Djer

Djer was the third pharaoh of the First Dynasty of Egypt. He lived around 3000 BC and reigned for 40 to 50 years.

Name

Iti, the name listed for Djer in the Abydos King List

Djer's name translates to "Defender of Horus". His name was written in the Palermo Stone as "Iteti", one of his chosen names, which was handed down on later king lists as his actual name. Around 300 BC, 2700 years after Djer died, the priest Manetho calls him "Kenkenês", which was likely added by accident, as a mis-read version of the later pharaoh's Den's name.

Reign

Reign Length

Manetho's original work is lost, but according to the later historian Julius Africanus, Manetho claimed Djer reigned for 31 years. The Palermo stone, now in pieces, may have given Djer a longer reign. Toby Wilkinson says that it gives him 41 years of reign, while Erik Hornung says that it gives him 47, and Wolfgang Helck says it gives 57.

Coregency

Djer may have had someone reign for a short period of time before he became pharaoh. The Palermo stone says there's a gap of 45 days, 13 months and 45 days, or 13 months and 20 days, between the death of Aha and Djer becoming pharaoh. This may have been when his mother, Khenet-hapi, or more likely, his grandmother Neith-hotep, held the throne.

Yearly records

The pieces of the Palermo stone give tons of events for the kingship of Djer, from his first 9 years and his 22nd through 30th years as pharaoh. Most notably, in his 26th year, he attacked a land known as Setjet. It is not known where Setjet is, but it may have been in the Sinai Peninsula. Since his final year on the pieces is his 30th year, it may be implied his first Sed Festival was shortly after.

Family

Djer's father was Aha, and a grandson of Menes. His mother is likely Khenet-hapi, as given on one of the pieces of the Palermo stone, though it could have been Neithhotep, Aha's mother, or another one of Aha's wives, Benerib.

Several of Djer's wives are known, including

Seshemetka may be related to Djer, she may have been his daughter, as she was buried with Djer, and was the wife of the later pharaoh Den.

Tomb

Like his father, he was buried in Umm El Qa'ab, Tomb O. Also found in his tomb were the bodies of 318 officials that were killed and buried with Djer to assist him in the afterlife.

His tomb was at some point destroyed by a fire, perhaps sometime during the Second Dynasty. Starting in the Middle Kingdom, Djer's tomb was believed to be the tomb of Osiris. An image of Osiris was placed in his tomb by the Thirteenth Dynasty pharaoh Djedkheperu.

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 4 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.
  2. 1 2 Hornung, E.; Krauss, R.; Warburton, D. A., eds. (2006). Ancient Egyptian Chronology. Leiden: BRILL. p. 23. ISBN 9789004113855.
  3. 1 2 Helck, Wolfgang (1987). Untersuchungen zur Thinitenzeit (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 124. ISBN 978-3-447-02677-2.
  4. ↑ Beckerath, Jürgen von (1999). Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen (in German). P. von Zabern. pp. 38–39, 3:H. ISBN 978-3-8053-2591-2.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "Manetho's History of Egypt". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  7. ↑ "Königin Neithhotep : Die erste Frau auf dem Pharaonenthron". www.spektrum.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  8. 1 2 gamelyankhaled. Royal Annals Of Ancient Egypt Routledge Toby A. H. Wilkinson ( 2000).
  9. 1 2 3 W. Grajetzki: Ancient Egyptian Queens: a hieroglyphic dictionary
  10. 1 2 3 Dodson and Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004
  11. ↑ W. M. Flinders Petrie: The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties, 1901, Part II, London 1901, pl. XXVII, 96
  12. ↑ Thomas Kühn: Die Königsgräber der 1. & 2. Dynastie in Abydos. In: Kemet. Issue 1, 2008.
  13. 1 2 3 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.