The Eighth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty VIII) is a poorly known and short-lived line of pharaohs reigning in rapid succession in the early 22nd century BC, with their seat of power in Memphis. The Eighth Dynasty held sway at a time referred to as the very end of the Old Kingdom or the beginning of the First Intermediate Period. The power of the pharaohs was waning while that of the provincial governors, known as nomarchs, was increasingly important, the Egyptian state having by then effectively turned into a feudal system. In spite of close relations between the Memphite kings and powerful nomarchs, notably in Coptos, the Eighth Dynasty was eventually overthrown by the nomarchs of Heracleopolis Magna, who founded the Ninth Dynasty. The Eighth Dynasty is sometimes combined with the preceding Seventh Dynasty, owing to the lack of archeological evidence for the latter which may be fictitious.
Neferkara VI Pepiseneb[]
| Neferkara VI Pepiseneb | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 9 March 2171 - 13 April 2170 |
| Predecessor | Neferkahor II |
| Successor | Neferkamin II |
| Born | February 22, 2238 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | April 13, 2170 B.C. (aged 68) |
| Spouse | Ankhesenpepi VII |
| Issue | Khentkaus V, Neferkamin II |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Neferkara Khered Seneb Nebty Name: Neferkara Khered Seneb Golden Horus Name: Neferkara Khered Seneb Praenomen: Neferkara Nomen: Pepiseneb | |
| House | Khasekhemwy (0thoenid Branch) |
| Dynasty | Neferkarian Dynasty |
| Father | Nebkauhor Idu |
| Mother | Neithhotep |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Neferkara VI Pepiseneb was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Eighth Dynasty during the early First Intermediate Period (2181–2040 BC). He was the first king of the Eighth Dynasty.
Attestations[]
The name Neferkara VI Pepiseneb is attested on the Abydos King List (number 51), but not elsewhere. A large lacuna in the document affecting the intervening kings of the dynasty. Both of these sources are dated to long after the eighth dynasty, to the 19th dynasty and later and there are no contemporary attestations of this period.
Epithet[]
The epithet Khered given to Neferkara Pepiseneb in the Turin canon means "child" or "young". Consequently, "Neferkara Khered Seneb" is translated as Neferkara The Child is Healthy.
Reign[]
Neferkara VI Pepiseneb reigned 1 year, 1 month and 2 days. Succeding Neferkahor, Neferkara VI Pepiseneb was a descendent from pepi II through his father Nebkauhor Idu who was the ancestor to all of the pharaohs of the eighth dynasty
Neferkamin II Anu[]
| Neferkamin II Anu | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 13 April 2170 - 18 January 2169 |
| Predecessor | Neferkara VI |
| Successor | Qakara I |
| Born | March 27, 2218 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | January 18, 2170 B.C. (aged 47) |
| Spouse | Khentkaus V |
| Issue | Khentkaus ,Neferkara, Nebkauhor, Neferkahor, Pepi |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Neferkara Nebty Name: Neferkara Golden Horus Name: Nefer Praenomen: Neferkamin Nomen: Anu | |
| House | Khasekhemwy (0thoenid Branch) |
| Dynasty | Neferkarian Dynasty |
| Father | Neferkara VI |
| Mother | Ankhesenpepi VII |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Neferkamin II Anu was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt during the First Intermediate Period, c2181 - 2040 BC. He was the second king of the Eighth Dynasty. As a pharaoh of the Eighth Dynasty, Neferkamin Anu would have reigned over the Memphite region.
Attestations[]
Neferkamin Anu is mentioned on the entry 52 of the Abydos King list, which was compiled in the early Ramesside period. The list names his predecessor as Neferkara Pepiseneb and his successor as Qakara Ibi. The Turin canon identifies Nerferkamin Anu with a Nefer mentioned on column 4, line 10 of the document, which is in agreement with the Abydos king list. Any detail about Neferkamin Anu's reign is lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.
Name[]
The name of Neferkamin Anu is transliterated as Neferkamin Anu even though it is reported as Sneferka Anu on the Abydos King list. The reason for this transliteration is that the hieroglyph sign O34, reading s, could replace the sign R22 for the god Min and reading Mn.
Reign[]
Neferkamin II was the son of Neferkara VI and greatgrandson of Pepi II, He was married to Khentkaus V, he succeded upon the death of his father in 13 April 2170 and reigned 9 months and 5 days, he died in January 18 2169, his reign was the shortest of all monarchs of the Othoenid branch[1] of the Narmerian dynasty
Qakara I Ibi I[]
| Qakara I Ibi I | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 18 January 2169 - 19 February 2167 |
| Predecessor | Neferkamin II |
| Successor | Neferkaura |
| Born | February 17, 2235 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | February 19, 2167 B.C. (aged 68) |
| Spouse | Khentkaus VI |
| Issue | Neferkaura, Neferkauhor |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Qaikaura Nebty Name:Qaikaura Seneb Golden Horus Name: Qaikaura Praenomen: Qakara Nomen: Ibi | |
| House | Khasekhemwy (0thoenid Branch) |
| Dynasty | Neferkarian Dynasty |
| Father | Nebkauhor Idu |
| Mother | Neithhotep |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Qakara I Ibi I was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh during the early First Intermediate Period (2181–2040 BC) and the third ruler of the Eighth Dynasty. As such Qakara Ibi's seat of power was Memphis and he probably did not hold power over all of Egypt. Qakara Ibi is one of the best attested pharaohs of the Eighth Dynasty due to the discovery of his small pyramid in South Saqqara.
