Perneb

Perneb is the name of an ancient Egyptian prince and priest, who lived at the beginning of the 2nd Dynasty.

Perneb in hieroglyphs
Perneb pr-nb Lord of (his) house Personal name
Sa-nisut s3-njsw.t Son of the king Royal title
Iry-khet-Sopdu Jrj-ẖt-Spd.w Priest of Sopdu Official title

Identity

Perneb's name is preserved on several clay seals found in the gallery tomb A at Saqqara, which is attributed to two kings (pharaohs) at the same time (king Hotepsekhemwy and king Raneb). This circumstance lead to disputes about the family origin of Perneb; it cannot be said for sure whose son he exactly was.

Perneb became known for a very rare and unusual title: he was priest of Sopdu, a deity which was rarely named in early Egypt. His cult center was somewhere in the eastern Nile Delta at a city called Iptjw. The exact geographical position of this town is not known. It is also unknown where Perneb was interred.^[1][2]

References

1. Toby A. H. Wilkinson: Early dynastic Egypt: Strategy, Society and Security. Routledge, London u. a. 1999, ISBN 0-415-18633-1, p. 296.
2. Peter Kaplony: Inschriften der Ägyptischen Frühzeit. Volume 3, (= Ägyptologische Abhandlungen vol. 8). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1963, ISBN 3-447-00052-X, p. 96 as Obj. 367.