Khaba
Encyclopedia
Khaba was a Pharaoh
of Ancient Egypt
's Old Kingdom
and is generally considered to have reigned near the end of the Third Dynasty
. He was successor to Sekhemkhet
, and he was probably a son of Sekhemkhet. Khaba is believed to have reigned a relatively brief four years between 2640 to 2637 BC, although these dates are highly conjectural, based on what scant evidence exists of this early king.
as "erased", which may imply that there were dynastic problems during his reign, or that the scribe working on this list was unable to fully decipher the name from the more ancient records being copied. It has also been suggested that Khaba may be the Horus name of the last king of the Third Dynasty, Huni
, and that the two kings are the same person.
Khaba's name, typically displayed within a serekh
rather than the more typical cartouche
form established by the end of this dynasty, was written using the sign of a rising sun that had the sound value of kha, and a Saddle-billed Stork
that had the sound value of ba. His name translates as "The Soul Appears."
, located at Zawyet el'Aryan
, about 2 km south of Giza. It is an unfinished pyramid whose construction is typical of Third Dynasty masonry and would have originally risen about 42-45m in height (it is now about 20m). While there were no inscriptions directly relating the pyramid to this king, he is attested in four or perhaps five sites and eight alabaster bowls inscribed with the king's serekh were discovered nearby in Mastaba Z-500 located just north of the pyramid.
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
's Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
and is generally considered to have reigned near the end of the Third Dynasty
Third dynasty of Egypt
For the Sumerian Renaissance, see Third Dynasty of Ur.The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth...
. He was successor to Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet was a Pharaoh in Egypt during the Third dynasty. According to the Manethonian tradition, a king known as Tyris reigned for a relatively brief period of seven years, and modern scholars believe Djoserty and Sekhemkhet are the same person...
, and he was probably a son of Sekhemkhet. Khaba is believed to have reigned a relatively brief four years between 2640 to 2637 BC, although these dates are highly conjectural, based on what scant evidence exists of this early king.
Reign
This king is mentioned in the Turin King ListTurin King List
The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is a hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio at Turin...
as "erased", which may imply that there were dynastic problems during his reign, or that the scribe working on this list was unable to fully decipher the name from the more ancient records being copied. It has also been suggested that Khaba may be the Horus name of the last king of the Third Dynasty, Huni
Huni
Huni was the last Pharaoh of Egypt of the Third dynasty. He was the successor to Khaba.-Family:Huni was the father of Hetepheres I, the wife of Sneferu who was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty...
, and that the two kings are the same person.
Khaba's name, typically displayed within a serekh
Serekh
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a serekh is a rectangular enclosure representing the niched or gated façade of a palace surmounted by the Horus falcon, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name...
rather than the more typical cartouche
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
form established by the end of this dynasty, was written using the sign of a rising sun that had the sound value of kha, and a Saddle-billed Stork
Saddle-billed Stork
The Saddle-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.This is a close...
that had the sound value of ba. His name translates as "The Soul Appears."
Pyramid
Khaba is commonly associated with the Layer PyramidLayer Pyramid
The Layer Pyramid is located in the necropolis of Zawyet el'Aryan. It is thought to be the tomb of Khaba, of the Third Dynasty, but this is based upon excavations in a tomb inside the pyramid complex, and is disputed.-References:* Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids – Their Archaeology and...
, located at Zawyet el'Aryan
Zawyet el'Aryan
Zawyet el-Aryan is a town in Egypt, located between Giza and Abusir. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis, referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet el-Aryan, there are 2 pyramid complexes.* The Layer Pyramid was built in...
, about 2 km south of Giza. It is an unfinished pyramid whose construction is typical of Third Dynasty masonry and would have originally risen about 42-45m in height (it is now about 20m). While there were no inscriptions directly relating the pyramid to this king, he is attested in four or perhaps five sites and eight alabaster bowls inscribed with the king's serekh were discovered nearby in Mastaba Z-500 located just north of the pyramid.