The last king of the 2nd Dynasty, the Horus-Seth Khasekhemwi, most likely started his reign under the name Horus Khasekhem. As the name Khasekhem has only been attested in the south of Egypt, it is assumed that when he came to power, Khasekhem's territory did not encompass the whole of Egypt. Inscriptions from Khasekhem's reign point to rebellions and a war against a "northern enemy". If this “northern enemy” is to be understood as the king ruling in Memphis, it is possible that Khasekhem, having inherited only part of Egypt, waged a reunification war against the north of Egypt. At one point during his reign, the Horus Khasekhem changed his titulary to the Horus-Seth Khasekhemwi. Not only does this name change suggest a unification of the two lands, the fact that as Horus-Seth Khasekhemwi, this king is attested throughout the country does show that after his name change, Khasekhemwi indeed ruled the wole of Egypt. It is not known if Khasekhemwi was related to any of his predecessors or perhaps even to the kings that may have ruled over the north of the country before the reunification. A queen Nimaathapu is attested during his reign. Her name suggests that she may have been of northern origin and if this is indeed the case, a mariage between a northern princess and a southern king may have symbolised the political reunification of the country. Nimaathapu also held the title King's Mother, which means that she had at least one son who ascended to the throne. As her name has also been attested during the reign of Khasekhemwi's successor, the Horus Netjerikhet, Nimaathapu is generally accepted to have been the latter's mother. The Turin Kinglist credits this king with a reign of 27 years, 2 months and 1 day. On the Palermo Fragment of the Royal Annals, years 12 through 18 appear to have been preserved. As part of a previously unparallelled building program, Khasekhemwi built several monuments throughout the country, not in the least his tomb at Umm el-Qa'ab, including the nearby fortress-like structure known as Shunet ez-Zebib and perhaps also the Great Enclosure at Saqqara. Several objects, including a sceptre and some pots with gold covering were found in his tomb at Umm el Qa'ab. |
Statue of Khasekhemwi, found in Hieraconpolis, in the South of Egypt. |
History
