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84-609: Egyptologists estimate that the Eighth Dynasty ruled Egypt for approximately 20–45 years and various dates have been proposed: 2190–2165 BC, 2181–2160 BC, 2191–2145 BC, 2150–2118 BC. Two historical sources dating to the New Kingdom list kings belonging to the Eighth Dynasty. The earliest of the two and main historical source on the Eighth Dynasty is the Abydos king list , written during

168-525: A pygmy . News of this reached the royal court, and an excited young king sent word back to Harkhuf that he would be greatly rewarded if the pygmy were brought back alive, where he would have likely served as an entertainer for the court. This letter was preserved as a lengthy inscription on Harkhuf's tomb, and has been called the first travelogue . Over his long life Pepi II had several wives, including: Of these queens, Neith, Iput, and Udjebten each had their own minor pyramids and mortuary temples as part of

252-552: A vizier . Their influence was extensive, both sisters bearing sons who were chosen as part of the royal succession: Merenre Nemtyemsaf I and Pepi II himself. Increasing wealth and power appears to have been handed over to high officials during Pepi II's reign. Large and expensive tombs appear at many of the major nomes of Egypt, built for the reigning nomarchs , the priestly class and other administrators. Nomarchs were traditionally free from taxation and their positions became hereditary. Their increasing wealth and independence led to

336-516: A CT scan had revealed a deep knife wound in the mummy's throat, indicating that Ramesses was indeed killed by the conspirators. He died in Thebes in the 32nd year of his reign and was succeeded by Crown Prince Ramesses IV . A number of raids by the Libyans and the sea people, more dangerous than those during the reign of Ramses III , drew the kingdom to more weakness. This increased the influence of

420-484: A biennial cattle count system, that this king had a reign of at least 62 complete or partial years. Therefore, some Egyptologists suggest instead that Pepi II reigned no more than 64 years. This is based on the complete absence of higher attested dates for Pepi beyond his Year after the 31st Count (Year 62 on a biannual cattle count). A previous suggestion by Hans Goedicke that the Year of the 33rd Count appears for Pepi II in

504-431: A corresponding shift in power away from the central royal court to the regional nomarchs. Later in his reign, it is known that Pepi divided the role of vizier so that there were two viziers: one for Upper Egypt and one for Lower, a further decentralization of power away from the royal capital of Memphis . Further, the seat of vizier of Lower Egypt was moved several times. The southern vizier was based at Thebes . Pepi II

588-481: A decline in international relations and a general impoverishment in Egypt. The pyramid complex was called The complex consists of Pepi's pyramid with its adjacent mortuary temple. The pyramid contained a core made of limestone and clay mortar. The pyramid was encased in white limestone. An interesting feature is that after the north chapel and the wall was completed, the builders tore down these structures and enlarged

672-522: A pun on the fact that this was Manetho's Seventh Dynasty. Because Manetho does not provide actual historical data on this period and no archeological evidence for the Seventh Dynasty has emerged, many Egyptologists have argued that this dynasty is fictitious. Concerning the Eighth Dynasty, it is now widely agreed that Manetho's estimate for its duration is a very substantial overestimation of the reality. The main archaeological evidence for kings of

756-583: A rival group based in Herakleopolis Magna . Given the lack of evidence for the Seventh Dynasty, all kings mentioned on the Abydos king list in the entries after that of Merenre Nemtyemsaf II and before that of Montuhotep II are usually attributed to the Eighth Dynasty. Following Jürgen von Beckerath, they are : The Egyptologist Hracht Papazian believes that such a reconstruction gives too much weight to Manetho's account, according to which

840-430: A royal decree for the mortuary cult of Queen Udjebten was withdrawn by Goedicke himself in 1988 in favour of a reading of "the Year of the 24th Count" instead. Goedicke writes that Pepi II is attested by numerous year dates until the Year of his 31st count which strongly implies that this king died shortly after a reign of about 64 years. Other scholars note that the lack of contemporary sources dated after his 62nd year on

