list contains various king names from different sources:
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
!
! Years reigned<br/>(Manetho)
! Notes
! Burial
|-
| Weneg / Wadjenes
| 70px
| 17
| Listed as the fourth king of the dynasty on the Turin, Saqqara and Abydos king lists.<br/>Only attested in Lower Egypt.<br/>Weneg is generally accepted as a nebti (or throne) name and it is unknown what his horus name was.<br/>Wadjenes is believed to have been a Ramesside misinterpretation of the hieroglyphic sign for Weneg.<br/>Theorised to be the same person as Nebra, Sekhemib-Perenmaat or a completely separate king from the others of the Second dynasty.<br/>Known as Tlas in Manetho's Aegyptica. or Peribsen.<br/>Known as Sethenes in Manetho's Aegyptica.<br/>Known as Sesochris in Manetho's Aegyptica.
| Tomb P, Umm El Qa'ab
|-
| Sekhemib-Perenmaat
| 70px
| ?
| Attested by contemporary inscriptions, but not on later king lists.<br/>May be the same person as Seth-Peribsen or his immediate successor.
| Tomb P, Umm El Qa'ab (?)
|-
| Nubnefer
| 70px
| ?
| Birth name of a king, unknown placement.<br/>Name does not appear on any known official king lists.<br/>May be birth name of Nebra or a completely separate ephemeral king who ruled at some point following Nynetjer's reign.
|
|}
With the last ruler, the sources return to an agreement:
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
!
! Years Reigned
! Notes
! Burial
! Consort(s)
|-
| Khasekhemwy
| 70px
| 17–18
| Known as Kheneres in Manetho's Aegyptica.
| Tomb V, Umm El Qa'ab
| Nimaathap
|}
Manetho states Thinis was the capital, as in the First Dynasty, but the first three kings were buried at Saqqara, suggesting the center of power had moved to Memphis. Beyond this, little can be said about the events during this period as the annual records on the Palermo stone only survive to the end of the reign of Nebra and for parts of Nynetjer's. One important event, the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, might have occurred during the reign of Khasekhemwy as many Egyptologists read his name as "the Two Powers arise".
Comparison of regnal lists
thumb
The surviving Turin, Abydos and Saqqara king lists, all from the New Kingdom of Egypt, provide a list of kings of this dynasty, though the Abydos list omits Neferkara, Neferkasokar, and Hudjefa I.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! Historical Pharaoh
! Abydos King List
! Saqqara Tablet
! Turin King List
! Manetho