Qa'a, Pharaoh of Egypt

Qa'a (also Qáa or Ka'a) was the last king of the First dynasty of Egypt. He had a fairly large tomb in Abydos which measures 98.5 X 75.5 feet or 30 X 23 meters.[1] Manetho gives him a reign of 26 years in his Epitome if this ruler was a certain Biechenes.[2] A long reign is supported by the large size of this ruler's burial site at Abydos. A seal impression bearing Hotepsekhemwy's name was found near the entrance of the tomb of Qa'a (Tomb Q) by the German Archaeological Institute in the mid-1990s.[3] This pharaoh's large Abydos tomb was excavated by German archaeologists in 1993 and proved to contain 26 satellite (i.e. sacrificial) burials.[2] The discovery of the seal impression has been interpreted as evidence that Qa'a was buried, and therefore succeeded, by Hotepsekhemwy, the founder of the second dynasty of Egypt, as Manetho states.

The tomb of one of Qa'a's state officials at Saqqara—a certain noblemen named Merka—contained a stele with many titles. There is a second sed festival attested. This fact plus the high quality of a number of royal steles depicting the king implies that Qa'a's reign was a fairly stable and prosperous period of time. Qa'a's name translates as "His Arm is Raised."[4]

A number of year labels have also been discovered dating to his reign at the First Dynasty burial site of Umm el-Qa'ab in Abydos. Qa'a is believed to have ruled Egypt around 2916 B.C.E. A dish inscribed with the name and titles of Qa'a was discovered in the tomb of Peribsen (Tomb P of Petrie). [5]

Under Qa'a the officials Merka and Sabef had high positions in the palace administration.