The Famine Pharaoh, Joseph and his wife, in Archaïc Egypt

by Damien F. Mackey “Traces of other such enclosures have also been found: one to the immediate west of Netjerikhet’s complex and one apparently between Sekhemkhet’s pyramid and the ‘Great Enclosure’. It has been suggested that these enclosures bear a striking resemblance to similar structures found near Umm el-Qa’ab. The largest of these enclosures, named Shunet ez-Zebib, has been identified as having belonged to Khasekhemwi. It is believed that this structure was intended as a simulacrum of the royal palace, a copy that the king would take with him to the hereafter”. ancient-egypt.org 2025 Introduction The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom has proven to be something of a rich goldmine for discovering historical proof of the reality of Joseph and the Famine, as recorded late in the Book of Genesis (esp. Chapters 41-43). Joseph as the celebrated vizier, Imhotep, the pious sage serving Horus Netjerikhet, had saved Egypt from a seven-year Famine. This is famously recorded in a late (Ptolemaïc) document, the Sehel Famine Stela. But there may now have been identified much earlier, apparent originals, of this Ptolemaïc inscription. On this, see my article: Was this the original ‘Famine Stela’? (6) Was this the original 'Famine Stela'? Imhotep was the quasi-pharaonic Khasekhemwy-Hetep-Imef (= Im-hotep), who built huge enclosures (storage facilities) at Nekhen, at Abydos (known as Shunet ez Zebib), and the massive Gisr el-Mudir at Saqqara. He was also the like-named (to Khasekhemwy) Sekhemkhet-Djoser-ti (see below). Thus Imhotep was Djoser (Zoser), and Netjerikhet, thought to have been him, was not. https://www.ancient-egypt.org/history/early-dynastic-period/2nd-dynasty/horus-seth-khasekhemwi/great-enclosure-at-saqqara.html Great Enclosure at Saqqara To the west of the unfinished pyramid of Sekhemkhet, a large rectangular structure was discovered composed mainly of a gigantic enclosure wall. With its 600 by 300 metres, this enclosure encompasses an area that is even considerably larger than Netjerikhet’s neighbouring complex. It as long been assumed -without any substantial examination of this structure- that this wall, known as the ‘Great Enclosure‘ or by its Arab name ‘Gisr el-Mudir‘ (wall of the director), was part of an unfinished mortuary complex of an unidentified 3rd Dynasty king. There is, however, no trace of a step pyramid inside this wall. Furthermore, this wall seems to have been completed, which would make the building of a pyramid within its compounds quite impossible. Recent research by the EES has shown that Gisr el-Mudir may at least be one generation older than the Horus Netjerikhet, thus dating to the 2nd Dynasty. Traces of other such enclosures have also been found: one to the immediate west of Netjerikhet’s complex and one apparently between Sekhemkhet’s pyramid and the ‘Great Enclosure’. It has been suggested that these enclosures bear a striking resemblance to similar structures found near Umm el-Qa’ab. The largest of these enclosures, named Shunet ez-Zebib, has been identified as having belonged to Khasekhemwi. It is believed that this structure was intended as a simulacrum of the royal palace, a copy that the king would take with him to the hereafter. If indeed these palace-copies are similar to the Saqqara enclosures, then it is likely that the Saqqara enclosures were related to the 2nd Dynasty tombs which were located in the vicinity. If the enclosures at Saqqara are indeed of 2nd Dynasty date and not, as was assumed in the past, of the 3rd Dynasty, then the ‘Great Enclosure’ is to be considered the oldest known building constructed, at least partially, in stone! These were ‘gigantic enclosures’ built for storing vast quantities of grain. They were not, as wrongly thought, mortuary complexes, or copies of palaces. This was all Joseph-Imhotep’s divinely inspired work. Absolutely amazing to think that all of this infrastructure was built in anticipation of a great and protracted Famine, as foretold to Pharaoh by the prescient Joseph. Whenever, before, or even after, has the like of this been done! “No one like Joseph has ever been born …”. (Sirach 49:15) Waterways and canals were also constructed by Joseph the water bringer, along with large dams. One immediately