924-470: A satellite pyramid. Neith's pyramid was the largest and may have been the first to be built. The pyramids of the Queens contained Pyramid Texts . The mortuary temple adjacent to the pyramid was decorated with scenes showing the king spearing a hippopotamus and thus triumphing over chaos. Other scenes include the sed festival, a festival of the god Min and scenes showing Pepi executing a Libyan chieftain, who

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1008-403: A statue of Ramses II was erected. Thus he recaptured Qadesh and northern Amurru. Nevertheless, like Seti I, he found that he could not permanently hold territory so far from base and after years of conflict, a peace treaty was concluded between the two states. Egypt was able to obtain wealth and stability under the rule of Ramesses, for more than half a century. His immediate successors continued

1092-419: A transition period between the reign of Horemheb and the powerful pharaohs of this dynasty, in particular, his son Seti I and grandson Ramesses II, who would bring Egypt to new heights of imperial power. Seti I fought a series of wars in western Asia, Libya, and Nubia in the first decade of his reign. The main source for knowledge of Seti's military activities are his battle scenes on the north exterior wall of

1176-578: Is Old Kingdom Egypt well outside any "synchronism zone" but, as it happens, since Pepy [II] was the last substantive ruler of Egypt before a period of political and chronological chaos...there are no awkward ramifying effects by reducing his reign by twenty or thirty years, a period that can simply be added on to the First Intermediate Period. Henige himself is somewhat skeptical of the 94 year figure assigned to Pepi II and follows Naguib Kanawati 's 2003 suggestion that this king's reign

1260-483: Is a work of archaizing literature and dates to the 25th Dynasty referring to Shabaka Neferkare, a Kushite pharaoh. The decline of the Old Kingdom arguably began before the time of Pepi II, with nomarchs (regional representatives of the king) becoming more and more powerful and exerting greater influence. Pepi I , for example, married two sisters who were the daughters of a nomarch and later made their brother

1344-499: Is accompanied by his wife and son. The scene with the Libyan chief is a copy from Sahure's temple. A courtyard was surrounded by 18 pillars which were decorated with scenes of the king in the presence of gods. Despite the longevity of Pepi II, his pyramid was no larger than those of his predecessors at 150 cubits (78.5 metres (258 ft)) per side at the base and 100 cubits (52.5 metres (172 ft)) high and followed what had become

1428-476: Is based are long lost, and could have resulted from a misreading on Manetho's behalf (see von Beckerath). The Turin canon attributes 90+ [X] years of reign to Pepi II, but this document dates to the time of Ramesses II , 1,000 years after Pepi II's death. At the present time, the latest written source contemporary with Pepi II dates from the "Year after the 31st Count, 1st Month of Shemu, day 20" from Hatnub graffito No.7 (Spalinger, 1994), which implies, assuming

1512-426: Is often mentioned as the longest reigning monarch in history, due to a 3rd-century BC account of Ancient Egypt by Manetho , which accords the king a reign of 94 years; this has, however, been disputed by some Egyptologists due to the absence of attested dates known for Pepi II after his 31st count (Year 62 if biennial) such as Hans Goedicke (1926–2015) and Michel Baud note. Ancient sources upon which Manetho's estimate

1596-582: Is the case for the two ancient historians – Sextus Julius Africanus and Eusebius of Caesarea – who quote from the section of the Aegyptiaca regarding the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties. Africanus claims that the 7th Dynasty consisted of 70 kings that ruled during a period of seventy days in Memphis , and the 8th Dynasty consisted of 27 kings who reigned for 146 years. However, Eusebius records that during

1680-524: The 4.2 kiloyear event be linked to the collapse of the Old Kingdom in Egypt , though current resolution of evidence is not sufficient to make an assertion. In the past it had been suggested that Ipuwer the sage served as a treasury official during the last years of Pepi II Neferkare's reign. The Ipuwer Papyrus was thought by some to describe the collapse of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of

1764-624: The Aten , a representation of the Egyptian god, Ra. His worship of the Aten as his personal deity is often interpreted as history's first instance of monotheism . Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti , contributed a great deal to his new direction in the Egyptian religion. Nefertiti was bold enough to perform rituals to Aten. Akhenaten's religious fervour is cited as the reason why he and his wife were subsequently written out of Egyptian history. Under his reign, in

