DominicPerry

Episode 23: Children of Pepy

Pepy II (Part III): The End of the Old Kingdom Pepy II reaches his twilight years, and Egypt is in trouble. Drought strikes the Near East, increasing desertification and reducing…

Scenes from the pyramid temple of Pepy II at Saqqara

2350 – 2150 BCE: The Sixth Dynasty

Episode 22: Pepy Lives

Pepy II (Part II): Authority Abroad. Twenty-five ears into his reign, Pepy II is established in power. But can this monarch rule effectively on his own, without the guidance he…

The autobiography of Harkhuf, outside his tomb at Qubbet el-Hawa, Aswan/Elephantine

2350 – 2150 BCE: The Sixth Dynasty

Episode 21: The Excited Child

Pepy II (Part I): the Child King At just six-years old, the new King of Upper and Lower Egypt Pepy II cannot possibly exercise power on his own. Enter his mother, Ankh-enes-Pepy,…

2350 – 2150 BCE: The Sixth Dynasty

Episode 20: Expeditions and Explorers

Weni the Elder (Part II): Service in the South Following his admirable service to Pepy I thus far, Weni the Elder is then dispatched south to Upper Egypt, to serve as…

2350 – 2150 BCE: The Sixth Dynasty

Episode 19: The Beloved of Re, Pepy

Pepy I & Weni the Elder (Part I) After Teti's assassination(?), Pepy I finds it difficult to assert his authority. He must battle a usurper, Userkare and a conspiracy against his…

2350 – 2150 BCE: The Sixth Dynasty

Episode 18: The Guards Themselves

Teti (Part II): The Murder of a King? All is not well within the court. Although Teti has ensconced himself on the throne, conspiracies may have formed against him. The Greek Manetho (c.280…

2350 – 2150 BCE: The Sixth Dynasty Uncategorized

Episode 17: A New Era

Teti and Kagemni: Dynasty VI Unas has passed to the afterlife with gusto. His daughter marries an outsider, Teti, who becomes the new King of Upper and Lower Egypt. For historians, this…

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 16: An Indestructible Spirit

Djedkare Izezi (Part II) & Unas: the Cannibal Hymn The reign of Djedkare comes to an end after nearly forty years of rule. His successor, Unas, oversees some important theological and…

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 15: The Enduring Ka

Djedkare (Part I): the Philosophy of Rule(c. 2414 BCE) A shift in social relationships between royalty and elite families is well underway: the Viziers are now born not of royalty, but…

The scribe Nykare, who lived in the Fifth Dynasty

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 14: The Joy of Re's Heart

Niuserre (Part II): Hasty Burials, and Elite Culture Coming to the throne after the premature death of his brother, Niuserre Ini must rapidly complete his predecessor's burial. He must also complete the…