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Ancient Egyptian History
Dynasties of Ancient Egypt
Predynastic Egypt Predynastic Egypt Protodynastic Period Early Dynastic 1st Dynasty 2nd Dynasty 3rd Dynasty Old Kingdom 4th Dynasty 5th Dynasty 6th Dynasty First Intermediate 7th Dynasty 8th Dynasty 9th Dynasty 10th Dynasty 11th Dynasty (Thebes only) Middle Kingdom 11th Dynasty (All Egypt) 12th Dynasty 13th Dynasty 14th Dynasty Second Intermediate 15th Dynasty 16th Dynasty 17th Dynasty New Kingdom 18th 19th 20th Third Intermediate 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th Late Period 26th 27th (First Persian Period) 28th 29th 30th 31st (Second Persian Period) Greek-Roman Alexander the Great Ptolemaic dynasty Roman Egypt Arab Conquest
v • d • e

The Second Dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with the First dynasty under the group title, Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. The capital at that time was Thinis.

[edit] Rulers

The names of the actual rulers of the Second Dynasty are in dispute. For the first five kings, the sources are fairly close in agreement. Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Second Dynasty are as follows:

Name	Years Reigned
Hotepsekhemwy	38
Raneb (now identified with Weneg)	39
Nynetjer	40
Senedj	20

However, the identity of the next two or three rulers is unclear: we may have both the Horus-name or Nebty (meaning two ladies) -name and their birth names for these rulers; they may be entirely different individuals; or they may be legendary names. On the left are the rulers most Egyptologists place here; on the right are the names that ultimately come from Manetho's Aegyptica:

Proposed Ruler	Manetho's List
Seth-Peribsen	Kaires
	Nepherkheres
Sekhemib-Perenmaat	Sesokhris

With the last ruler, we return to an agreement:

Name	Years Reigned
Khasekhemwy	17–18

Although Manetho states the capital was at Thinis, the same as during the First Dynasty, at least the first three kings were buried at Saqqara, suggesting the center of power had moved to Memphis. Beyond this, little can be said about the events during this period; the annual records on the Palermo stone only survive for the end of the reign of Raneb and for parts of Nynetjer's. One important event possibly happened during the reign of Khasekhemwy: many Egyptologists read his name ("the Two Powers are Crowned") as commemorating the union of Upper and Lower Egypts.