Horus name
The oldest of the five royal names used by ancient Egyptian kings, written inside a serekh and associating the king with Horus.
Horus: An ancient Egyptian god associated with kingship, the sky, and the falcon. The title identifies the king with this god.
Egyptian royal titulary: The set of formal names and titles used by an ancient Egyptian king. The Horus name was one component of the full royal titulary.
Narmer Palette: A decorated ceremonial palette from early dynastic Egypt, bearing the name of King Narmer in a serekh. Its inscription is an early prominent example of the Horus name in royal imagery.
Narmer: An early Egyptian king associated with the unification of Egypt and the Narmer Palette. His serekh bears the name commonly read as Narmer.
Serekh: A rectangular hieroglyphic frame, often topped by a falcon, that enclosed a king’s Horus name. Its palace-façade form is the distinctive frame for the title.
Cartouche: An oval enclosure around the throne name and birth name of an Egyptian king. Unlike those later titulary names, the Horus name was enclosed by a serekh.
Early Dynastic Period of Egypt: The period when Egypt’s first dynasties consolidated rule after unification, around 3100–2686 BCE. The Horus-name convention took shape in early dynastic royal practice.
Djoser: A Third Dynasty pharaoh whose Step Pyramid complex stands at Saqqara. His Horus name, Netjerikhet, appears in royal inscriptions and monuments.
Egyptian hieroglyphs: The writing system used in ancient Egypt, combining logographic, consonantal, and determinative signs. The Horus name was written using this system.
Horus falcon: The falcon image of Horus, often shown perched atop a royal serekh. It visually crowns the frame containing the king’s title.