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1848-494: The Brooklyn Museum depicts Queen Ankhenesmerire II with her son Pepi II on her lap. Pepi II wears the royal nemes headdress and a kilt. He is shown at a much smaller scale than his mother. This difference in size is atypical because the king is usually shown larger than others. The difference in size may refer to the time period when his mother served as a regent. Alternatively the statue may depict Ankhenesmerire II as

1932-574: The Near East , particularly on the Levantine frontier. The Eighteenth Dynasty included some of Egypt's most famous kings, including Ahmose I , Hatshepsut , Thutmose III , Amenhotep III , Akhenaten , and Tutankhamun . Ahmose I is viewed to be the founder of the eighteenth dynasty. He continued the campaigns of his father Seqenenre Tao and of Kamose against the Hyksos until he reunified

2016-489: The Pyramid Texts written on the walls. However many kings there actually were, it is clear that during this time period a breakdown of the central authority of Egypt was underway. The rulers of these dynasties were based in Memphis and seem to have relied on the power of the nomarchs of Coptos, on whom they bestowed titles and honours. This must have been to no avail as the Eighth Dynasty was eventually overthrown by

2100-728: The Sea Peoples invaded Egypt by land and sea. Ramesses III defeated them in two great land and sea battles (the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta ). He incorporated them as subject peoples and is thought to have settled them in Southern Canaan, although there is evidence that they forced their way into Canaan. Their presence in Canaan may have contributed to the formation of new states, such as Philistia , in this region after

2184-546: The South Saqqara Stone annals record that Merenre had a minimum reign of 11 years. Several 6th Dynasty royal seals and stone blocks – the latter of which were found within the funerary temple of Queen Ankhesenpepi II, the known mother of Pepi II – were discovered in the 1999–2000 excavation season at Saqqara, which demonstrate that she also married Merenre after Pepi I's death and became this king's chief wife. Inscriptions on these stone blocks give Ankhesenpepi II

2268-407: The empire created by his predecessors. This resulted in a peak in Egypt's power and wealth during the reign of Amenhotep III. The term pharaoh , originally the name of the king's palace, became a form of address for the person who was king during his reign ( c.  1479 –1425 BC). Widely considered a military genius by historians, Thutmose III conducted at least 16 campaigns in 20 years. He

2352-470: The priests of Amon which finally led to the control of the great priests on the throne. Ramesses III's death was followed by years of bickering among his heirs. Three of his sons ascended the throne successively as Ramesses IV , Rameses VI , and Rameses VIII . Egypt was increasingly beset by droughts, below-normal flooding of the Nile , famine, civil unrest, and corruption of officials. The power of

2436-660: The trade networks that had been disrupted during the Hyksos rule of Lower Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period , thereby building the wealth of the Eighteenth Dynasty. She oversaw the preparations and funding for a mission to the Land of Punt . After her death, having gained valuable experience heading up the military for Hatshepsut, Thutmose III assumed rule. Thutmose III expanded Egypt's army and wielded it with great success to consolidate

2520-450: The 'standard format'. The pyramid was made from small, local stones and infill, covered with a veneer of limestone. The limestone was removed and the core has slumped. The causeway was approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and the valley temple was on the shores of a lake, long since gone. The site is located at 29°50′25″N 31°12′49″E  /  29.84028°N 31.21361°E  / 29.84028; 31.21361 . The complex

2604-406: The 7th Dynasty five kings ruled over seventy five days, and the 8th Dynasty includes five kings who ruled for 100 years. Seventy kings in seventy days is usually considered the correct version of Manetho concerning the Seventh Dynasty, but likely not a factual account of history. Rather, this is interpreted to mean that the pharaohs of this period were extremely ephemeral, and the use of seventy may be

