The Ninth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty IX) is often combined with the 7th, 8th, 10th and early 11th Dynasties under the group title First Intermediate Period. The Dynasty that seems to have supplanted the Eighth Dynasty is highly obscure. The takeover by the rulers of Herakleopolis was violent and is reflected in Manetho’s description of Achthoes, the founder of the Dynasty, as ‘more terrible than his predecessors, who ‘wrought evil things for those in all Egypt”.
Rulers of the Ninth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt
Egypt was not unified then, with some overlap between these and other local dynasties. The Ninth Dynasty was founded at Herakleopolis Magna, and the Tenth Dynasty continued there. The Turin Canon lists eighteen kings for this royal line, but their names are damaged, unidentifiable, or lost.
The following is a possible list of rulers of the Ninth Dynasty based on the Turin Canon. Egyptologists have differing opinions about the order of succession within the two dynasties. Among them, only Meryibre Khety and Nebkaure Khety are undoubtedly attested by archaeological finds:
| Name |
|---|
| Meryibre Khety I |
| [name lost] |
| Neferkare VII |
| Nebkaure Khety II |
| Setut |
| [name lost] |
| Mery[…] |
| Shed[…] |
| H[…] |
| [three names lost] |
| User(?)[…] |
Meryibre Khety
Meryibre Khety, also known by his Horus name Meryibtawy, was a pharaoh of Egypt’s 9th or 10th Dynasty during the First Intermediate Period.
Neferkare VII
Neferkare VII was the third pharaoh of the Ninth Dynasty of Egypt of ancient Egypt, ca. 2140 BCE (during the First Intermediate Period), according to the Turin King List, where his name, Neferkare, is inscribed in the register 4.20.
Nebkaure Khety
Practically nothing is known about the events of Nebkaure Khety‘s reign; due to the contrasting opinions of scholars, even its date is still tricky. Many Egyptologists assign Nebkaure to the 9th Dynasty, possibly the fourth king (and the second king bearing the name Khety), just after Neferkare VII. On the other hand, scholars such as Jürgen von Beckerath believe that Nebkaure reigned during the subsequent 10th Dynasty, possibly before Meryibre Khety.
Setut
No contemporary archaeological find attests to Setut‘s existence since he is known only by the Turin King List, where his incomplete name Senen[…] appears in position 4.22. An unknown king of the same Dynasty succeeded him. He should have resigned from Herakleopolis after Nebkaure Khety or Wahkare Khety, being one of the ephemeral rulers of the late 9th Dynasty.
