organizations for Egypt and established a palace at MEM-
PHIS. He conducted religious celebrations at SAQQARAand
visited BUTOand SAIS.
Djer’s tomb at ABYDOSis large and is located near
Aha’s gravesite. The tomb is fashioned out of a rectangu-
lar pit with magazines on either side. It was roofed with
timber. Within the tomb an arm was discovered in a wall
crevice. It was believed to have been part of the remains
of Djer’s queen. The limb had bracelets of gold, turquoise,
lapis lazuli, and amethyst as ornaments. Djer’s Saqqara
tomb was larger than the Abydos gravesite, having sub-
terranean chambers and seven magazines. The Abydos
tomb had 338 subsidiary graves, possibly sacrificed
courtiers and servants. A SEREKH(1) was used for Djer’s
royal names and power. The tomb also took on a reli-
gious significance well beyond the throne. It was identi-
fied in later eras as the actual burial site of the god OSIRIS.
KHENDJER(r. c. 1740 B.C.E.) of the Thirteenth Dynasty
installed an “OSIRIS BED” in Djer’s burial chamber, depict-
ing the deity lying on a bier formed by the bodies of
carved lions. Pilgrims attended festivals at the tomb,
which remained popular for centuries.
Djet (Wadj, Wadji, Iterty, Uadj)(fl. c. 2850 B.C.E.)
Third ruler of the First Dynasty
He was the son of DJERand probably Queen HERNEITH
(2). His wife was MERNEITH(1), who stood as regent for
their son, DEN. Djet died at a young age and was provided
with two tombs, at SAQQARAand ABYDOS. The Saqqara
tomb, once believed to have been Djet’s, is now known to
belong to the noble SEKHEM-KHA. Another site is probably
Djet’s, and it has 62 satellite burials. The Abydos tomb
has 174 satellite burials and a wooden burial chamber in
a large pit, surrounded by brick chambers. A STELAdis-
covered there, among some 20 such monuments, com-
plete with a SEREKH (1),is preserved in the Louvre at
Paris. An inscription bearing his name was also discov-
ered in EDFU.
Djoser (Netjerykhet)(d. 2611 B.C.E.)Second ruler of
the Third Dynasty
He reigned from 2630 B.C.E. until his death. Inheriting
the throne as the son of KHA’SEKHEMWYand a lesser
ranked royal woman, Queen NIMA’ATHAPor Hapnyma’at,
he ruled during an age that witnessed advances in civi-
lization on the Nile. The construction of architectural
monuments, agricultural developments, trade, and the
rise of cities were all evident on the Nile at the time.
Djoser ruled for almost two decades, and during his reign
territories were consolidated and nomes subdued. He is
remembered, however, for the great architectural achieve-
ment of his reign, the STEP PYRAMIDat SAQQARA. His chan-
cellor or VIZIER,IMHOTEP, was the architect who directed
the building of the great complex, which was Djoser’s
tomb.
Djoser fought the nomads on Egypt’s eastern border
and the Libyans in the west, as the nation strove to evolve
without foreign interference. A statue discovered near his
pyramid depicts him as standing on foreigners, identified
asthe “NINE BOWS,” and on the opposing clans of native
Egyptians called the Lapwings or REKHET.He was also
involved in an event that assumed legendary importance
in Egyptian records, being recorded in the famed FAMINE
STELAat SEHEL ISLAND, which may date to the Ptolemaic
Period (304–30 B.C.E.). A famine lasted in Egypt for a
period of seven years, and Djoser counseled with Im-
hotep and with his governor of the south, a man named
MEDIR. Both advised him to sail to the ELEPHANTINE
Island at ASWAN, where the cult of the god KHNUMwas
centered. Khnum was believed to control the annual flow
of the Nile, and Djoser had dreamed that the god
appeared to him and complained about the sorry state of
his shrine. He arrived at the Elephantine Island and
erected a new temple on the site to honor Khnum, which
brought about a miraculous end to the famine. The PHI-
LAEpriestesses of ISISclaimed that Djoser gave them their
island at the same time.
Djoser’s wife was HETEPHERNEBTY, thought to be a
daughter of Kha’sekhemwy. Djoser used the throne name
of Netjerykhet on all monuments, including the Step
Pyramid. A mummified left foot, parts of the spine and
chest, and an upper right arm and shoulders recovered in
Saqqara are believed to be all that is left of Djoser’s
remains. Relatives of this pharaoh were interred in the
pyramid’s shafts and tunnels. A life-size statue was found
in the SERDABof the pyramid, depicting Djoser in a HEB-
SEDcloak. He is listed in the Turin KING LIST, and inscrip-
tions record his invasion of the SINAI for turquoise.
Djoser’s daughters were Hetephernebty and Intkaes. His
successor was SEKHEMKHET, possibly a relative.dogs Domesticated animals used in hunting, in agricul-
tural systems, and as pets as early as the Old Kingdom
(2575–2134 B.C.E.), the canines of the Nile Valley devel-
oped from two distinct historic genetic lines: canis famil-
iaris Leineri,known for greyhounds and sight hounds, and
canis familiaris intermedius,known for Egyptians’ smaller
house dogs. The Saluki-type breed, the hounds, and the
short-legged terriers were well established by the Middle
Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.). Nomarchs were buried with
their dogs, and funerary stelas represent certain breeds.
The custom of keeping dogs as pets faded between the
Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom (1550–1070
B.C.E.), but Queen-Pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1473–1458
B.C.E.), revived the popularity of the various breeds.Douao He was a deity of MEDICINE and the divine
patron of Egyptian priest physicians associated with treat-
ments of eye diseases in some periods.
See also WERET.Douao 103