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2688-632: The Dark Age, known to historians as the First Intermediate Period . It had been claimed that archaeological evidence from Syrian button seals supported this interpretation. The admonitions may not be a discussion with a king at all however. Eberhard Otto was the first to suggest that the discussion was not between Ipuwer and his king, but that this was a discussion between Ipuwer and a deity. Gerhard Fecht  [ de ] showed through philological interpretation and revision of

2772-534: The Egyptian Empire in Asia. The severity of the difficulties is indicated by the fact that the first known labour strike in recorded history occurred during the twenty-ninth year of Ramesses III's reign. At that time, the food rations for Egypt's favoured and elite royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of Deir el Medina could not be provisioned. Air pollution limited the amount of sunlight penetrating

2856-531: The Egyptians may have divided Dynasties VII and VIII at this point. The Egyptian priest Manetho wrote a history of Egypt during the 3rd century BC known as the Aegyptiaca . Manetho's work has not survived to this day and is only known to us via three later writers who quoted from it. Unfortunately, these three sources are exceedingly difficult to work with. For example, they often contradict each other, as

2940-685: The Eighth Dynasty are royal decrees discovered in Coptos, which name some of the last pharaohs of the dynasty. Further tentative evidence for the early kings of the dynasty comes from tombs in Saqqara, in particular the pyramid of Qakare Ibi in Saqqara. Beyond that, there are royal inscriptions found in the Wadi Hammamat and in Upper Egypt, as well as non-royal ones from Upper Egypt as well. The Eighth Dynasty has traditionally been classified as

3024-722: The Euphrates in his boats, taking the Mitannian king entirely by surprise. The wealthiest of all the kings of this dynasty is Amenhotep III , who built the Luxor Temple , the Precinct of Monthu at Karnak and his massive Mortuary Temple . Amenhotep III also built the Malkata palace, the largest built in Egypt. One of the best-known eighteenth dynasty pharaohs is Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten in honour of

3108-666: The Hittites thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin (possibly mercenaries in the employ of Egypt). The outcome of the battle was undecided, with both sides claiming victory at their home front, and ultimately resulting in a peace treaty between the two governments. He campaigned later in the Levant capturing Edom and Moab . New kingdom Egyptian stelae from this period have been found in Jordan . Later, Egyptians conquered Qatna and Tunip where

3192-531: The Hittites, Ramesses II had to deal with a raid by the Sherden sea people whom he defeated and incorporated into his army. His campaigns against the Hittites culminated in the Battle of Kadesh , where he led Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II . Ramesses was caught in history's first recorded military ambush, although he was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against

3276-597: The Karnak Hypostyle Hall, along with several royal stelas with inscriptions mentioning battles in Canaan and Nubia. The greatest achievement of Seti I's foreign policy was the capture of the Syrian town of Kadesh and neighboring territory of Amurru from the Hittite Empire. Egypt had not held Kadesh since the time of Akhenaten . Seti I was successful in defeating a Hittite army that tried to defend

3360-529: The Old Kingdom came to an end within a couple of years after the close of Pepi II's reign. This led to the ancient Egyptians to cause a ground breaking revolution, which marked the beginning of First Intermediate Period of Egypt which lasted from the Seventh Dynasty of Egypt to the Tenth Dynasty of Egypt . He was traditionally thought to be the son of Pepi I and Queen Ankhesenpepi II , but

3444-501: The Seventh Dynasty is essentially fictitious and a metaphor of chaos. Instead Papazian proposes that the earliest of the above kings are immediate successors of Pepi II and should be attributed to the Sixth Dynasty, while those just after them belong to a short-lived Seventh Dynasty. Then the Eighth Dynasty would only start with the well-attested Qakare-Ibi: In addition, the identity and chronological position and extent of rule of

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3528-589: The Sinai, and alabaster was quarried from Hatnub . He is mentioned in inscriptions found in the Phoenician city of Byblos . In the south, the trade relations consist of caravans trading with the Nubians. Harkhuf was a governor of Upper Egypt , who led several expeditions under Merenre and Pepi II. His last expedition was a trip to a place called Iam. Harkhuf brought back with him what his correspondence with

