Sixth Dynasty of Egypt | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 2345BCE–c. 2181BCE | |||||||||||
 Ankhnesmeryre II, the queen of Egypt, and her child (son)Pepi II Neferkare, the pharaoh of Egypt. | |||||||||||
| Capital | Memphis | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Egyptian language | ||||||||||
| Religion | ancient Egyptian religion | ||||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Bronze Age | ||||||||||
• Established | c. 2345BCE | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 2181BCE | ||||||||||
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TheSixth Dynasty ofancient Egypt (notatedDynasty VI), along with theThird,Fourth andFifth Dynasty, constitutes theOld Kingdom of Dynastic Egypt.
The Sixth Dynasty is considered by many authorities as the last dynasty of the Old Kingdom, althoughThe Oxford History of Ancient Egypt[1] includesDynasties VII andVIII as part of the Old Kingdom.Manetho writes that these kings ruled fromMemphis, since their pyramids were built atSaqqara, very close one to another.[2]
By the Fifth Dynasty, the religious institution had established itself as the dominant force in society;[3] a trend of growth in the bureaucracy and the priesthood, and a decline in the pharaoh's power had been established duringNeferirkare Kakai's reign.[4] DuringDjedkare Isesi's rule, officials were endowed with greater authority—evidenced by the opulent private tombs they constructed—eventually leading to the creation of a feudal system in effect.[5] These established trends—decentralization of authority, coupled with growth in bureaucracy—intensified during the three decades ofUnas's rule, which also witnessed economic decline.[6] This continued on into Sixth Dynasty, leading into theFirst Intermediate Period.[7]
Knownpharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty are listed in the table below.[8]Manetho accords the dynasty 203 regnal years from Teti to Nitocris, while theTurin Canon assigns 181 regnal years, but with three additional kings concluding with Aba – discounting the reigns of the addedEighth Dynasty kings, this is reduced to 155 regnal years.[9] This estimate varies between both scholar and source.[a]
| Nomen (personal name) | Prenomen (throne name)[17] | Horus-name | Image | Proposed Dates | Estimated Regnal Duration | Pyramid | Queen(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teti | Teti | Seheteptawy |  | 2345–2333 BC | Manetho: 30–33 years Royal Turin Canon (RTC): < 7 months Cattle count: 6th = 12–13 years[9][18] | Pyramid of Teti at Saqqara | Iput I Khuit Khentkaus IV Neith |
| Userkare | (unknown) | (unknown) |  | 2333–2331 BC | Manetho: Unattested,[19] possibly involved in Teti's murder[20] RTC: Possibly lost in lacuna[21] Cattle count: Unknown, lost in lacuna(?)[22] | ||
| Pepi I | Nefersahor (originally) Merenre (later) | Merytawy |  | 2331–2287 BC | Manetho: 52 years[9] RTC: 20 or 44 years[23] Cattle count: 25th = 49–50 years[24] | Pyramid of Pepi I in SouthSaqqara | Ankhesenpepi I Ankhesenpepi II Nubwenet Meritites IV Inenek-Inti Mehaa Nedjeftet |
| Nemtyemsaf I | Merenre | Ankhkhau |  | 2287–2278 BC | Manetho: 7 years RTC: 6 years Cattle count: 5th + 1 year = 10 years[25] | Pyramid of Merenre in SouthSaqqara | Ankhesenpepi II |
| Pepi II | Neferkare | Netjerkhau | | 2278–2184 BC | Manetho: 94 years RTC: > 90 years Cattle count: 33rd = 64–66 years[26][27] | Pyramid of Pepi II in SouthSaqqara | Neith Iput II Ankhesenpepi III Ankhesenpepi IV Udjebten |
| Nemtyemsaf II | Merenre [Nemty?]emsaf | (unknown) |  | 2184 BC | Manetho: 1 year[28][27] RTC: 1 year, 1 month[29] | ||
| Netjerkare Siptah or Nitocris | (unknown) | (unknown) |  | 2184–2181 BC | Manetho: Nitocris for 12 years[28] RTC: Originally thought to identify Nitocris,[30] a recent study of the papyrus has altered this assessment in favour of Netjerkare, who is also attested on the Abydos king list.[31] |
Teti is identified as the first king of the Sixth Dynasty[32][20] by Manetho, after the conclusion of the reign of Unas.[32] He acceded to the throne in the 23rd century BC.[33]
Teti is assigned a regnal duration of 30 or 33 years by Manetho[34] — improbably long as the celebration of aSed festival is not attested to, and the latest date recorded corresponds to the sixth cattle count, 12 or 13 years into his reign. The Royal Canon of Turin (RTC) gives another unlikely estimate of seven months.[18] The archaeologist Hartwig Altenmüller mediates between Manetho and the record of the cattle count to offer a reign length of around 23 years.[34] The Egyptologists Peter Clayton and William Smith accord 12 years to his reign.[35][36][b]
