Ancient Egyptians - Teti
Click a link for additional information and interesting facts about subjects relating to King Teti, the greatest pharaohs of Egypt or other aspects of daily life, the people and places of ancient Egypt.

All about Ancient Egyptians

Pharaohs & Kings of Egypt

Profile of Pharaoh Teti
The following profile provides a fast overview of Teti, the founder of the 6th dynasty of kings. According to Manetho, the ancient Egyptian historian, this king of ancient Egypt was murdered by his own bodyguards.

Profile of Teti

History Time Period: Old Kingdom

Predecessor: Unas

Dates of his Reign: 2323–2291 BC

Successor: King Userkare

King Teti
Interesting facts, biography & information about the life of Pharaoh Teti, the ancient Egyptian King. The Pharaoh Teti fact sheet provides details of the major events and accomplishments in his life, his consort and his family. Information about the dynasty and period in ancient Egyptian history in which King Teti lived. Refer to Pharaohs for additional interesting facts and information.

Ancient Egyptian King - Teti Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Teti: Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt was also known as Seheptawy and Othoes.

Fact 2 on Teti: History: He ruled as the king of Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom and was the founder of the 6th dynasty of kings. He ascended to the throne following the death of King Unas, the last ruler of the 5th dynasty.

Fact 3 on Teti: The name of his father is unknown but he is believed to have died when Teti was less than 5 years old. The name of his mother was Sesheshet who was also known as Sesh.

Fact 4 on Teti: Sesheshet was one of the most important women of the era and closely connected to the royal family. Sesheshet exercised considerable influence during the turmoil and power struggle between different branches of the royal family when King Unas died. She was instrumental in enabling her son to ascend to the throne.

Fact 5 on Teti: He adopted the Horus name, Seheteptawy, which means, "He who pacifies the Two Lands" reflecting the new found stability of the kingdom.

Fact 6 on Teti: The new king was duly grateful to his mother and built a 5 story subsidiary pyramid in her honor at the Saqqara necropolis. It was situated near to his own pyramid.

Fact 7 on Teti: His wife was Iput, the daughter of King Unas, and this marriage would have helped the new king to legitimize his claim to the throne.

Fact 8 on Teti: Family: The status and titles of Queen Iput included the "King’s Wife, his beloved", "King’s Wife", "King’s Mother", "King’s Daughter of his body" and "Companion of Horus".  Iput was the mother of Crown Prince Pepi, the rightful heir of Teti.

Fact 9 on Teti: Family: The names of two of his 'lesser wives' were Khent (Khentkaus) and Khuit.  Queen Khent was believed to be the mother of Userkare, who would succeed his father as the next king of Egypt. The names of his other wives are unknown.

Fact 10 on Teti: Teti was the father of at least 3 sons and 10 daughters.

Fact 11 on Teti: There is scant information about the background of Teti but ancient historians describe him as a physician. As a young man he would have received a good education from the priests in the temples, many of whom practised their form of medicine and magic. Ancient Egyptian temples included libraries of 'Wisdom Texts' detailing knowledge of healing, diagnosis, medical procedures and remedies so it is not surprising that Teti would have acquired such skills.

Fact 12 on Teti: To maintain stability in the government the king retained all the major court officials who had served King Unas including two powerful men named Mereruka and Kagemni who both served as his Viziers.

Ancient Egyptian King - Teti Fact Sheet

Pharaoh Teti
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Pharaoh Teti for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Teti for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about this king of Egypt for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

King Teti
Learn about this ancient Egyptian pharaoh the fast and easy way via the Teti Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian King - Teti Fact Sheet

Fact 13 on Teti: Like his predecessor, he sent  trading expeditions to Byblos a city located in ancient Phoenicia (modern Lebanon) to obtain cedar wood that used for building ships, temple doors and expensive coffins. Trade also continued in Nubia.

Fact 14 on Teti: He is known to have ordered travertine or calcite, known as ’Egyptian alabaster’ to be quarried in the Hatnub quarry that was situated in the Eastern Desert. The building projects of the king ranked high in his priorities, the most important building was his pyramid at Saqqara.

Fact 15 on Teti: The rise of the cult of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead, emerged during the 5th dynasty. Abydos was a primary cult center for Osiris, the god of the dead and Teti issued a decree exempting the priests at the Abydos cult center from paying taxes, ensuring the support of these powerful priests.

Fact 16 on Teti: The rise of the funerary cult of Osiris and the Egyptian's preoccupation with death  heralded a marked change in the burial practises of the king's subjects. The nobles, court officials and the priests began to build impressive funerary monuments for themselves.

Fact 17 on Teti: His vizier, Mereruka, built a large mastaba tomb at Saqqara. It was the biggest tomb that had ever been built for an Egyptian nobleman and consisted of 33 expensively carved chambers. This is a firm indication that Egypt's wealth was being transferred from the royal court to the non-royal officials.

Fact 18 on Teti: The declining power of the pharaoh resulted in considerable political intrigue and according to Manetho, the ancient Egyptian historian, the king was apparently murdered by his own, personal bodyguard.

Fact 19 on Teti: The pharaoh's bodyguards were extremely close to the king and were selected as highly respected, loyal  and trusted servants and some might have been distant members of his family. Such a betrayal must have sent great shockwaves and fear through the royal court.

Fact 20 on Teti: The throne was then seized by Userkare,  the rightful heir was his brother, Pepi.

Fact 21 on Teti: Teti was buried in his pyramid in Saqqara and was the second pyramid to contain Pyramid Texts.

Fact 22 on Teti: The pyramid of Teti has smooth, sloping sides and its dimensions were:

Height: 45.72 meters
Base: 68.58 meters
 

Fact 23 on Teti: The pyramid complex of Teti at Saqqara was based on the model first established in the funerary complexes of Abusir. A diagram of a typical ancient Egyptian pyramid complex is shown below and consisted of a mortuary temple and a causeway (raised roadway) leading to a Valley Temple.

Ancient Egyptian King - Teti Fact Sheet

King Teti and the 6th Dynasty
The following chart provides the names of the kings and the line of succession in the 6th Dynasty together with a map of ancient Egypt.

6th Dynasty

Name - Dates of Reign

King Teti - 2323–2291 BC

King Pepi I - 2289–2255 BC

King Pepi II - 2246–2152 BC

Queen Nitocris - Dates Unknown

Teti
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and King Teti inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Pharaoh Teti will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Teti