Anedjib

Anedjib governed Egypt during the First Dynasty, ruling from approximately 2890 to 2880 BC, with dates uncertain by about fifty years. He succeeded Den and ruled from the capital of Memphis. His reign appears to have been relatively brief, lasting approximately a decade.

During his rule, royal artists and scribes introduced the Nebty title of the 'Two Ladies', symbolising divine protection from the vulture goddess Nekhbet and the cobra goddess Wadjet. At North Saqqara, an elite official built mastaba S3038 during his reign, incorporating an early stepped brick core that foreshadowed later pyramid designs. Anedjib was buried at Umm el-Qa'ab in Tomb X, a relatively modest mud-brick chamber surrounded by subsidiary graves.

Scholars know Anedjib through inscribed stone vessels, ivory tags, and mentions on the Saqqara King List under his throne name Merybiapen. His inscriptions frequently show signs of erasure or reuse by his successor, Semerkhet.

Monuments

• Tomb X at Abydos
• Saqqara Mastaba S3038

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.