Wikipedia

Djer

Djer
Zher, Sekhty
Cylinder seal impression depicting Djer wearing the Hedjet and Deshret crowns
Cylinder seal impression depicting Djer before canine standards wearing the Hedjet and Deshret crowns and holding the flail
Pharaoh
Reignc. 40 years, c. 3000 BC
PredecessorHor-Aha or Menes
SuccessorDjet
Royal titulary
Horus name
Djer
ḏr
Defender (of Horus)
G5

M37
Golden Horus
Cairo stone (5th dynasty)
Nynebu
nj-nbw
He who belongs to the Golden One
G8
n
nbw
Praenomen
Nisut-Bity-Itetj
nsw.t-bjtj-Jttj
King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler has come
M23
t		 L2
t		 M17U33X1
Z4

Cairo stone (5th dynasty)
Itetj
Jttj
The ruler has come
<
M17U33X1
Z4
>

Abydos King List
Itetj
Jttj
The ruler has come
<
M17X1U33
>

Turin King List
It...
Jtj...
...damaged...
<
M17X1HASH
>G7
ConsortNakhtneith, Herneith, Penebui
ChildrenMerneith, Djet ?
FatherHor-Aha
MotherKhenthap ?, Neithhotep ?
BurialTomb O, Umm el-Qa'ab
DynastyFirst Dynasty

Djer (also Zer or Sekhty; fl. c. 3000 BC)[1] is considered the third pharaoh of the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt in current Egyptology. He lived around the mid 31st century BC[2] and reigned for about 40 years. A mummified forearm of Djer or his wife was discovered by Egyptologist Flinders Petrie,[3] but was discarded by Émile Brugsch.[4]

Name

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Iti, cartouche name of Djer in the Abydos King List.

Jürgen von Beckerath translates the hieroglyphs of "Djer" as "Defender of Horus."[5] The King lists of the New Kingdom (13th century BC) record the third pharaoh as ꞽttꞽ, which is sometimes also translated as Iteti.[6] The earliest names given in these lists are almost certainly later tradition, as throne names, the one used in official annals, are only attested from the reign of Den, the fifth pharaoh. In fact, it's possible that ꞽttꞽ is the result of a later scribe mistaking one of Djer's honorific (recorded in the Palermo Stone) as an actual name.[7]

In the Aegyptiaca of the Egyptian priest Manetho (3rd century BC), the third pharaoh is recorded as Kenkenês (Κενκενης). I. E. S. Edwards theorized that this name actually refers to an alternate spelling of Den's throne name, which in turn led to other corruptions in the king list.[8]

Length of reign

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According to the Roman historian Julius Africanus, Manetho wrote that the third pharaoh ruled 31 years.[9] Modern reconstructions of the near-contemporary (and therefore, more accurate) Palermo Stone ascribes Djer a reign of at least 40 years. According to Toby Wilkinson, the annals record "41 complete or partial years." Wilkinson also notes that years 1–10 of Djer's reign are preserved in register II of the Palermo Stone, while the middle years of this pharaoh's reign are recorded in register II of Cairo stone fragment C1.[10] However, this is not the only proposed reconstruction. Erik Hornung argues that the Palermo Stone records 47 years for Djer,[11] while Wolfgang Helck proposes 57 years.[12]

Reign

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Djer's queen's bracelet is the only surviving royal jewellry of the early dynasty period of Egypt. It bears his royal serekh or name.

Djer's reign was preceded by a regency controlled by Neithhotep, possibly his mother or grandmother.

The evidence for Djer's life and reign is:[13]

  • Tomb in Umm el-Qa'ab, Abydos
  • Seal prints from graves 2185 and 3471 in Saqqara
  • Inscriptions in graves 3503, 3506 and 3035 in Saqqara
  • Seal impression and inscriptions from Helwan[14]
  • Jar from Turah with the name of Djer[15]
  • UC 16182 ivory tablet from Abydos,[16] subsidiary tomb 612 of the enclosure of Djer[17]
  • UC 16172 copper adze with the name of Djer[18]
  • Inscription of his name (of questioned authenticity, however) at Wadi Halfa, Sudan

The inscriptions, on ivory and wood, are in a very early form of hieroglyphs, hindering complete translation, but a label at Saqqarah may depict the First Dynasty practice of human sacrifice.[19] An ivory tablet from Abydos mentions that Djer visited Buto and Sais in the Nile Delta.