thinks of the Bahr Yusef canal, named after Joseph. Much of this was erected hastily, without the usual Egyptian decoration, purpose-built to serve for only a specified period of time. Then it fell into disuse – or was appropriated and enhanced by the mighty Pyramid building oppressor-pharaohs of the subsequent Fourth Dynasty: the era of Moses. With a necessary folding of Egypt’s Old Kingdom into its so-called ‘Middle’ Kingdom, which simply duplicates the Old Kingdom, we encounter all over again the Famine era, including, among other things, mention of “seven empty years” (Heqanakht papyri). For Horus Netjerikhet of Egypt’s Third Dynasty was the same king as the powerful Netjerihedjet (Mentuhotep II) of the Eleventh Dynasty – the Famine Pharaoh. Having come to these twin conclusions some time ago now, that the biblical Famine belonged historically to the Old Kingdom, but is duplicated with the ‘Middle’ Kingdom, I never expected to find a ‘third’ manifestation of it all, back in Egypt’s Archaïc Period. Archaic Period: Dynasties 1-2; Old Kingdom: Dynasties 3-6; First Intermediate Period: Dynasties 7-11 (part of); Middle Kingdom: Dynasties 11-12. First Dynasty biblical scenario Although Egypt’s First Dynasty is conventionally set out like this: http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn01/dyn01.html Menes Djer Merneith Djet Den Anedjib Semerkhet Qa'a Sneferka the listing, I would strongly suggest, is in need of a major overhaul. While the famous Menes, the first mentioned king in this list, traditionally belongs to the time of Abram (Abraham), with which syncretism I would agree (see my article): Dr. W.F. Albright’s game-changing chronological shift (7) Dr. W.F. Albright's game-changing chronological shift the next four listed personages, Djer, Merneith, Djet and Den, all belong to - as we are going to find out - the era of Joseph (c. 1700 BC), which era is, roughly speaking, two centuries later than that of Abram (Abraham) (c. 1900 BC). Perhaps that yawning gap in the First Dynasty list is filled out by the Second Dynasty: http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn02/dyn02.html Hetepsekhemwy Reneb (Nebre) Weneg Ninetjer Sened Nubnefer Neferkare Neferkaseker Hudjefa I Peribsen-Sekhemib Khasekhemwy But, then again, perhaps not! There immediately appear to be some obstacles to such a suggestion, with the first listed ruler, Hetepsekhemwy, being, yet once again, I would suggest, Joseph-Imhotep himself, as Hotep-Im (= Hetep-Imef) Khasekhemwy, who, it needs to be noted, emerges again at the end of this Second Dynasty list. And, while I do not want to become bogged down here with the Second Dynasty, which, to date, I have not studied at great length, I think that a case could be mounted also for Ninetjer (Nynetjer) in this list to be the same ruler as Djer (Nine-tjer) in the First Dynasty list, a contemporary of Joseph as I shall be arguing – for Ninetjer, too, may have experienced a great famine (see 1. below). And, intriguingly, Peribsen in the list was once thought (the idea is not popular today) to have introduced monotheism to Egypt (as could perhaps be expected from Joseph) along the lines of Akhnaton at a much later date. On this last, see e.g. my article: Akhnaton’s Theophany (11) Akhnaton's Theophany Whilst, in the lengthy Phouka king list above, a full five regal names separate Ninetjer (potential Famine Pharaoh) from Seth-Peribsen (tentatively, Joseph), Peribsen immediately follows Ninetjer in the (roughly) half as long list here at Higher Intellect: https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/other/crystalinks/dynasty2.html Hotepsekhemwy - 'Pleasing in Powers' Reneb - Re is the Lord Ninetjer - Godlike Peribsen - Sekhemib - 'Powerful in Heart' Khasekhemwy - "The Two Powerful Ones Appear" Could it be that more than half (8 out of 14) of the names listed for these supposedly two distinct dynasties – {here following the shortened version of the Second Dynasty} - pertain to the era of the biblical Joseph? There could well be much more to be said about all of this! 1. Famine Pharaoh: Archaïc Period Returning to the First Dynasty list, to Djer, Merneith, Djet and Den, about all of whom I wrote above that they belonged to the era of the biblical Joseph, we can put aside Merneith, a female, who obviously could