Hudjefa I
Encyclopedia
Hudjefa I is the cartouche name
and pseudonym
of a king (pharaoh
) who is said to have ruled during the Ancient Egypt
ian 2nd dynasty
. The exact length of his reign is unknown since the Turin canon
gave him a reign of 11 years while the ancient Greek historian
Manetho
suggested that the pharaoh ruled for 48 years. Egyptologists consider both statements as exaggerations and generally consider that Hudjefa I only ruled for 2 years. .
. Both king lists describe Hudjefa I as the immediate successor of king Neferkasokar
and as the predecessor of king Khasekhemwy
.
means “erased” and means that the original king´s name that was once listed in a document or inscribed on some object was unreadable when the scribe tried to compile the king list. It is thought that a scribe simply noted “erased”, but then erroneously put the word into a cartouche, thus making it look like a personal name. Later scribes and students of Egyptian history misinterpreted the arrangement and adopted it into their documents as a king´s name.
The ancient Greek historian Manetho probably called Hudjefa I “Sésôchris” and reported that this king`s body had a measurement of “five cubits in its height and three hands in its breadth”. Egyptologists doubt the basis of this observation as no burial site for Hudjefa I has ever been found.
Egyptologists such as T. Dautzenberg and Wolfgang Helck
once considered that Hudjefa I might be identical with king Seth-Peribsen
. To support their theory, they pointed out that a 11 year reign – as noted in the Royal Canon of Turin – would be inconsistent with a king whose name has been lost. Rather, in their opinion, it would make sense if the ruler´s name was not allowed to be mentioned in later times. This was already considered to be the case of king Peribsen, whose birth name was banished from Ramesside king lists.
, Hermann Alexander Schlögl and Francesco Tiradritti believe that king Ninetjer, the third ruler of 2nd dynasty and a predecessor of Peribsen, left a realm that was suffering from an overly complex state administration and that Ninetjer decided to split Egypt to leave it to his two sons (or, at least, two chosen successors) who would rule two separate kingdoms, in the hope that the two rulers could better administer the states. In contrast, Egyptologists such as Barbara Bell believe that a economic catastrophe such as a famine
or a long lasting drought affected Egypt. Therefore, to better address the problem of feeding the Egyptian population, Ninetjer split the realm into two and his successors founded two independent realms, until the famine came to an end. Bell points to the inscriptions of the Palermo stone
, where, in her opinion, the records of the annual Nile floods
show constantly low levels during this period. Bell´s theory is refuted today by Egyptologists such as Stephan Seidlmayer, who corrected Bell´s calculations. Seidlmayer has shown that the annual Nile floods were at usual levels at Ninetjer´s time up to the period of the Old Kingdom. Bell had overlooked that the heights of the Nile floods in the Palermo stone inscription only takes into account the measurements of the nilometer
s around Memphis, but not elsewhere along the river. Any long-lasting drought can therefore be excluded.
It is accepted amongst a number of Egyptologists that Hudjefa I had to share his throne with another ruler although it is as to who that ruler was. Later king lists such as the Sakkara list and the Turin Canon list the kings Neferkara I
and Neferkasokar
as his predecessors and king Khasekhemwy
as immediate successors. The Abydos list skips the rulers Neferkara I, Neferkasokar and Hudjefa I completely and name a king Djadjay (identical with king Khasekhemwy). If Egypt was already divided when Hudjefa I gained the throne, kings like Sekhemib
and Peribsen would have ruled Upper Egypt, whilst Hudjefa I and his predecessors would have ruled Lower Egypt. The division of Egypt was brought to an end by king Khasekhemwy.
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
and pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of a king (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...
) who is said to have ruled during the 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...
ian 2nd dynasty
Second 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:...
. The exact length of his reign is unknown since the Turin canon
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...
gave him a reign of 11 years while the ancient Greek historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
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...
suggested that the pharaoh ruled for 48 years. Egyptologists consider both statements as exaggerations and generally consider that Hudjefa I only ruled for 2 years. .
Name sources
The name “Hudjefa I” appears only in the Royal Table of Sakkara and in the Royal Canon of TurinTurin 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...
. Both king lists describe Hudjefa I as the immediate successor of king Neferkasokar
Neferkasokar
Neferkasokar is the name of an Ancient Egyptian king who may have ruled in Egypt during the 2nd dynasty. Very little is known about him, since no contemporary records about him have been found...
and as the predecessor of king 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...
.
Identity
Egyptologists and historians have had great difficulty linking Hudjefa I to any archaeologically identified ruler. The problem is that “Hudjefa” is not a personal name in the conventional sense. HudjefaHudjefa
Hudjefa is an ancient Egyptian word meaning "missing" or ″erased″. It was used by the royal scribes of the Ramesside era during the 19th dynasty of Ancient Egypt when the scribes compiled king lists such as the royal table of Sakkara and the royal canon of Turin and the name of a deseased pharaoh...
means “erased” and means that the original king´s name that was once listed in a document or inscribed on some object was unreadable when the scribe tried to compile the king list. It is thought that a scribe simply noted “erased”, but then erroneously put the word into a cartouche, thus making it look like a personal name. Later scribes and students of Egyptian history misinterpreted the arrangement and adopted it into their documents as a king´s name.
