Sixth dynasty of Egypt

Dynasties of Ancient Egypt Early Dynastic • 1st Dynasty (c. 3050 – 2890 BC) • 2nd Dynasty (2890 – 2686 BC) Old Kingdom • 3rd Dynasty (2686 – 2613 BC) • 4th Dynasty (2613 – 2498 BC) • 5th Dynasty (2498 – 2345 BC) • 6th Dynasty (2345 – 2181 BC) First Intermediate • 7th Dynasty (2181 – 2160 BC) • 8th Dynasty (2181 – 2160 BC) • 9th Dynasty (2160 – 2130 BC) • 10th Dynasty (2130 – 2040 BC) • 11th Dynasty (Thebes only) (2134 – 1991 BC) Middle Kingdom • 11th Dynasty (All Egypt) (2134 – 1991 BC) • 12th Dynasty (1991 – 1803 BC) • 13th Dynasty (1803 – 1649 BC) • 14th Dynasty (1705 – 1690 BC) Second Intermediate • 15th Dynasty (1674 – 1535 BC) • 16th Dynasty (1660 – 1600 BC) • 17th Dynasty (1650 – 1549 BC) New Kingdom • 18th (1549 – 1292 BC) • 19th (1292 – 1186 BC) • 20th (1186 – 1069 BC) Third Intermediate • 21st (1069 – 945 BC) • 22nd (945 – 720 BC) • 23rd (837 – 728 BC) • 24th (732 – 720 BC) • 25th (732 – 653 BC) Late Period • 26th (672 – 525 BC) • 27th (First Achaemenid Period) (525 – 404 BC) • 28th (404 – 398 BC) • 29th (398 – 380 BC) • 30th (380 – 343 BC) • 31st (Second Achaemenid Period) (343 – 332 BC)

The sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty VI) is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and V under the group title the Old Kingdom.

Contents 1 Pharaohs 1.1 Teti 1.2 Pepi I 1.3 Pepi II 1.4 Nitiqret 2 The rise of the nobility 3 References

Pharaohs

Known pharaohs of Dynasty VI are as follows (the absolute dates given are suggestions rather than facts, as the error margin amounts to tens of years) The pharaohs of Dynasty VI ruled for approximately one hundred and sixty-four years. The Horus names and names of the Queens are taken from Dodson and Hilton.^[1]

Dynasty VI pharaohs

Name of King	Horus (Throne) Name	Date	Pyramid	Queen(s)
Teti	Seheteptawy	2345 – 2333	Pyramid of Teti at Saqqara	Khent(kaus III) Iput I Khuit
Userkare		2333 – 2331
Pepi I	Nefersahor/Merenre	2331 – 2287	Pyramid in South Saqqara	Ankhesenpepi I Ankhesenpepi II Nubwenet Meritites IV Inenek-Inti Mehaa Nedjeftet
Nemtyemsaf I	Merenre	2287 – 2278		Ankhesenpepi II
Pepi II	Neferkare	2278 – 2184	Pyramid in South Saqqara	Neith Iput II Ankhesenpepi III Ankhesenpepi IV Udjebten
Nemtyemsaf II	Merenre	2184
Nitiqret? or Neitiqerty Siptah		2184 – 2181

Dynasty VI is considered by many authorities as the last dynasty of the Old Kingdom, although The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt ^[2] includes Dynasties VII and VIII as part of the Old Kingdom. Manetho writes that these kings ruled from Memphis, since their pyramids were built at Saqqara, very close one to another.^[3]

Teti

Dynasty VI was founded by Teti, who had married Iput, commonly believed to be the daughter of the Dynasty V pharaoh Unas. Manetho claimed that Teti was eventually murdered by his own bodyguard, but no contemporary sources confirm this.^[4]

Pepi I

During this dynasty, expeditions were sent to Wadi Maghara in the Sinai Peninsula to mine for turquoise and copper, as well as to the mines at Hatnub and Wadi Hammamat. The pharaoh Djedkara sent trade expeditions south to Punt and north to Byblos, and Pepi I sent expeditions not only to these locations, but also as far as Ebla in modern-day Iraq.

Pepi II

The most notable member of this dynasty was Pepi II, who is credited with a reign of 94 years.,^[5] the longest of any monarch in history.

Nitiqret

Also known by the Greek name Nitocris, this woman is believed by some authorities to have been not only the first female pharaoh but the first queen in the literate world, although it is currently accepted that her name is actually a mistranslation of Neitiqerty Siptah.

The rise of the nobility

With the growing number of biographical inscriptions in non-royal tombs,^[6] our knowledge of the contemporary history broadens.^[7] For example, we hear of an unsuccessful plot against Pepy I.^[8] We also read a letter written by the young king Pepy II, excited that one of his expeditions will return with a dancing pygmy from the land of Yam, located to the south of Nubia.^[9]

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 Pepy 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.

References