Year-by-year records

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The Palermo stone lists the first nine years of Djer's reign, as well as the heights of the Nile for each.

  • Year of coronation (first year): 4 months and 13 days, uniting Upper and Lower Egypt, circumambulating the wall. Six cubits.
  • second year: Following of Horus, desher-festival.
  • third year: Creation of two royal children. Four cubits, one palm.
  • fourth year: Following of Horus, censing a sacrificial victim. Five cubits, five palms, one finger.
  • fifth year: The planning of the building "Companion of the Gods"; Sokar-festival. Five cubits, five palms, one finger.
  • sixth year: Following of Horus, creating an image of Iat. Five cubits, one palm.
  • seventh year: Appearance of the king as nwst, creating an image of Min. Five cubits.
  • eighth year: Following of Horus, creating an image of Anubis. Six cubits, one palm.
  • ninth year: First occasion of the Djet festival. Four cubits, one span.

[20]

One of his regnal years on the Cairo Stone was named "Year of smiting the land of Setjet", which often is speculated to be Sinai or beyond.

Manetho

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Manetho claimed that Athothes, who is sometimes identified as Djer, had written a treatise on anatomy that still existed in his own day, over two millennia later.[21]

Family

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See also: First Dynasty of Egypt family tree
Stone vase bearing the serekh of Djer, National Archaeological Museum (France).

Djer was a son of Hor-Aha and a grandson of Narmer. Djer fathered Merneith, wife of Djet and mother of Den. Women carrying titles later associated with queens such as Great One of the Hetes-Sceptre and She who Sees/Carries Horus were buried in subsidiary tombs near the tomb of Djer in Abydos or attested in Saqqara. These women are thought to be the wives of Djer and include:

  • Nakhtneith (or Nekhetneith), buried in Abydos and known from a stela.[22][23]
  • Herneith, possibly a wife of Djer. Buried in Saqqara.[23]
  • Seshemetka, buried in Abydos next to the king.[24] She was said to be a wife of Den in Dodson and Hilton.[23]
  • Penebui, her name and title were found on an ivory label from Saqqara.[22]
  • bsu, known from a label in Saqqara and several stone vessels (reading of name uncertain; name consists of three fish hieroglyphs).[22]

Tomb

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Tomb stela of Djer

Similarly to his father Hor-Aha, Djer was buried in Umm el-Qa'ab at Abydos. Djer's tomb is tomb O of Petrie. His tomb contains the remains of 318 retainers who were buried with him.[25] At some point, Djer's tomb was devastated by fire, possibly as early as the Second Dynasty.[26] During the Middle Kingdom, the tomb of Djer was revered as the tomb of Osiris,[26] and the entire First Dynasty burial complex, which includes the tomb of Djer, was very important in the Egyptian religious tradition. An image of Osiris on a funerary bier was placed in the tomb, possibly by the Thirteenth dynasty pharaoh Djedkheperu.[26]

Several objects were found in and around the tomb of Djer:[27]

  • A stela of Djer, now in the Cairo Museum, probably comes from Abydos.
  • Labels mentioning the name of a palace and the name of Meritneith.
  • Fragments of two vases inscribed with the name of Queen Neithhotep.
  • Bracelets of a Queen were found in the wall of the tomb.

In the subsidiary tombs, excavators found objects including stelae representing several individuals, ivory objects inscribed with the name of Neithhotep, and various ivory tablets.[27]

Manetho indicates that the First Dynasty ruled from Memphis – and indeed Herneith, one of Djer's wives, was buried nearby at Saqqara.

