DominicPerry

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…

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 13: The Hairdressers Cometh

Niuserre and the Up-and-Comers.The new ruler Niuserre, son of Neferirkare, has taken the crown after the passing of his uncle Raneferef. And the times they are a-changing, with an interesting new…

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 12: I Make the Soul Beautiful

Neferirkare and Khentykaus IIThe reign of Sahure draws to a close, and soon the throne passes to his mature son Neferirkare Kakai ("I make beautiful the soul of Re"). The great wife…

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 11: Off To Punt We Go

Off to punt we goUserkaf passes the throne to his son, Sahure ("One Who is Close to Re"). For the first time in recorded history, a royal fleet is dispatched from Egypt's…

2500 – 2350 BCE: The Fifth Dynasty

Episode 10: A Temple to the Sun

The Fifth Dynasty Ascends Shepseskaf ends the Fourth Dynasty, and his brother Userkaf begins a new one. How do we define the end of one “period” and the beginning of another? In this…