Khasekhemui, too, conquered the North, but
the style of his monuments shows such an advance upon that of the days
of Aha and Narmer that it seems best to make him the successor of Sen
(or "Qebh "), and, explaining the transference of the name Betjumer
to the beginning of the IId Dynasty as due to a confusion with
Khasekhemui's personal name Besh, to make Khasekhemui the founder of the
IId Dynasty. The beginning of a new dynasty may well have been marked
by a reassertion of the new royal power over Lower Egypt, which may have
lapsed somewhat under the rule of the later kings of the Ist Dynasty.
Semti is certainly the "Hesepti" of the lists, and Tja Ati is probably
"Ateth." "Ata" is thus unidentified. Prof. Petrie makes him = Merneit,
but, as has already been said, there is no proof that the tomb of
Merneit is that of a king. "Teta" may be Tjer or Khent, but of this
there is no proof. It is most probable that the names "Teta," "Ateth,"
and "Ata" are all founded on Ati, the personal name of Tja. The king
Tjer is then not represented in the lists, and "Mena" is a compound of
the two oldest Abydos kings, Narmer (Betjumer) Sma (?) and Aha Men (?).
These are the bare historical results that have been attained with
regard to the names, identity, and order of the kings. The smaller
memorials that have been found with them, especially the ivory plaques,
have told us of events that took place during their reigns; but, with
the exception of the constantly recurring references to the conquest of
the North, there is little that can be considered of historical interest
or importance.
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