Sneferka

Sneferka
Neferseka, Sekanefer, Neferkaes
Slate fragment bearing Sneferka's serekh fromSaqqara
Pharaoh
Reign	short, ca. 2900 BC
Predecessor	unclear, possiblyQa'aorHorus Bird
Successor	unclear, possiblyHotepsekhemwyorHorus Bird
Royal titulary Horus name Hor-Sneferka Ḥr.-snfr-k3 HisKais complete/perfect
Dynasty	end of1st Dynasty

Sneferkawas anearly Egyptiankingwho may have ruled at the end of the1st Dynasty.The exact length of his reign is unknown, but thought to have been very short and his chronological position is unclear.

Name sources

Sneferka'sserekh-nameis the object of current investigations, because of the unusual typographical order of the hieroglyphic signs within theserekh.This led to several different readings: his name is read asSeneferka, Sneferka, NefersekaandSekanefer. The serekh-name "Sneferka" appears on severalschist- andalabastervessels. One was found in the mastaba of the high official Merka who served under kingQa'a;a second one in the underground galleries of the step pyramid of kingDjoser(3rd Dynasty) and the third was found in an anonymous mastaba, also at Sakkara. A fourth artifact with Sneferka's name is found in the private Georges-Michailidis-Collection but its authenticity is questioned byarchaeologistsandEgyptologists,since its origin is unknown. Additionally, the inscription on the Michailidis-object is aserekhwith no Horus-falcon, which is highly unusual for any Egyptian artifact of that time period.

Identity

Beside Sneferka'sserekh,the inscriptions mention several institutions and places already known thanks to finds dating to Qa'a's reign. They are calledQau-Netjeru( "Elevations of the gods" ) andAh-Netjer( "Divine palace" ) and appear in several stone vessel inscriptions from Qa'a's tomb atAbydos.Egyptologists such asPeter Kaplonyconclude that the inscriptions prove a chronological adjacency to king Qa'a or that the name "Sneferka" was an alternative name that Qa'a bore for a short time.

EgyptologistKim Ryholtbelieves that Sneferka ruled during the midst of 2nd Dynasty and was to be identified withNeferkara I,attested inRamessidesources. He points to the circumstance that Ramesside scribes often added the symbol of the sun to the names of early dynastic kings, ignoring the fact that the sun was not yet an object of divine adoration at that early time. To support his view, Ryholt points to cartouche names such asNeferkara IIandNebkara I,which represent early kings and contradictorily have a sun-symbol in their names.EgyptologistAidan Dodsonthinks alike and points to the fact that nearly allserekhsof Sneferka are made "on erasures", thus leading to the conclusion that Sneferka usurped Qa'a's vessels. This behavior was typical for kings who ruled somewhat later than the original owner of the re-used artefacts and who ruled for a very short time only.

Possible battle with Horus Bird

Two artifacts of different origins show the serekh of a king, whose name is highly disputed, for the hieroglyphic sign used to write the king's name is almost illegible. Since at least the depiction of a bird was recognised, the king in question is called "Horus Bird".Egyptologists such asWolfgang Helckand Peter Kaplony believe that Sneferka and "Horus Bird" fought each other to gain the throne of Egypt. The struggles peaked in the plundering of the royal cemetery of Abydos, which was therefore abandoned. The struggle for the throne was possibly brought to an end by the founder of the2nd Dynasty,kingHotepsekhemwy.A piece of evidence supporting this theory is theHorus nameof Hotepsekhemwy which means"The two powers are reconciled",and could relate to a re-unification of the Egyptian realm after a period of discord.

External links

• Francesco Raffaele: Horus SNEFERKA - Horus Bird - Horus SEKHET (?) - Horus BA