Sanakhte
| Sanakht | |
|---|---|
| Nebka ? Horus Sa ? | |
Relief fragment of Sanakht in the pose of smiting an enemy. Originally from the Sinai, now EA 691 on display at the British Museum.
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| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 18 years according to the Turin Canon, most likely less, starting ca. 2650 BC (3rd Dynasty) |
| Predecessor | uncertain, Sekhemkhet (most likely) or Khaba, Djoser, Khasekhemwy |
| Successor | uncertain, Khaba (most likely) or Sekhemkhet, Huni, Qahedjet, Djoser |
| Burial | mastaba K2 at Beit Khallaf? |
Sanakht (also read as Hor-Sanakht) was an ancient Egyptian king (pharaoh) of the Third Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. His chronological position is highly uncertain, and it is also unclear under which Hellenized name the ancient historian Manetho could have listed him. Many Egyptologists connect Sanakht with the ramesside cartouche name Nebka. However, this remains disputable, because no further royal title of that king was ever found; neither in contemporary sources, nor in later ones. There are two relief fragments depicting Sanakht that once originated from the Wadi Maghareh on the Sinai Peninsula.
Sanakht's identity and position in the third Dynasty is not entirely clear and remains the subject of debates. While Sanakht's existence is attested by seal fragments from mastaba K2 and a graffito, his position as the founder of the Third Dynasty, as recorded by Manetho and the Turin Canon, has been seriously undermined by recent archaeological discoveries at Abydos. These discoveries establish that it was likely Djoser who helped bury—and thus succeed—Khasekhemwy, rather than Sanakht. This is determined from seals found at the entrance to the latter's tomb bearing Djoser's name.
Proponents of the theory that Sanakht was nonetheless the founder of the dynasty object that the presence of Djoser's seals in Khasekhemwy's tomb only shows that Djoser conducted cultural rituals in honor of this king, and does not necessarily imply that Djoser was Khasekhemwy's immediate successor. Sanakht could then have married Queen Nimaethap, with Nimaethap being the daughter of Khasekhemwy rather than his wife. Together with Sanakht, they could be the parents of Djoser. Alternatively, some have considered Sanakht to be Djoser's elder brother.
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