Qa'a: The Raised Arm

"Qa'a (literal meaning: "his arm is raised") was the last king of the First Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for 33 years. Manetho calls Qa'a Biénechês and gives him a reign of 26 years

Tomb stele of Qa'a

according to the version preserved by Sextus Julius Africanus.

 

A fragment of a bowl found at Saqqara mentions Horus Qa’a’s second Heb-Sed which, if the festival was celebrated the first time during his 30th and the second time during his 33rd year in power, would indicate a reign of at least 33 years.

 

Egyptologists have also discovered the stelae of two of Qa'a's officials, Merka and Sabef. These stelae have more complex inscriptions then earlier hieroglyphics, and may have signaled in increasing sophistication in the use of this writing.

 

Evidence shows that after his death, a dynastic war between different royal houses began over the newly empty throne. In the tomb of the high official Merka, a stone vessel with the name of a king Sneferka was found. It is unclear whether "Sneferka" was an alternate name of Qa'a or if he was a separate, ephemeral ruler. Egyptologists such as Wolfgang Helck and Toby Wilkinson point to a further mysterious ruler named "Horus Bird", whose name was found on vessel fragments dating to the end of the first dynasty. It is postulated that Sneferka and Horus Bird fought for power and that Hotepsekhemwy ended the fight and finally ascended the throne of Egypt, thus starting the Second Dynasty."

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