The relationship between Teti and his predecessors remains unclear, but his wifeIput is thought to be a daughter ofUnas.[32][36] This would mean that Teti ascended to the throne as Unas's son-in-law.[34] His inauguration solved a potential succession crisis, Unas having died without a male heir.[7] Teti adopted the Horus name Seheteptawy (meaning "He who pacifies the Two Lands") to establish his reign as one of renewed political unity.[35] The transition appears to have occurred smoothly,[36][20] and Teti retained officials from his predecessors of the Fifth Dynasty, such as viziers Mehu and Kagemni who had begun their careers under Djedkare Isesi.[34] Despite this, the RTC too inserts a break between Unas and Teti, which the Egyptologist Jaromìr Malek contends relates to a "change of location of the capital and royal residence".[32] The capital migrated from "White Wall" to the populous suburbs further south to "Djed-isut"—derived from the name of Teti's pyramid and pyramid town, and located east of the monument. The royal residence might have been yet further south, in the valley away and across a lake from the city, east of South Saqqara—where the pyramids of Djedkare Isesi and Pepi I were built.[39]
Teti had his daughter, Sesheshet, married to one of his viziers and later chief priest, Mereruka, a clear sign of his interest in co-operating with the noble class.[40] Mereruka was buried close to Teti's pyramid, in a lavish tomb in North Saqqara.[18][35] As part of his policy of pacification, Teti issued a decree exempting the temple at Abydos from taxation. He was the first ruler to be closely associated with the cult of Hathor at Dendera.[18] Abroad, Teti maintained trade relations with Byblos and Nubia.[35]
Teti commissioned the construction of a pyramid at North Saqqara. His pyramid follows the standard set by Djedkare Isesi, with a base length of 78.5 m (258 ft; 150 cu) converging to the apex at ~53° attaining a peak height of 52.5 m (172 ft; 100 cu).[41] The substructure of the pyramid was very similar to Unas's and Djedkare Isesi's; it had a descending corridor and horizontal passage guarded at about the middle by three granite portcullises, leading to an antechamber flanked to its east by theserdab with its three recesses and to its west by the burial chamber containing the sarcophagus.[42] The walls of the chambers and a section of the horizontal passage were inscribed withPyramid Texts, as in Unas' pyramid.[43] The mortuary temple, with the exception of its entrance, conforms to the same basic plans as his predecessors.[43][44] The complex contained a cult pyramid to the south-east of the pyramid with base length 15.7 m (52 ft; 30 cu).[45] The causeway connecting to the mortuary temple is yet to be excavated,[44] while the valley temple and pyramid town are entirely missing.[43] Teti's pyramid became the site of a large necropolis, and included the pyramids of his wives Neith and Iput, mother of Pepi I.[46][47] Iput's skeleton was discovered buried in her pyramid in a wooden coffin.[46]
Manetho claims that Teti was assassinated by a bodyguard, but no contemporary sources confirm this.[35][48] The story, if true, might explain the references to the ephemeral rulerUserkare, proposed to have briefly reigned between Teti and Pepi I.[35] Userkare is attested to in the Royal Turin Canon and Abydos king-list, and is mentioned in several contemporaneous documents.[18]
During this dynasty, expeditions were sent to Wadi Maghara in theSinai Peninsula to mine forturquoise andcopper, as well as to the mines atHatnub andWadi Hammamat. The pharaoh Djedkara sent trade expeditions south toPunt and north toByblos, andPepi I sent expeditions not only to these locations, but also as far asEbla in modern-daySyria.
The most notable member of this dynasty wasPepi II, who is credited with a reign of 94 years.[49]
Also known by theGreek nameNitocris, this woman is believed by some authorities to have been not only the first female pharaoh but the first queen in the world, although it is currently accepted that her name is actually a mistranslation of the kingNeitiqerty Siptah.
With the growing number of biographical inscriptions in non-royal tombs,[50] academic knowledge of the contemporary history in Egypt broadened.[51] There is modern veracity to records of an unsuccessful plot against Pepi I,[52] anda letter written by the young king Pepi II, excited that one of his expeditions will return with adancing pygmy from the land ofYam, located to the south ofNubia.[53]
These non-royal tomb inscriptions are but one example of the growing power of the nobility, which further weakened the absolute rule of the king. As a result, it is believed that on the death of the long-lived Pepi II his vassals were entrenched enough to resist the authority of his many successors, which may have contributed to the rapid decline of the Old Kingdom.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Preceded by | Dynasty of Egypt c. 2345 – 2181 BC | Succeeded by |