[edit]
  • Small ivory label of Djer mentioning the name of a fortress or domain of the king "Hor-Djer-ib".
    Small ivory label of Djer mentioning the name of a fortress or domain of the king "Hor-Djer-ib".
  • Seal impression with the serekh of Djer found in Abydos, on display at the British Museum
    Seal impression with the serekh of Djer found in Abydos, on display at the British Museum
  • Ceremonial flint knife with the Horus name of Djer inscribed on its gold handle, on display at the Royal Ontario Museum.
    Ceremonial flint knife with the Horus name of Djer inscribed on its gold handle, on display at the Royal Ontario Museum.
  • Close-up view of Djer's serekh on the ceremonial flint knife of the Royal Ontario Museum.
    Close-up view of Djer's serekh on the ceremonial flint knife of the Royal Ontario Museum.
  • Label from Tomb of King Djer, Abydos
    Label from Tomb of King Djer, Abydos
  • Label from Tomb of King Djer, Abydos
    Label from Tomb of King Djer, Abydos

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Trigger, Bruce (1983). Ancient Egypt: A Social History. Cambridge University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0521284271.
  2. ^ Grimal, Nicolas (1994). A History of Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 528. ISBN 0-631-19396-0.
  3. ^ W. M. Flinders Petrie: The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties, 1901, Part II, London 1901, p.16-17
  4. ^ Salima Ikram and Aidan Dodson, The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity, Thames & Hudson, 1998, p. 109
  5. ^ Beckerath, Jürgen von (1999). Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (in German). P. von Zabern. pp. 38–39, 3:H. ISBN 978-3-8053-2591-2.
  6. ^ Lundström, Peter. "Djer in hieroglyphs". Pharaoh.se. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  7. ^ Cervelló, Autuori Josep (2005). "Was King Narmer Menes?". Archéo-Nil. 15 (1): 31–46. doi:10.3406/arnil.2005.896.
  8. ^ Edwards, I.E.S. (1970). "The Early Dynasty Period in Egypt". The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. 1 (Part 2). CUP. pp. 22–35. ISBN 978-0-521-07791-0.
  9. ^ "Manetho's History of Egypt". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  10. ^ Wilkinson, Toby (2000). Royal Annals Of Ancient Egypt: The Palermo Stone and its Associated Fragments. London: Kegan Paul International. pp. 79, 258. ISBN 0-7103-0667-9.
  11. ^ Hornung, E.; Krauss, R.; Warburton, D. A., eds. (2006). Ancient Egyptian Chronology. Leiden: BRILL. p. 23. ISBN 9789004113855.
  12. ^ Helck, Wolfgang (1987). Untersuchungen zur Thinitenzeit (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 124. ISBN 978-3-447-02677-2.
  13. ^ King Djer page from digitalegypt.
  14. ^ Saad 1947: 165; Saad 1969: 82, pl. 94
  15. ^ Kaiser 1964: 103, fig.3
  16. ^ "King Djer". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  17. ^ Petrie 1925: pl. II.8; XII.1
  18. ^ tomb 461 in Abydos, Petrie 1925: pl. III.1, IV.8
  19. ^ Rice, Michael The Power of the Bull Routledge; 1 edition (4 Dec 1997) ISBN 978-0-415-09032-2 p123 [1]
  20. ^ gamelyankhaled. Royal Annals Of Ancient Egypt Routledge Toby A. H. Wilkinson ( 2000).
  21. ^ "Manetho, with an English translation by W.G. Waddell". 1940.
  22. ^ a b c W. Grajetzki: Ancient Egyptian Queens: a hieroglyphic dictionary
  23. ^ a b c Dodson and Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004
  24. ^ W. M. Flinders Petrie: The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties, 1901, Part II, London 1901, pl. XXVII, 96
  25. ^ Thomas Kühn: Die Königsgräber der 1. & 2. Dynastie in Abydos. In: Kemet. Issue 1, 2008.
  26. ^ a b c Baker, Darrell D. (2008). Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs Volume 1: Predynastic to the Twentieth DYnasty 3300-1069 BC. Egypt: The American University in Cairo Press. p. 93.
  27. ^ a b B. Porter and R.L.B. Moss. Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings, V. Upper Egypt: Sites. Oxford, 1937

Bibliography

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Media related to Djer at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Neithhotep
(regent)
 Pharaoh of Egypt
c. 3000 BC 		Succeeded by