3612-621: The Sixth should be seen as the last of the Old Kingdom period. Given that five Eighth Dynasty kings bore Pepi II 's throne name Neferkare as part of their own names, they may have been descendants of 6th Dynasty , who were trying to hold on to some sort of power. Some of the acts of the final four Dynasty VIII kings are recorded in their decrees to Shemay , a vizier during this period, although only Qakare Ibi can be connected to any monumental construction. His pyramid has been found at Saqqara near that of Pepi II and, like its predecessors, had

3696-596: The archaeological complex of Abu Simbel , and the Mortuary temple known as the Ramesseum. He built on a monumental scale to ensure that his legacy would survive the ravages of time. Ramesses used art as a means of propaganda for his victories over foreigners, which are depicted on numerous temple reliefs. Ramesses II erected more colossal statues of himself than any other pharaoh, and also usurped many existing statues by inscribing his own cartouche on them. Ramesses II

3780-566: The atmosphere, affecting agricultural production and arresting global tree growth for almost two full decades, until 1140 BC. One proposed cause is the Hekla 3 eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland, but the dating of this remains disputed. Near the end of Ramesses III's reign, one of his secondary wives plotted to assassinate the king in her quest to place her son on the throne. Palace personnel,

3864-433: The base of the pyramid. A band of brickwork reaching to the height of the perimeter wall was then added to the pyramid. The purpose of this band is not known. It has been suggested that the builders wanted the structure to resemble the hieroglyph for pyramid, or that possibly the builders wanted to fortify the base of the structure due to an earthquake. The burial chamber had a gabled ceiling covered by painted stars. Two of

3948-413: The collapse of the Egyptian Empire (In the reign of Ramses III himself, Egyptian presence in the Levant is still attested as far as Byblos ). He later was compelled to fight invading Libyan tribesmen in two major campaigns in Egypt's Western Delta in his sixth year and eleventh year respectively. The heavy cost of this warfare slowly drained Egypt's treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of

4032-828: The country once more. Ahmose would then continue to campaign in the Levant, the home of the Hyksos, to prevent any future invasions on Egypt. Ahmose was followed by Amenhotep I , who campaigned in Nubia and was followed by Thutmose I . Thutmose I campaigned in the Levant and reached as far as the Euphrates , thus becoming the first pharaoh to cross the river. During this campaign, the Syrian princes declared allegiance to Thutmose. However, after he returned, they discontinued tribute and began fortifying against future incursions. Hatshepsut

4116-629: The divine mother. Another statue of Pepi II is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 50616). The king is shown as a naked child. The depiction of the king at such a young age may refer to the age he came to the throne. There are few official contemporary records or inscriptions of Pepi's immediate successors. According to Manetho and the Turin King List , he was succeeded by his son Merenre Nemtyemsaf II , who reigned for just over

4200-415: The early years of his reign. She may have been helped in turn by her brother Djau , who was a vizier under the previous pharaoh. An alabaster statuette in the Brooklyn Museum depicts a young Pepi II, in full kingly regalia, sitting on the lap of his mother. Despite his long reign, this piece is one of only three known sculptural representations in existence of this particular king. Some scholars have taken

4284-626: The establishment of the New Kingdom has been placed between 1570 BC and 1544 BC. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was succeeded by the Third Intermediate Period . It was the most prosperous time for the Egyptian people and marked the peak of Egypt's power. In 1845, the concept of a "New Kingdom" as one of three "golden ages" was coined by German scholar Christian Charles Josias von Bunsen ;

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4368-540: The fifty-third king on the Abydos king list. There seems to be room for two or three more kings before the end of the dynasty as recorded on the list. This would indicate that the missing parts of the Turin canon probably contained the kings in the fifty-first to fifty-fifth registers of the Abydos King List. Because the Turin papyrus omits the first nine kings on the Abydos list, W.C. Hayes thinks it reasonable that

4452-406: The first dynasty of the First Intermediate Period owing to the ephemeral nature of its kings' reigns as well as the sparsity of contemporary evidence, hinting at a decline of the state into chaos. Recent re-appraisal of the archaeological evidence has shown a strong continuity between the Sixth and Eighth Dynasties, so that Egyptologist Hratch Papazian has proposed that the Eighth Dynasty rather than