The ancient Greek historian Manetho probably called Hudjefa I “Sésôchris” and reported that this king`s body had a measurement of “five cubits in its height and three hands in its breadth”. Egyptologists doubt the basis of this observation as no burial site for Hudjefa I has ever been found.
Egyptologists such as T. Dautzenberg and Wolfgang Helck
Wolfgang Helck
Hans Wolfgang Helck was a German Egyptologist, considered one of the most important Egyptologists of the 20th century. From 1956 until his retirement in 1979 he was a Professor at the University of Hamburg...
once considered that Hudjefa I might be identical with king Seth-Peribsen
Seth-Peribsen
Peribsen is the serekh name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 2nd dynasty. Unlike many other pharaohs of this dynasty, Peribsen is well-attested in the archaeological records...
. To support their theory, they pointed out that a 11 year reign – as noted in the Royal Canon of Turin – would be inconsistent with a king whose name has been lost. Rather, in their opinion, it would make sense if the ruler´s name was not allowed to be mentioned in later times. This was already considered to be the case of king Peribsen, whose birth name was banished from Ramesside king lists.
Reign
Egyptologists such as Wolfgang Helck, Nicolas GrimalNicolas Grimal
Nicolas Grimal is a French Egyptologist.- Biography :Nicolas Grimal was born to Pierre Grimal in 1948. After his Agrégation in Classics in 1971, he obtained a PhD in 1984. He has been a professor at the Sorbonne since 1988.From 1989 to 1999, he headed the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in...
, Hermann Alexander Schlögl and Francesco Tiradritti believe that king Ninetjer, the third ruler of 2nd dynasty and a predecessor of Peribsen, left a realm that was suffering from an overly complex state administration and that Ninetjer decided to split Egypt to leave it to his two sons (or, at least, two chosen successors) who would rule two separate kingdoms, in the hope that the two rulers could better administer the states. In contrast, Egyptologists such as Barbara Bell believe that a economic catastrophe such as a famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
or a long lasting drought affected Egypt. Therefore, to better address the problem of feeding the Egyptian population, Ninetjer split the realm into two and his successors founded two independent realms, until the famine came to an end. Bell points to the inscriptions of the Palermo stone
Palermo stone
The Palermo Stone is a large fragment of a stele known as the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. It contains records of the kings of Egypt from the first dynasty through the fifth dynasty....
, where, in her opinion, the records of the annual Nile floods
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
show constantly low levels during this period. Bell´s theory is refuted today by Egyptologists such as Stephan Seidlmayer, who corrected Bell´s calculations. Seidlmayer has shown that the annual Nile floods were at usual levels at Ninetjer´s time up to the period of the Old Kingdom. Bell had overlooked that the heights of the Nile floods in the Palermo stone inscription only takes into account the measurements of the nilometer
Nilometer
A Nilometer was a means of measuring the River Nile's clarity and for measuring the water level of the Nile river during the annual flood season....
s around Memphis, but not elsewhere along the river. Any long-lasting drought can therefore be excluded.
It is accepted amongst a number of Egyptologists that Hudjefa I had to share his throne with another ruler although it is as to who that ruler was. Later king lists such as the Sakkara list and the Turin Canon list the kings Neferkara I
Neferkara I
Neferkara I is the cartouche name of a king who is said to have ruled during the 2nd dynasty of Ancient Egypt. The exact length of his reign is unknown since the Turin canon lacks the years of rulership and the ancient Greek historian Manetho suggests that Neferkara´s reign lasted 25 years...
and Neferkasokar
Neferkasokar
Neferkasokar is the name of an Ancient Egyptian king who may have ruled in Egypt during the 2nd dynasty. Very little is known about him, since no contemporary records about him have been found...
as his predecessors and king 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...
as immediate successors. The Abydos list skips the rulers Neferkara I, Neferkasokar and Hudjefa I completely and name a king Djadjay (identical with king Khasekhemwy). If Egypt was already divided when Hudjefa I gained the throne, kings like Sekhemib
Sekhemib-Perenmaat
Sekhemib, or Sekhemib-Perenma´at, is the horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 2nd dynasty. Similar to his predecessor Seth-Peribsen, Sekhemib is contemporarily well attested in archaeological records, but he doesn´t appear in any posthumous document...
and Peribsen would have ruled Upper Egypt, whilst Hudjefa I and his predecessors would have ruled Lower Egypt. The division of Egypt was brought to an end by king Khasekhemwy.