Khaba
Khaba (also read as Hor-Khaba) was a pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, active during the 3rd Dynasty of the Old Kingdom period. The exact time during which Khaba ruled is unknown but may have been around 2670 BC, and almost definitely towards the end of the dynasty.
| Khaba | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hudjefa II.?, Sedjes?, Huni? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Serekh of Khaba on a stone bowl of unknown provenance, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UC 15800. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | duration unknown; ca. 2670 BC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Sekhemkhet or Sanakht | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Huni (if not identical to him), Sanakht, Qahedjet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Burial | Layer Pyramid at Zawyet el'Aryan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monuments | Layer Pyramid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Later 3rd Dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
King Khaba is considered to be difficult to assess as a figure of ancient Egypt. His name is archaeologically well-attested by stone bowls and mud seal impressions. Khaba's reign is securely dated to the Third Dynasty. Because of the contradictions within Ramesside king lists and the lack of contemporary, festive inscriptions, his exact chronological position within the dynasty remains disputed. These problems originate in part from contradictory king lists, which were all compiled long after Khaba's death, especially during the Ramesside era (which is separated from the Third Dynasty by 1,400 years). It is also a matter of debate as to where Khaba might have been buried. Many Egyptologists and archaeologists propose that an unfinished Layer Pyramid at Zawyet el'Aryan belongs to him. Others believe instead that his tomb is a large mastaba close to the Layer Pyramid, where numerous stone vessels bearing Khaba's serekh have been found.