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Learn about the Egyptian Dynasties with our fast fact sheets. |
History of the 2nd Dynasty and its Pharaohs Second Dynasty Dates: c 2890 to 2686 BC Ancient Egyptian History - 2nd Dynasty Fact Sheet Fact 1 on 2nd Dynasty: The first succession of ancient Egyptian monarchs had ended with the reign of Qa'a and the main events of the era included attempts to unify Upper and Lower Egypt, military campaigns in the desert areas against the nomadic Bedouins and the Troglodytes and the building of monuments made of stone. Fact 2 on 2nd Dynasty: Abydos was the site of the burials of the first kings. They were large complexes as the first rulers had practised Human Sacrificeto ensure the pharaohs had servants in the Afterlife. Fact 3 on 2nd Dynasty: The religious rituals and practice of human and animal sacrifice appears to have stopped quite abruptly (royal cemeteries shrank in size). The second era of kings saw the start of the use of small figurines called 'Shabtis' that took the place of actual people and were placed in royal tombs. Fact 4 on 2nd Dynasty: The capital of Egypt and power base of the kings was Memphis, located in the northern Nile Delta of Lower Egypt and their burial complexes were in Saqqara. Refer to map of ancient Egypt below. Fact 5 on 2nd Dynasty: The reign of the founder of the second dynasty, King Hotepsekhemwy, was subject to continuous political strife and, following 35 years as the king, his rule probably ended in a military coup that was organized by his brother, Raneb. Fact 6 on 2nd Dynasty: Much of the discontent of the period was due to religious rivalries. Animal worship centered around the goat of Mendes and the cult of the Apis bull. Fact 7 on 2nd Dynasty: The cults of Set and Horus competed for dominance. By the reign of King Sekhemib-Perenmaat the serekhs bearing the royal names (a serekh was the forerunner of the cartouche) were not surmounted by Horus but by his religious rival, Set, who became the primary deity who received royal patronage. Fact 8 on 2nd Dynasty: Friction also continued between Upper and Lower Egypt and the power base of the kings moved from Memphis in the north to Thinis in the south of the country, the hotbed of the rebels. This led to more rebellions in the north of the Egypt. The country was embroiled in Civil War. Fact 9 on 2nd Dynasty: King Khasekhemwy, the last king or the era, eventually defeated the rebels in the north and ascended the throne. He had to put down the Northern rebellion with nearly 50,000 casualties. Fact 10 on 2nd Dynasty: King Khasekhemwy then married Nimaethap, a Northern princess. The royal marriage consolidated the rule in both regions. Fact 11 on 2nd Dynasty: King Khasekhemwy moved the capital of Egypt from Thinis, located in the southern Nile Valley of Upper Egypt, back to Memphis. Fact 12 on 2nd Dynasty: The reign of King Khasekhemwy ended the Early Dynastic Period and ancient Egyptian history moved on to the era known as the Old Kingdom- the Age of the Pyramids. Fact 13 on 2nd Dynasty: Queen Nimaethap is credited as the ancestor of the 3rd Dynasty and believed to be the mother of Sanakhte (Nebka) and his younger brother Djoser. Ancient Egyptian History - 2nd Dynasty Fact Sheet Definition of the 2nd Dynasty Second Dynasty Dates: c 2890 to 2686 BC Ancient Egyptian Dynasties Ancient Egytian Dynasties Early Dynastic Period: 1st - 2nd Dynasties The Old Kingdome 3rd - 6th Dynasties 1st Intermediate Period 7th - 10th Dynasties The Middle Kingdom 11th - 12th Dynasties 2nd Intermediate Period 13th - 20th Dynasties The New Kingdom 18th - 20th Dynasties Post Empire 21st - 31st Dynasties History of the 2nd Dynasty Pharaohs 2nd Dynasty Chronology - Succession and History of the Kings Chronology of the Kings Name - Dates of Reign King Hotepsekhemwy - Exact Dates Unknown King Raneb - Exact Dates Unknown King Nynetjer - Exact Dates Unknown King Weneg - Exact Dates Unknown King Senedj - Exact Dates Unknown King Seth-Peribsen - Exact Dates Unknown King Sekhemib-Perenmaat - Exact Dates Unknown King Khasekhemwy - Exact Dates Unknown Chronology of the Kings 2nd Dynasty History Ancient Egyptian History Egytian Time Periods Prehistoric Egytpt 5000 - 3100BCE Early Dynastic Period: 3100 - 2686 BCE The Old Kingdom 2686 - 2181 BCE 1st Intermediate Period 2181 - 2134 BCE The Middle Kingdom 2134 - 1782 BCE 2nd Interm ediate Period 1782 - 1550 BCE The New Kingdom 1550 - 1069 BCE 3rd Interm ediate Period 1069 - 664 BCE The Late Period 664 - 332 BCE Ptolemaic Egypt 332 - 30 BCE Roman & Byzantine Egypt 30 BCE - 641 CE 2nd Dynasty Ancient Egyptian History |
