View source for Mesen-ka

{{Short description|Egyptian Prince alive during the late 2nd Dynasty and/or early 3rd Dynasty}}
{{Infobox hieroglyphs
|name = '''Personal name:''' <br/> <hiero>F31-n:D28</hiero>
|name explanation = Mesen-ka <br /> ''msn-k3''<br/>''His Ka is born''
|image1 = Mesenka.jpg
|image1-width = 220px
|image1 description = Stone bowl fragment with name and title of Mesen-ka.
}}
'''Mesen-ka''' (also read as '''Mesenka''') was an [[ancient Egypt]]ian prince living during the late [[Second Dynasty of Egypt|2nd Dynasty]] or at the beginning of the [[Third Dynasty of Egypt|3rd Dynasty]]. It is disputed as to who was the king ([[pharaoh]]) that reigned during Mesen-ka's time of officeship.
== Identity ==
Mesen-ka is attested by two stone bowl inscriptions only. These were found in the underground storages beneath the Southern Gallery within the [[Pyramid of Djoser]] at [[Saqqara]].<ref name="PLJP">Pierre Lacau & Jan-Phillip Lauer: ''La Pyramide à Degrés IV. – Inscriptions gravées sur les Vases: Fouilles à Saqqarah''. Service des antiquités de l’Égypte, Cairo 1936, p. 55.</ref><ref name="ADDH">Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton: ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson, London 2004, {{ISBN|0500051283}}, p.49.</ref>
=== Titles ===
As a prince, Mesen-ka bore the princely title:<ref name="PLJP"/>
* ''Son of the king'' (Egyptian: ''Sa-nesw'').
=== Career ===
Next to nothing is known about Mesen-ka's life and career, except for his title as a prince. It is also unknown, whose son he was, since no royal name was found. Calligraphic design and diction of the inscriptions show great resemblance to other inscriptions dating back to the time of the kings [[Peribsen]], [[Khasekhemwy]] and [[Djoser]]. Thus, Mesen-ka may have lived and served under one of these kings.<ref name="PLJP"/><ref name="ADDH"/>
== References ==
<references/>
{{Second Dynasty of Ancient Egypt}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:People of the Second Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:People of the Third Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:27th-century BC Egyptian people]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian princes]]