King {Samarkhet}
King {Samarkhet} First Dynasty. This ruler became known through the tragic legend passed down by the historian Manetho, who reported that a catastrophe of some kind occurred during the reign of Samarkhet. Archaeological records seem to support the view that Samarkhet was king during a difficult time, and some early archaeologists have questioned the legitimacy of Samarkhet's succession to the Egyptian throne.
Virtually nothing is known about the Samar Khatt family. His parents are unknown, but it is believed that one of his ancestors was Pharaoh Dan, who may have been his father, and whose mother may have been Queen Petrus. No conclusive evidence for this view has yet been found. Samarkhet is expected to have had sons and daughters, but their names are not recorded in the historical record. It is suggested that the Pharaoh was a possible member of his family.
Samarkhet is well documented in archaeological records, with its name appearing in inscriptions on vessels made of schist, alabaster, breccia and marble. His name is also preserved on ivory cards and earthen jar seals. Objects bearing the name Samarkhet came from Abydos and Saqqara. The name Serkh Samarkhet translates as “companion of the divine community” or “companion of thought.” The translation of the latter has been questioned by many scholars, because “khet” in hieroglyphics was usually a symbol of “the divine body” or “divine community.”
There is an old theory, supported by Egyptologists and historians such as Jean-Philippe Loyer, Walter Brian Emery, Wolfgang Helke and Michael Rice, that Samarkhet was a usurper rather than the rightful heir. They based their hypothesis on the observation that “a number of stone vessels bearing the name Samar Khatt were originally inscribed with the name of the Pharaoh Aj Ibb.” They believe that Samarkhet simply ordered the name of Aj Ib to be erased and replaced with a mention of himself. Moreover, they point out that no name of any high-ranking official or any priest associated with Samarkhet has been found at Saqqara. All other pharaohs, such as Den and Aj-ib, are mentioned on local mastabas.
The Samarkhet burial site was excavated in 1899 by archaeologist and Egyptologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie at Abydos and is known as the "U" tomb. Petrie did not find a staircase as he found in the cemetery of Den Waaj Ibb. He found a ramp, four meters wide, leading directly to the main room. The slope begins about ten meters to the east outside the cemetery.
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