4536-520: The following rulers is highly uncertain: Wadjkare , Khuiqer , Khui and Iytjenu . New Kingdom of Egypt The New Kingdom , also called the Egyptian New kingdom Empire , refers to ancient Egypt between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC. This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the Eighteenth , Nineteenth , and Twentieth dynasties. Through radiocarbon dating ,

4620-503: The fourteenth century BC, Egyptian art flourished in a distinctive new style (see Amarna Period ). By the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty, Egypt's status had changed radically. Aided by Akhenaten's apparent lack of interest in international affairs, the Hittites had gradually extended their influence into the Levant to become a major power in international politics—a power that both Seti I and his son Ramesses II would confront during

4704-511: The harem, government officials, and army officers participated in the plot . A special court of 12 judges was formed to try the defendants who were sentenced to death. Written sources show that the coup failed and that the conspirators were successfully tried. However, it is not clear from the documents whether Ramses survived the assassination attempt. The king's mummy showed no visible wounds, and questions about his fate were left open to speculation for many years. In 2012, researchers announced that

4788-504: The king's own pyramid complex in Saqqara . Queen Ankhesenpepi III and Meritites IV were buried in pyramids near the pyramid of Pepi I Meryre , and Ankhesenpepi IV was buried in a chapel in the complex of Queen Udjebten. Two more sons of Pepi II are known: Nebkauhor-Idu and Ptahshepses (D). Pepi II seems to have carried on foreign policy in ways similar to that of his predecessors. Copper and turquoise were mined at Wadi Maghareh in

4872-497: The last pharaoh of the dynasty, Ramesses XI , grew so weak that in the south the High Priests of Amun at Thebes became the de facto rulers of Upper Egypt , and Smendes controlled Lower Egypt in the north, even before Rameses XI's death. Smendes eventually founded the twenty-first dynasty at Tanis . Pepi II Pepi II Neferkare (2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either c.  2216 or c.  2184 BC )

4956-770: The list are assigned to the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties. The other New Kingdom source on the Eighth Dynasty is the Turin canon , written during the reign of Ramses II . The Turin papyrus was copied from an earlier source which, as the Egyptologist Kim Ryholt has shown, was itself riddled with lacunae and must have been in a poor state. In addition, the Turin papyrus is itself heavily damaged and cannot be read without much difficulty. In total three names are present on papyrus fragments which might be allocated to Eighth Dynasty kings. These are Netjerkare Siptah , another hard to read name and finally, that of Qakare Ibi ,

5040-433: The military campaigns, although an increasingly troubled court—which at one point put a usurper ( Amenmesse ) on the throne—made it increasingly difficult for a pharaoh to effectively retain control of the territories. Ramesses II built extensively throughout Egypt and Nubia, and his cartouches are prominently displayed, even in buildings that he did not construct. There are accounts of his honor hewn on stone, statues, and

5124-580: The nineteenth Dynasty. The last two members of the Eighteenth Dynasty— Ay and Horemheb —became rulers from the ranks of officials in the royal court, although Ay might also have been the maternal uncle of Akhenaten and a fellow descendant of Yuya and Tjuyu . Ay may have married the widowed Great Royal Wife and young half-sister of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun , in order to obtain power; she did not live long afterward. Ay then married Tey , who originally, had been wet-nurse to Nefertiti. Ay's reign

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5208-602: The original definition would evolve significantly throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The later part of this period, under the Nineteenth Dynasty (1295–1189 BC) and the Twentieth Dynasty (1189–1069 BC), is also known as the Ramesside period . It is named after the eleven pharaohs who took the name Ramesses, after Ramesses I , who founded the Nineteenth Dynasty, and his grandson Ramesses II , who

