Nikare (also Nikare I) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Eighth Dynasty during the early First Intermediate Period (2181–2055 BC) when Egypt was possibly divided between several polities. According to the Egyptologists Kim Ryholt, Jürgen von Beckerath and Darrell Baker, he was the ninth king of the Eighth Dynasty. As such, Nikare’s seat of power would have been Memphis.
Attestations
Nikare is only known for sure thanks to the Abydos King List, a king list redacted during the reign of Seti I, where his name appears on the 48th entry. Nikare may also have been mentioned in the Turin canon, but his name and duration of reign are lost to a significant lacuna affecting kings 2 through 11 of the Eighth Dynasty.
Artefacts
According to the Egyptologist Peter Kaplony, a single faience cylinder seal may bear Nikare’s name and could thus be the only contemporary attestation of this king.
Now in the British Museum, a gold plaque inscribed with his name and Neferkamin. However, it is now believed that this object is a modern forgery.
