‘Apepi was a ruler of some part of Lower Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c. 1650 BC. According to the egyptologists Kim Ryholt and Darrell Baker, ‘Apepi was the fifty-first ruler of the 14th Dynasty. He would have ruled from Avaris over the eastern Nile Delta and possibly the Western Delta. Alternatively, Jürgen von Beckerath sees ‘Apepi as a member of the late 16th Dynasty and a vassal of the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty.
Attestation of ‘Apepi
‘Apepi’s only secure attestation is the Turin canon, a king list redacted in the Ramesside period. ‘Apepi is listed on a document fragment corresponding to column 10, row 15 (column 9, row 16 as per Alan H. Gardiner’s reconstruction of the Turin canon). The chronological position of ‘Apepi cannot be ascertained beyond doubt due to the fragile and incomplete state of the canon. Furthermore, the document preserves only the beginning of ‘Apepi’s prenomen as “‘Ap[…]”. Which, Ryholt argues, may be restored to “‘Apepi”.
King’s son Apophis
Ryholt’s reconstruction of the name of ‘Apepi is significant because five scarab seals inscribed with “King’s son Apophis” are known. The inscription on two of these seals is enclosed in a cartouche followed by di-ˁnḫ, meaning “given life”. These two attributes are generally reserved for kings or designated heirs to the throne, and ‘Apepi could be the Apophis referred to on the seals. Tentatively confirming this attribution, Ryholt notes that both scarabs can be dated on stylistic grounds to the 14th Dynasty, between the reigns of Sheshi and Yaqub-Har.
