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Volume 16 issue 1 August 2015

ANCIENT EGYPT explores the WORLD WIDE WEB ...

FOUR KINGS OF 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 four kings of the Fifth Dynasty.

In the last edition we looked at the reign of king Userkaf, the first king of the Fifth Dynasty; an overview of the other kings of the dynasty can be found at: http://www.crystalinks.com/dynasty5.html

SAHURA (Sahure), the second king of the Fifth Dynasty, is now known to be the son of Queen Neferhetepes II (the wife of king Userkaf) and so almost certainly Userkaf was Sahura’s father. Sahura’s reign lasted for twelve years according to the Turin Canon whilst the Palermo Stone gives him a slightly longer reign of fourteen years. His undiscovered sun-temple bore the name of Field of Ra although it is his pyramid complex at Abusir which remains his most impressive monument. These extensive remains reveal how religious emphasis changed in the Fifth Dynasty, by placing an increased reliance upon the mortuary temple and the ritual performed there by the priests, rather than that of relying simply upon the construction of a huge pyramid to ensure the king’s afterlife. One of the major events in his reign was a successful expedition to the land of Punt, a forerunner of the more widely known expedition of Queen Hatshepsut in the Eighteenth Dynasty. Refer:

https://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/pyramid-of-sahure-at-abusir/

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Sahure

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

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn05/02sahure.html

NEFEFIRIKARA was previously believed to be the son of Userkaf and Queen Khentkawes but this is now known to be incorrect, as recently discovered reliefs from Sahura’s pyramid causeway show that it was actually king Sahura who was Neferirkara’s father, his mother most probably being Sahura’s queen, Meretnebty. Neferirkara’s reign probably lasted for some thirteen years, although the exact date is still uncertain and Manetho credits him with a reign of twenty years. Neferirkara built a sun-temple called Site of the heart of Ra although its location remains unknown. His pyramid was built at Abusir although the associated funerary complex was never fully completed. Neferirkara was also the first king to have his names placed in a ‘double cartouche’ using both the nomen (Son of Ra) and prenomen (King of Upper and Lower Egypt) form of the royal names, something which was to become the standardised form of royal names for generations. Refer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neferirkare_Kakai

https://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/the-pyramid-of-neferirkare/

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

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

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn05/03neferirkara.html

SHEPSESKARA appears to have been a son of Sahura by an unknown first wife and so he was a half-brother of Neferirikara. Shepseskara’s pyramid and sun-temple are still to be located and he is accredited with only a short reign of some seven years by

Manetho. Refer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepseskare

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn05/04shepsekara.html

http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/shepseskare_isi

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

RANEFEREF, who is better known by the name of Neferefre, appears to have been a son of Neferirikara but he only reigned for a few years before he was succeeded by his brother NYUSERRA (Niuserre). Raneferef ’s unfinished pyramid was converted into a mastaba tomb, and the location of his sun-temple, Ra is content, remains unknown. Refer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neferefre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Neferefre

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

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

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

http://www.aldokkan.com/egypt/neferefre.htm

http://www.phouka.com/pharaoh/pharaoh/dynasties/dyn05/05raneferef.html

We will look at the remaining kings of the Fifth Dynasty and the advent of the Pyramid Texts in the next issue.

Victor Blunden

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