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Volume 15 issue 6 June 2015

ANCIENT EGYPT explores the WORLD WIDE WEB ...

TRANSITION TO THE FIFTH DYNASTY

This month NETFISHING continues its look at the history of Egypt by seeing what the World Wide Web has to say about the transition from the Fourth to the Fifth Dynasty.

THE END OF THE FOURTH DYNASTY

SHEPSESKAF, a son, or possibly a brother, of Menkaura (Mycerinus), was the last ruler of the Fourth Dynasty although he appears to have had only a short reign of some four years. He returned to Saqqara for his burial ground, but rather than erect another pyramid, instead he constructed a large mastaba-type form of funerary monument, known today as the Mastaba el-Faraoun (Pharaoh’s Bench). This impressive monument has provoked much debate in that some Egyptologists believe that Shepseskaf was trying to distance himself from the growing power of the priesthood of Ra by building a mastaba form of tomb rather than construct yet another pyramid at Giza (the pyramid shape being associated with the cult of sun-god Ra). Indeed his name makes no mention of Ra.

Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepseskaf

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/shepseskaf.htm

https://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/mastaba-of-shepseskaf/

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Shepseskaf.html

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn04/06shepsekaf.html

http://www.saqqara.nl/saqqara/landmarks/mastabat-el-fara’un

The transition to the Fifth Dynasty is uncertain, but Shepseskaf may well have been succeeded by a queen called KHENTKAWES, who was most probably a daughter of Menkaura, and so appears to have been the last survivor of the old royal line of the Fourth Dynasty. Khentkawes formed the bridge between the old royal family of the Fourth Dynasty and the ‘new’ kings of the Fifth Dynasty, as she most probably married King USERKAF, the first king of the Fifth Dynasty. Her royal titles indicate she was the mother of at least one king, if not two, but unfortunately the names of her sons have not survived. Egyptologists, therefore, for many years believed that she was the mother of both SAHURA and NEFERIRKARA, but recent discoveries have now shown that this is not the case. However, as king Userkaf only ruled for some eight years, Queen Khentkawes may well have acted as regent for his son (by another queen), the young king Sahura, which may explain why depictions of Khentkawes show her with royal attributes such as the ‘crook and the flail’ and the ‘false beard’. Khentkawes’ tomb at Giza (LG100), as befitting her high status, is a very large and impressive mastaba formed out of a natural outcrop of rock. She also had a pyramid tomb at Abusir, although this may just have acted as a cenotaph.

Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khentkaus_I

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/fourthqueens.htm

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/q-khentkausII.html

http://egyptphoto.ncf.ca/Pyramid%20of%20Khentkawes.htm

https://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/giza-central-field/

https://aerablog.wordpress.com/tag/khentkawes/

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jorient1962/50/1/50_1_173/_article

Khentkawes is often linked with a story told in the Westcar Papyrus where a lady called Reddjedet (a corruption of the name Khentkawes) gave birth to triplets, three kings of Egypt (Userkaf, Sahura and Neferirkara), but this story appears to be a much later invention, written in the Hyksos Period (1674-1567 BC) to explain the succession of the Fifth Dynasty kings. The papyrus is now in the Neues Museum, Berlin.

Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westcar_Papyrus

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/texts/westcar_papyrus.htm

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/westcar-papyrus.html

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/westcar-pharaohs-birth.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/westcar_papyrus.html

USERKAF – THE FIRST KING OF THE FIFTH DYNASTY

As the old royal line of the Fourth Dynasty had died out it was for the priesthood to determine who had the strongest claim to the throne and they appear to have chosen the descendants of the line of Djedefra (the short-lived third king of the Fourth Dynasty), USERKAF being a probable grandson of Djedefra, via his daughter Neferhetepes. As such, these kings of the Fifth Dynasty owed a debt to the priesthood and they undertook the construction of a series of ‘sun-temples’ devoted to the cult of Ra. Userkaf was the first of the Fifth Dynasty kings to construct such a monument. Although his sun temple is now almost completely destroyed; that of his descendant, King NYUSERRA (Niuserre) being a much better preserved example.

Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Userkaf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Userkaf

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Userkaf.html

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn05/01userkaf.html

http://www.saqqara.nl/saqqara/landmarks/pyramid-of-userkaf

Victor Blunden

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