As was the case with the 2nd Dynasty, establishing the chronology of the 3rd Dynasty has

proven to be quite problematic. This has the following reasons:

Except for Huni, who is accepted to have been the dynasty's last king, the actual
monuments of the 3rd Dynasty kings mention their Horus-names whereas the later kinglists are based on their birth names (nomen).
The king-lists apparently name kings that seem to be unattested by archaeological
sources. It thus becomes necessary to match the names of the 3rd Dynasty monuments
with those of the king-lists.

The Turin King-list has placed Nebka at the head of the dynasty, before Djoser
(Netjerikhet). Manetho has also placed a king before Djoser as the founder of the dynasty.
Other King-lists do not mention Nebka at all, making Djoser the founder of the Dynasty.
According to the Papyrus Westcar, which lists some of Kheops' predecessors, Nebka
must be placed between somewhere Djoser and Huni.

Although most king-lists give five kings that can be placed in this dynasty, there are
some inconsistencies involving the 4th king of the list. This king is referred to
as Hudjefa by the Turin King-list, a reference normally used for kings whose names were
deliberately or accidentally destroyed or damaged in the original source(s) consulted by
the composer or copyists of the king-list. If the destruction of the name was deliberate,
then this may be seen as an indication of some dynastic troubles.
The other king-lists, however, record the name Sedjes or Neferkare as the 4th king of the
Dynasty. This can mean that either all three names refer to the same or to different kings.
If all these names, including Hudjefa, refer to the same king, it is hard to explain why one
king would be referred to as Sedjes and as Neferkare. If they refer to different kings then
theHudjefa of the Turin King-list refers to Sedjes, to Neferkare or to a third, unknown
king. In this case, however, it would be hard to explain why the Turin King-list only notes
5 kings instead of 6 or 7.

Manetho, through the different copies of his original work, lists even more kings in the
3rd dynasty and credits it with a total duration of over 200 years. Both the number of
kings and the dynasties duration are generally accepted to have been largely exaggerated.
However, the higher number of kings given by Manetho does suggest that the number of
5 kings mentioned in the older king-lists may be too low.

The builder of the famous Step Pyramid at Saqqara is identified throughout his complex as the
Horus Netjerikhet. An inscription left by the 19th Dynasty prince Khaemwaset, the famous son
of Ramesses II, in the complex crediting the building to Djoser, has allowed us to equate the
Horus Netjerikhet with Djoser(-Ti) of the king-lists.
At least two other buildings, somewhat similar to Netjerikhet's Step-Pyramid, have been started
but left unfinished during the 3rd Dynasty as well: the buried pyramid at Saqqara and the layered
pyramid at Zawiyet el-Aryan. Based on archaeological and architectural evidence, it is safe to
say that both monuments were built after Netjerikhet's. In the buried pyramid of Saqqara, the

oldest of the two, the Horus-name of Sekhemkhet has been found. If an inscription found in this
pyramid may be interpreted as Sekhemkhet's Nebti-name, then Sekhemkhet may be equated to
Djoser-Teti, the successor of Djoser (Netjerikhet)in the king-lists. This interpretation is perhaps
supported by the style and location of his pyramid and by the mention of Imhotep, the architect
of Netjerikhet's pyramid, in an inscription in Sekhemkhet's monument.
In the pyramid of Zawiyet el-Aryan, no royal name has been found. In a tomb located in a nearby
private cemetery, however, the Horus-name of Khaba was found. This has led archaeologists to
believe that the layered pyramid of Zawiyet el-Aryan was built by the Horus Khaba. This king
would then come after Sekhemkhet but before Huni, which places him at the fourth position in
the king-lists: kingHudjefa. Whether this forms sufficient basis to equate the Horus Khaba with
king Hudjefa is not certain.
Two other kings, known only through their Horus-names, have belonged to the 3rd Dynasty as
well: the Horus Sanakht and the Horus Qa-Hedjet.
Neither king can be placed with certainty. It has been suggested that Sanakht may have been the
Horus-name of Nebka, but the sole argument that supports the identification of Sanakht as Nebka
is a source found in the Sinai that mentions the Horus-name Sanakht and the sign ka that could
be interpreted as part of the nomen of the king. In my opinion, however, the sign ka is part of a
word that spells mefkat, meaning "turquoise", the main mineral the Egyptians were after in the
Sinai. If Sanakht can indeed be equated to Nebka, then it is clear that the Turin King-list has
mistakenly placed Nebka before Djoser (Netjerikhet), as the archaeological record points to
Netjerikhet having been a predecessor of Sanakht.

Head of a lifesize statue of Netjerikhet (Djoser), found in his mortuary complex at Saqqara (more...).

Fragmentary relief of Sanakht, found in the Sinai. It shows the king, wearing the Red Crown, in the
traditional pose of slaying an enemy.

In view of the sources it may be tempting to equate the Horus Qa-Hedjet with Huni, the last king
of the dynasty, particularly because the Horus-name of Huni is not known either. This equation,
however, is purely hypothetical and not generally accepted amon Egyptologists.

Relief of Qa-Hedjet being embrased by Horus 'in the Great Palace'.

The identification of Qa-Hejdet with any of the kings in the King-lists remains rather problematic.

Regardless of our problems in identifying some of its kings, the singlemost important
achievement of the 3rd Dynasty in the history of Ancient Egypt was the transition in architecture
from wood and brick to natural stone.
The building of the Step Pyramid complex for the Horus Netjerikhet at Saqqara represens a giant
leap forward in technology and architecture. So great that it determined the general shape of
Egyptian buildings for the millenia to come. Netjerikhet, under the name of Djoser, and even
more his genious architect Imhotep, would remain renowned throughout Ancient Egypt's long
history.
Eventhough Netjerikhet's immediate successors failed to continue the great building project of
their ancestor, the 3rd Dynasty played a pivotal role in the transition from Early Dynastic Egypt
to the Age of the Pyramids. This is why, in many history books, the 3rd Dynasty is placed at the
start of the Old Kingdom and not at the end of the Early Dynastic Period. However, more and
more Egyptologists are now inclined to include this dynasty in the Early Dynastic Period,
because culturaly it resembles the two first dynasties more than it does the following.
The table below lists the kings that are placed in the 3rd Dynasty.

Name

Manetho

Kinglists

Dates (*)

Netjerikhet

Tosorthros

Djoser / Djoser-It

2650 - 2631

Sekhemkhet

Tyreis

Djoser-Ti / Djoser-Teti

2631 - 2623

Hudjefa (?)

2623 - 2619

Nebka (?)

2619 - 2599

Huni

2599 - 2575

Khaba
Sanakht
Huni

Necherphs (?)

(*) Note that all dates are approximations only and that even the length of each king's tenure of
power is subject to debate.