Perneb is the name of an ancient Egyptian

prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, who lived at the beginning of the

2nd Dynasty The Second Dynasty of ancient Egypt (or Dynasty II, c. 2890 – c. 2686 BC) is the latter of the two dynasties of the Egyptian Archaic Period, when the seat of government was centred at Thinis. It is most known for its last ruler, ...

Identity

Perneb's name is preserved on several clay seals found in the gallery tomb A at

Saqqara Saqqara ( ar, سقارة, ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphi ...

, which is attributed to two kings (

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...

s) at the same time (king Hotepsekhemwy and king

Raneb Nebra or Raneb is the Horus name of the second early Egyptian king of the 2nd Dynasty. The exact length of his reign is unknown since the Turin canon is damaged and the year accounts are lost.Alan H. Gardiner: ''The royal canon of Turin''. Gr ...

). This circumstance lead to disputes about the family origin of Perneb; it cannot be said for sure whose son he exactly was. Perneb became known for a very rare and unusual title: he was ''priest of

Sopdu Sopdu (also rendered Septu or Sopedu) was a god of the sky and of eastern border regions in the religion of Ancient Egypt.Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson. p. 211 He was Khensit's ...

'', a deity which was rarely named in early Egypt. His cult center was somewhere in the eastern

Nile Delta The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to ...

at a city called ''Iptjw''. The exact geographical position of this town is not known. It is also unknown where Perneb was interred. Peter Kaplony: ''Inschriften der Ägyptischen Frühzeit.'' Volume 3, (= ''Ägyptologische Abhandlungen'' vol. 8). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1963, , p. 96 as Obj. 367.

References

{{reflist Ancient Egyptian princes 3rd-millennium BC births 3rd-millennium BC deaths