not have been Joseph’s Pharaoh. Den (Udimu) was, I have already concluded most emphatically, Joseph himself: Joseph also as Den, ‘he who brings water’ (6) Joseph also as Den, 'he who brings water' Djer and Djet I would consider to be two manifestations of just the one Pharaoh - paralleling the already discussed Third Dynasty and Eleventh Dynasty syncretism - respectively, Horus Netjerikhet as Djer, and Mentuhotep Netjerihedjet as Djet. Above, I tentatively included the long-reigning Second Dynasty ruler, Ninetjer (-djer). Djet and Ninetjer had in common long reigns and celebration of the Heb Sed festival, which (supposedly occurring every 30 years) was probably far less common in those early times as may be thought, but which may have become duplicated (or more) due to an inaccurate, repetitive Egyptology. Not only did Djet and Ninetjer, in common, enjoy a Heb Sed festival, however, but Djet, certainly, and Ninetjer, potentially, experienced a severe Famine. Regarding pharaoh Djet and the Famine, see e.g. my article (revised, with Imhotep now intended as Djoser): Taking a Djet to Djoser’s Famine (6) Taking a Djet to Djoser's Famine And, regarding a possible lengthy famine at the time of Ninetjer, we read as follows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nynetjer “Egyptologists such as Barbara Bell believe that an economic catastrophe such as a famine or a long lasting drought affected Egypt around this time. Therefore, to address the problem of feeding the Egyptian population, Nynetjer split the realm into two and his successors ruled two independent states until the famine came to an end. Bell points to the inscriptions of the Palermo stone, where, in her opinion, the records of the annual Nile floods show constantly low levels during this period”. Likewise, Miroslav Bárta has written in his article: Journey to the West The world of the Old Kingdom tombs in Ancient Egypt. Prague 2012 https://www.academia.edu/23316703/Journey_to_the_West_The_world_of_the_Old_Kingdom_tombs_in_Ancient_Egypt_Prague_2012 that: “… probably at the end of the First and start of the Second Dynasty, a time marked by internal conflicts connected with low levels of flooding and failed harvests …”: “… low levels of flooding and failed harvests …” the perfect mix of ingredients for Famine in ancient Egypt. 2. Joseph and Asenath: Archaïc Period No need to repeat here what I have already written (in my “Joseph also as Den …” article above) about Den (Udimu) as Joseph-Imhotep. While the name Den, “he who brings water”, so fitting of Joseph, may have been posthumously assigned, it, and his other names, especially Usafais (Manetho) - clearly Joseph (Usaf-) - and Khasti, “the one of the desert”, or “foreigner”, mark him as: JOSEPH; FOREIGNER FROM THE DESERT; THE ONE WHO BRINGS WATER. I have further identified Joseph with the famous Chancellor of this time: Joseph as Chancellor of Egypt, Hemaka https://www.academia.edu/121954546/Joseph_as_Chancellor_of_Egypt_Hemaka Most recently of all, I believe that I may have found evidence for Joseph’s wife, Asenath: A possible identification of Asenath, the wife of Joseph (4) A possible identification of Asenath, the wife of Joseph The name is obviously an Egyptian one, whose later element, - nath, pertains to the goddess Neith. The woman in question is the highly important, Ahaneith (wikipedia.org): “Ahaneith was an ancient Egyptian woman, who lived during the First Dynasty of Egypt. She was named after the goddess Neith”. The name Ahaneith is essentially the same name as Asenath, bar one consonantal variation. And she lived at the right Archaïc period for my revised Asenath. Whether or not Merneith of the First Dynasty was also Joseph’s wife, Asenath, under a variant name form I am not able to determine at this stage. What is apparent is that scholars cannot decide between whether she was the wife of Djet or the mother of Den (impossible if Den was Joseph as I am claiming him to have been): https://www.livius.org/articles/person/merneith/ “Queen Merneith lived during Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period and was presumably the great wife of King Djet and mother of King Den. She is named in one of Egypt’s earliest known King Lists, which has led scholars to believe that Merneith may have been a pharaoh in her own right”.