Anedjib (“safe is his heart”) ruled ancient Egypt during the first dynasty (Early Dynastic period). He is recorded as a Thinite (from This, near Abydos) king on the Saqqara Kings List. Anedjib was probably the son of Den but it is not entirely clear who his mother was, although Seshemetka seems to be a likely candidate. He may have been married to Queen Betrest the mother of his successor Semerkhet, but it is also possible that Betrest was one of Den’s wives, making Semerkhet his brother or half-brother.
He is probably Manetho’s King Miebidos, who reigned for twenty-six years. However, most Egyptologists agree his reign was likely much shorter due to his brief impression on the historical record. Wilkinson has proposed (following his reconstruction of the Palermo Stone) a reign of around ten years despite the fact that he celebrated a Sed Festival which normally took place in or around the thirtieth year. As Den reigned for around thirty years he may have been of a fairly advanced age when he became king and there is some evidence that he had to contend with a number of uprisings in Upper Egypt. The fact that his name was erased from a number of artifacts suggests that he may have been deposed by Semerkhet.
Anedjib may have been the first king to have a nebty (Two Ladies) title and the nesu-bit (He of the sedge and bee) name in his royal titulary, although the nesu-bit title (without a name) had already been introduced in the reign of Den. This title reunited the two divine antagonists of the north and south in the person of the king.
His tomb echoes the construction of Queen Mereneith’s. It was poorly constructed, and very small, but did include a chamber made entirely of wood (a luxury in Egypt).
Pharaoh’s Names
Manetho; Miebidos
Nebti; Merpibia (strictly Mer-spt-bja)
Nomen; Mer-ba-pen (from the Saqqara List, strictly transliterates as Mr-sntr-pn but the glyph for incense “sntr” is usually transliterated as “ba” or spirit)
Nomen; Mer-bja-pen (from the Turin list, strictly transliterated as “Mr-grg-pn”)
Nomen; Mer-bja-pe (from the Abydos kings list)
Bibliography
- Kathryn Bard (2008) An introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
- Peter A Clayton (1994) Chronicle of the Pharaohs
- Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton (2004) The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt
- Toby A. H. Wilkinson (1999) Early Dynastic Egypt
copyright J Hill 2010