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Ancient Egyptians - Pepi I |
Profile of Pharaoh Pepi I Profile of Pepi I History Time Period: Old Kingdom Dynasty: 6th DynastyPredecessor: Userkare Parents: King Teti and Queen IputDates of his Reign: 2289 - 2255 BC Principal Wives: Ankhesenpepi I & Ankhesenpepi IISuccessor: Merenre and then Pepi II King Pepi I Ancient Egyptian King - Pepi I Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Pepi I: Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt was also known as Pepi I Meryre. His name means "beloved of Ra". Fact 2 on Pepi I: History: This young king had a chequered history as it is believed that after the murder of his father King Teti, the throne was usurped by his half-brother Userkare. Userkare only reigned for a short period of just three years when the kingdom of Egypt was restored to Pepi I, the rightful heir. Fact 3 on Pepi I: During this period in ancient Egyptian history the power of the pharaoh was in decline resulting in considerable political intrigue. Fact 4 on Pepi I: Family: His father was King Teti and his mother was Queen Iput. Queen Iput was the daughter of King Unas the last king of the 5th dynasty. The marriage between his parents would have helped to legitimize his family's original claim to the throne. Fact 5 on Pepi I: Queen Iput, helped by two important courtiers called Weni and Fefi, was instrumental in restoring the throne to the rightful heir, the young Pepi. Fact 6 on Pepi I: Queen Iput assumed the role as his regent in his first years. Fact 7 on Pepi I: Weni and Fefi held much of the power in the royal court of King Pepi. Weni 9aka Uni) was the general of the army and Fefi (aka Merefnebef) was the vizier (Prime Minister). Fact 8 on Pepi I: In the tomb of General Weni there is mention of “a secret charge in the royal harem against the Great of Sceptre”. This was another 'harem conspiracy' when Queen Weret-yamtes (aka Amtes or Yamtisy) a consort of Pepi, was involved in a plot to overthrow the king and Queen Amtes disappeared from the court. Fact 9 on Pepi I: The pharaoh was married to a number of wives whose names were Meritites IV, Nubwenet, Inenek-Inti, Mehaa and and Nedjeftet. Fact 10 on Pepi I: The names of two of his later and most important wives were sisters called Ankhesenpepi I and Ankhesenpepi II. Both of these sister queens gave birth to successors of Pepi. The son of Ankhenespepi I was Merenre I and the son of Ankhenespepi II was Pepi II. Ankhesenpepi I and Ankhesenpepi II were the daughters of a influential, non-royal man called Khuy of Abydos who held considerable power in the region of Thinis. Fact 11 on Pepi I: It was acceptable for the pharaoh to practise Polygamy, meaning he had more than one wife at the same time. Having several wives or concubines in the Royal Harem enabled the pharaoh to maintain his dynasty and ensure the line of succession of his family. Fact 12 on Pepi I: Ankhesenpepi I and Ankhesenpepi II were the daughters of a influential, non-royal man called Khuy (aka Khui) of Abydos who held considerable power in the region of Thinis. The son of Khuy called Djau was also raised to a high ranking official and served as an advisor to King Pepi. Ancient Egyptian King - Pepi I Fact Sheet Pharaoh Pepi I King Pepi I Ancient Egyptian King - Pepi I Fact Sheet Fact 13 on Pepi I: The reign of Pepi I was both prosperous and eventful. The harem conspiracy involving one of his wives failed and the queen disappeared from court. Fact 14 on Pepi I: New trade routes were established via the Eastern Desert to the Red Sea. Trading expeditions were initiated along the Mediterranean coast to Byblos in Lebanon and to the Land of Punt. Fact 15 on Pepi I: Military campaigns, led by General Weni, were launched in the gold rich Nubia on the southern border of Egypt and garrisons and trading posts were established in the area. General Weni led the Egyptians to a great victory against the Nubians at Tumas in Nubia, about 150 miles south of Aswan. Fact 16 on Pepi I: King Pepi and General Weni also led troops against the Bedouins in the Sinai region and in Canaan. Fact 17 on Pepi I: Under the leadership of King Pepi and General Weni a series of canals, connecting the Nile with the quarries, were constructed just above the First Cataract. This water connections enabled large blocks of granite to be transported to the building site of Pepi's pyramid. Fact 18 on Pepi I: Pepi was a prolific builder and built his pyramid at Saqqara, which contained pyramid texts. He also built large temples at Abydos, Dendera, Tanis, Bubastis and Coptos. Fact 19 on Pepi I: High ranking officials also started to build great tombs that rivalled those built by kings, a firm indication that the wealth of Egypt was being transferred from the royal court to the non-royal officials. Fact 20 on Pepi I: He was succeeded by Merenre and then Pepi II. Ancient Egyptian King - Pepi I Fact Sheet King Pepi I and the 6th Dynasty 6th Dynasty Name - Dates of Reign King Teti - 2323–2291 BC King Userkare - 2291–2289 BCKing Pepi I - 2289–2255 BC King Merenre I - 2255–2246 BCKing Pepi II - 2246–2152 BC King Merenre II - Dates UnknownQueen Nitocris - Dates Unknown Succession of the KingsPepi I Pepi I |