This article is about the king list from the reign of Ramesses II. For the king list from the reign of Seti I, see Abydos King List.
Fragmentary Abydos King's List from the temple of Ramesses II at Abydos, now at the British Museum.
The Abydos King List of Ramesses II, also known as the Fragmentary Abydos King List, the Fragmentary Abydos King Table or the Fragmentary Abydos Tablet, is a list of Ancient Egyptiankings down to Ramesses' own time. Originally located in the temple of Ramesses II at Abydos in Egypt, it was built in the 13th century BC. The list is similar to the one inscribed in the temple built at the site by Ramesses' father and predecessor, Seti I, but with the addition of Ramesses' own throne name and nomen. The list was found by William John Bankes in 1818 and the surviving fragments were removed in 1837 by the French consul in Egypt, dismantled and the blocks sold to the British. Severely damaged as a result, it is now on display at the British Museum.[1][2]
Ramesses' list is in fragments, so that only some of the kings' names survive. Originally, the list was believed to have consisted of four rows of 26 cartouches (borders enclosing the name of a king) in each row. The upper three rows would have contained names of the kings (76 ancestors plus Ramesses prenomen and nomen for a total of 78), while the fourth would have row merely repeats Ramesses II's prenomen and nomen. The original top row was lost in antiquity, leaving the current 3 rows with 32 cartouches of different pharaohs surviving.
Drawing of the Fragmentary Abydos King List from 1842. Details like hieroglyphics and cartouches that were present in 1826, but had disappeared by 1842 are included here, along with reconstructions of some of the cartouches.
The third row merely contains the Prenomen of Ramesses II repeated 13 times and several different versions of the Nomen of Ramesses II repeated a combined total of 13 times.