5292-485: The problems inherent in dating Pepi II's reign are many since: ...a hyperextended duration [for Pepi II's reign] is not really necessary to bring Old Kingdom chronology into some equilibrium with other chronologies. For Mesopotamia from at least this early until virtually the Persian conquest, numerous localized synchronisms play vital roles in absolute dating, but seldom affect the duration of individual dynasties. Not only

5376-659: The reign of Seti I . The kings listed on the entries 40 to 56 of the Abydos king list are placed between the end of the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom period and the beginning of the Eleventh Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom . Furthermore, the names of these kings are different from those known from the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties, none of which are on the Abydos list. As a consequence, entries 40 to 56 of

5460-481: The reign of Ay, leaving the opportunity for Horemheb to claim the throne next. Horemheb also died without surviving children, having appointed his vizier, Pa-ra-mes-su, as his heir. This vizier ascended the throne in 1292 BC as Ramesses I , and was the first pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty . The Nineteenth Dynasty was founded by the Vizier Ramesses I , whom the last ruler of the eighteenth dynasty, Pharaoh Horemheb, had chosen as his successor. His brief reign marked

5544-403: The relative paucity of royal statuary to suggest that the royal court was losing the ability to retain skilled artisans. A glimpse of the personality of the pharaoh while he was still a child can be found in a letter he wrote to Harkhuf , a governor of Aswan and the head of one of the expeditions he sent into Nubia . Sent to trade and collect ivory, ebony, and other precious items, he captured

5628-409: The relevant passages that this is indeed a discussion with a deity. Modern research suggests that the papyrus dates to the much later 13th Dynasty , with part of the papyrus now thought to date to the time of Pharaoh Khety I , and the admonitions of Ipuwer actually being addressed to the god Atum, not a mortal king. The admonitions are thought to harken back to the First Intermediate Period and record

5712-439: The remains of palaces and temples —most notably the Ramesseum in western Thebes and the rock temples of Abu Simbel . He covered the land from the Delta to Nubia with buildings in a way no king before him had. He also founded a new capital city in the Delta during his reign, called Pi-Ramesses . It previously had served as a summer palace during the reign of Seti I. Ramesses II constructed many large monuments, including

5796-489: The royal titles of: "King's Wife of the Pyramid of Pepy I, King's Wife of the Pyramid of Merenre, King's Mother of the Pyramid of Pepy II". Therefore, today, many Egyptologists believe that Pepi II was likely Merenre's own son. Pepi II would, therefore, be Pepi I's grandson while Merenre was, most likely, Pepi II's father since he is known to have married Pepi II's known mother, Queen Ankhesenpepi II. His mother Ankhesenpepi II (Ankhesenmeryre II) most likely ruled as regent in

5880-442: The tale of " King Neferkare and General Sasenet ", three fragments of a papyrus dating from the late New Kingdom (although the story may have been composed earlier), report clandestine nocturnal meetings with a military commander – a General Sasenet or Sisene. Some have suggested this reflects a homosexual relationship although it is disputed that the text relates to Pepi II at all. Some, like R. S. Bianchi, think that it

5964-423: The throne does not preclude a much longer reign, in particular since the end of Pepi II's reign was marked by a sharp decline in the fortunes of the Old Kingdom pharaohs who succeeded him. The Egyptologist David Henige states while there have been examples of kinglists where rulers were ascribed reigns as long as that assigned to Pepi II, "often exceeding 100 years, but these are invariably rejected as mythical",

6048-399: The throne seems to have been disputed by his half-brother Amenmesse , who may have temporarily ruled from Thebes. Upon his death, Seti II's son Siptah , who may have been afflicted with poliomyelitis during his life, was appointed to the throne by Bay , a chancellor and a West Asian commoner who served as vizier behind the scenes. Siptah died early and throne was assumed by Twosret , who

6132-481: The town and erected a victory stela at the site which has been found by archaeologists. Kadesh, however, soon reverted to Hittite control because the Egyptians did not or could not maintain a permanent military occupation of Kadesh and Amurru which were close to the Hittite homelands. Ramesses II sought to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty. In his second year, before confronting

