Djet
Wadj, Zet, Uadji, Ouenephes, Vavenephis
The famous stela of king Djet which once stood next to his tomb in the Umm el-Qa'ab.
Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign	10 years, ca. 2980 BC, 1st Dynasty
Predecessor	Djer
Successor	Merneith, Den
Royal titulary Horus name: Hor-Djet Ḥr-ḏt Serpent of Horus Abydos King List Ita Jt3 Turin King List ...tjuj ...tjwj [1]
Consort(s)	Merneith, Ahaneith
Children	Den
Father	Djer
Burial	Tomb Z, Umm el-Qa'ab

Djet, also known as Wadj, Zet, and Uadji (in Greek possibly the pharaoh known as Uenephes or possibly Atothis), was the fourth Egyptian pharaoh of the first dynasty. Djet's Horus name means “Horus Cobra”^[2] or “Serpent of Horus”.

Family [edit]

Djet's queen was his sister Merneith, who may have ruled as a Pharaoh in her own right after his death. There is a possibility that a lady called Ahaneith was also one of his wives. Djet and Merneith's son was Den, and their grandson was Anedjib.

Reign [edit]

Ita, cartouche name of Djet in the Abydos king list.

How long Djet ruled is unknown. Only one Sekar festival is attested by ivory labels dating to his reign, whose duration is estimated to be anywehere between six to ten years. According to Wolfgang Helck he reigned 10 years.^[3] From a calendar entry, Djer is known to have died on a 7 Peret III while Djet began his reign on 22 Peret IV. The reason for the 45 days of interregnum is unknown.

Details of Djet's reign are lost in the lacunas of the Palermo Stone. However, finds of vessel fragments and seal impressions prove that there were intense trading activities with Syria and Palestine at the time. Graves at Tarkhan and Saqqara dating to his reign yielded pottery from Palestine.^[4] Other activities can be inferred from the only two known years tablets of the ruler, one of which is preserved in two copies. The reading of the events described on the tablets is highly problematic. Helck translated: "Year of the planning of the underground/basement (?) of the dual plant, birth of lotus buds, standing in the crown shrine of the two Ladies."^[5] The other year tablet mentions a victory, the production (birth) of a statue and perhaps the creation of a fortress.^[6] Finally, in Masra Alam in Nubia, the short inscription "Hemka" below "Wadji" was discovered ^[7]

Clay seals prove that official Amka begun his career under king Djer, as manager of the "Hor-sekhenti-dju" estate. Under Djet, Amka became royal steward. In the early years of the king's successor Amka died after he was appointed to regional responsibilities in the western Nile Delta.^[8] Other senior officials under the Djet were Sedjesechemka and Setka.

Legacy [edit]

Djet owes his fame to the survival, in well-preserved form, of one of his artistically refined tomb steles. It is carved in relief with Djet's Horus name, and shows that the distinct Egyptian style already had become fully developed at that time. This stela was discovered in 1904 by Émile Amélineau and is today on display at the Louvre museum. Another artistic landmark dated to Djet's reign is the ivory comb of Djet ^[9] now housed in the Egyptian Museum. It is the earliest surviving depiction of the heavens symbolised by the outspread wings of a falcon. Above the falcon is a winged bark and below is Djet's serekh surrounded by two Was scepters and one Ankh-sign.

See also [edit]

• List of Pharaohs
• Ancient Egyptian retainer sacrifices

References [edit]

Bibliography [edit]

• Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge, London/New York 1999, ISBN 0-415-18633-1, 73-74
• Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Royal Annals of Ancient Egypt: The Palermo Stone and Its Associated Fragments, (Kegan Paul International), 2000.