TheFifth Dynasty ofancient Egypt (notatedDynasty V) is often combined with DynastiesIII,IV andVI under the group title theOld Kingdom. The Fifth Dynastypharaohs reigned for approximately 150 years, from the early 25th century BC until the mid 24th century BC.
The Fifth Dynasty of Egypt is a group of nine kings ruling Egypt for approximately 150 years in the25th and24th centuries BC.[note 1] The relative succession of kings is not entirely secured as there are contradictions between historical sources and archaeological evidence regarding the reign of the shadowyShepseskare.
Known rulers in the Fifth Dynasty are listed below.[7]Manetho assigns 248 years of rule to the Fifth Dynasty; however, thepharaohs of this dynasty more probably ruled for approximately 150 years.[19] This estimate varies by both scholar and source. TheHorus names[18] and most names of the queens[20] are taken from Dodson and Hilton.[21]
Manetho writes that the Dynasty V kings ruled fromElephantine, but archeologists have found evidence clearly showing that their palaces were still located atIneb-hedj ("White Walls").
HowPharaohUserkaf founded this dynasty is not known for certain. TheWestcar Papyrus, which was written during theMiddle Kingdom, tells a story of how kingKhufu of Dynasty IV was given a prophecy that triplets born to the wife of the priest ofRa inSakhbu would overthrow him and his heirs, and how he attempted to put these children – named Userkaf,Sahure, andNeferirkare – to death; however in recent years, scholars have recognized this story to be at best a legend and admit their ignorance over how the transition from one dynasty to another transpired.
During this dynasty,Egyptian religion made several important changes. The earliest known copies of funerary prayers inscribed on royal tombs (known as thePyramid Texts) appear. The cult of the godRa gains added importance, and kings from Userkaf throughMenkauhor Kaiu built temples dedicated to Ra at or nearAbusir. Then late in this dynasty, the cult of thedeityOsiris assumes importance, most notably in the inscriptions found in the tomb ofUnas.
Amongst non-royal Egyptians of this time,Ptahhotep,vizier toDjedkare Isesi, won fame for his wisdom;The Maxims of Ptahhotep was ascribed to him by its later copyists. Non-royal tombs were also decorated with inscriptions, like the royal ones, but instead of prayers or incantations, biographies of the deceased were written on the walls.
^Several dates have been proposed by the scholars for the Fifth Dynasty: 2513–2374,[1][2] 2510–2370,[3] 2510–2460,[4] 2504–2345,[5] 2498–2345,[6] 2494–2345,[7][8][9][10] 2465–2323,[11][12] 2454–2297,[5] 2450–2335,[13][14]2450–2325,[15] 2435–2306,[16][17] 2392–2282[18]
Krauss, Rolf (1998). "Wenn und aber: Das Wag-Fest und die Chronologie des Alten Reiches".Göttinger Miszellen (in German).162. Göttingen: Universität der Göttingen. Seminar für Agyptologie und Koptologie:53–64.ISSN0344-385X.
Verner, Miroslav (2001b). "Old Kingdom: An Overview". InRedford, Donald B. (ed.).The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 585–591.ISBN978-0-19-510234-5.
von Beckerath, Jürgen (1997).Chronologie des pharaonischen Ägypten : die Zeitbestimmung der ägyptischen Geschichte von der Vorzeit bis 332 v. Chr. Münchner ägyptologische Studien (in German). Vol. 46. Mainz am Rhein: Philipp von Zabern.ISBN978-3-8053-2310-9.