6216-400: The walls consisted of large granite slabs. The sarcophagus was made of black granite and inscribed with the king's name and titles. A canopic chest was sunk in the floor. To the northwest of the pyramid of Pepi II, the pyramids of his consorts Neith and Iput were built. The pyramid of Udjebten is located to the south of Pepi's pyramid. The Queen's pyramids each had their own chapel, temple and

6300-606: The young pharaoh referred to as a dwarf, apparently a pygmy . Egypt received goods such as incense , ebony , animal skins, and ivory from Nubia. The Western desert was known to have extensive caravan routes. Some of these routes allowed for trade with the Kharga Oasis , the Selima Oasis , and the Dakhla Oasis . Only a small number of pharaohs were immortalized in ancient fiction, Pepi II may be among them. In

6384-527: Was a pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom who reigned from c.  2278 BC. His second name, Neferkare ( Nefer-ka-Re ), means "Beautiful is the Ka of Re ". He succeeded to the throne at age six, after the death of Merenre I . Pepi II's reign marked a sharp decline of the Old Kingdom . As the power of the nomarchs grew, the power of the pharaoh declined. With no dominant central power, local nobles began raiding each other's territories and

6468-577: Was also famed for the huge number of children he sired by his various wives and concubines ; the tomb he built for his sons (many of whom he outlived) in the Valley of the Kings has proven to be the largest funerary complex in Egypt. The immediate successors of Ramesses II continued the military campaigns although an increasingly troubled court complicated matters. He was succeeded by his son Merneptah and then by Merneptah's son Seti II . Seti II's right to

6552-454: Was an active expansionist ruler. He is recorded to have captured 350 cities during his rule and conquered much of the Near East from the Euphrates to Nubia during seventeen known military campaigns. He was the first pharaoh after Thutmose I to cross the Euphrates, doing so during his campaign against Mitanni . He continued north through the territory belonging to the still unconquered cities of Aleppo and Carchemish and quickly crossed

6636-406: Was first investigated by John Shae Perring , but it was Gaston Maspero who first entered the pyramid in 1881. Gustave Jéquier was the first to investigate the complex in detail between 1926 and 1936. Jéquier was the first excavator to start actually finding any remains from the tomb reliefs, and he was the first to publish a thorough excavation report on the complex. A statue which is now in

6720-601: Was its longest-reigning monarch. Possibly as a result of the foreign rule of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period, the New Kingdom saw a historic expansion into the Levant , thus marking Egypt's greatest territorial extent. Similarly, in response to attacks by the Kushites , who led raids into Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, the rulers of the New Kingdom felt compelled to expand far into Nubia and to hold wider territories in

6804-440: Was most probably much shorter than 94 years. This situation could have produced a succession crisis and led to a stagnation of the administration, centered on an absolute yet aging ruler who was not replaced because of his perceived divine status. A later, yet better documented, example of this type of problem is the case of the long reigning Nineteenth Dynasty pharaoh Ramesses II and his successors. It has been proposed that

6888-559: Was one of the most powerful pharaohs of this dynasty. She was the daughter of Thutmose I and the royal wife of Thutmose II . Upon the death of her husband, she ruled jointly with his son by a minor wife, Thutmose III , who had ascended to the throne as a child of about two years of age, but eventually she ruled in her own right as king. Hatshepsut built extensively in the Karnak temple in Luxor and throughout all of Egypt and she re-established

6972-399: Was short. His successor was Horemheb, a general during the reign of Tutankhamun, whom the pharaoh may have intended as his successor in the event that he had no surviving children, which came to pass. Horemheb may have taken the throne away from Ay in a coup d'état . Although Ay's son or stepson Nakhtmin was named as his father or stepfather's Crown Prince, Nakhtmin seems to have died during

7056-481: Was the royal wife of his father and, possibly, his uncle Amenmesse's sister. A period of anarchy at the end of Twosret's short reign saw the enthronement of Setnakhte , establishing the Twentieth Dynasty . The last "great" pharaoh from the New Kingdom is widely considered to be Ramesses III , a Twentieth Dynasty pharaoh who reigned several decades after Ramesses II. In the eighth year of his reign,

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