Attestations[]
Qakara Ibi is attested on the 53rd entry of the Abydos King List, a king list which was redacted some 900 years after the First Intermediate Period during the reign of Seti I. According to Kim Ryholt's latest reconstruction of the Turin canon, another king list compiled in the Ramesside era, Qakara Ibi is also attested there on column 5, line 10 (Gardiner 4.11, von Beckerath 4.10). The Turin canon further indicates that he reigned for "2 years, 1 month and 1 day".
Pyramid complex[]
At Saqqara-South, Qakara Ibi was buried in a small pyramid. It was discovered by Karl Richard Lepsius in the 19th century who listed it as the number XL in his pioneering list of pyramids. The pyramid was excavated from 1929 until 1931 by Gustave Jéquier.
Ibi's pyramid is the last built in Saqqara, located to the northeast of Shepseskaf's tomb and near the causeway of the Pyramid of Pepi II. It is very similar in plan, dimensions and decorations to the pyramids of the queens of Pepi II, the last great pharaoh of the Old Kingdom. Consequently, it was proposed that the pyramid was originally that of Ankhnespepi IV (ˁnḫ-n=s ppj, "Pepi lives for her") a wife of Pepi II, and was only later appropriated by Ibi. Adjacent to the pyramid is a small chapel where the funerary cult took place. No trace of a causeway nor of a valley temple has been found to this day, and it is likely that there never was any.
The pyramid[]
Ibi's pyramid is not oriented to any cardinal point, being rather on a northwest–southeast axis. The edifice would have been around 31.5 m (103 ft) large and 21 m (69 ft) high with a slope of 53°7′ at the time of its construction. The core of the pyramid was built with limestone blocks of local origin, most of which are now gone, probably reused in later constructions. As a result, the monument appears today as a 3 m (9.8 ft) high heap of mud and limestone chips in the sands of Saqqara. On some of the remaining blocks, inscriptions in red ink were found mentioning a chief of the Libyans, the meaning of which is unclear. It seems that even though the foundations for the outer casing of the pyramid were laid, the casing itself was never mounted.
Internal structures[]
On the north side of the edifice, Jéquier found an 8 m (26 ft) long limestone-clad corridor leading down with an inclination of 25° to a large granite portcullis. Behind this portcullis lay the king's burial chamber. Both the corridor and the walls of the burial chamber were inscribed with the last known instance of the Pyramid Texts. The texts seem to have been directly inscribed for Ibi rather than appropriated by him, although the possibility of the texts being rescribed can not be ruled out. Jéquier judged the quality of the inscriptions as "very average". Furthermore, the placement of the spells appears relatively indiscriminate. The burial chamber's ceiling was flat and decorated with stars. It was probably made of a single 5 m (16 ft) long block of Tura limestone now missing. Today a large block of concrete protects the chamber.
On the west side of the burial chamber is a false door and a huge granite block on which once stood the sarcophagus of the king. On the east side there is a serdab for the statue of the Ka of the deceased.
Chapel[]
Adjacent to the east side of the pyramid is a small mudbrick chapel which served as temple for the cult of the dead king. The entrance of the chapel is located on its north side. Inside the temple, immediately against the pyramid wall is an offering hall where Jequier found a stone washbasin as well as stele or a false door of which only the foundations remain. An alabaster tray and obsidian mortar tools were also discovered there.
The south part of the chapel is occupied by magazine rooms.
Neferkaura Khakauhor[]
| Neferkaura Khakauhor | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 19 February 2167 - 19 April 2163 |
| Predecessor | Qakara I |
| Successor | Neferkauhor |
| Born | August 2, 2220 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | April 19, 2163 B.C. (aged 56) |
| Spouse | Meritites V |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Khabau Nebty Name: Khabau Golden Horus Name: Khabau Praenomen: Neferkaura Nomen: Khakauhor | |
| House | Khasekhemwy (0thoenid Branch) |
| Dynasty | Neferkarian Dynasty |
| Father | Qakara I Ibi I |
| Mother | Khentkaus VI |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Neferkaura Khakauhor was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. He was the fourth king of the Eighth Dynasty. As a pharaoh of the Eighth Dynasty, Neferkaura's seat of power was Memphis and didn't held power over all of Egypt.
Attestations[]
Neferkaura is named on the 54th entry of the Abydos King List, a king list redacted some 900 years after the First Intermediate Period during the reign of Seti I. Neferkaura's name is lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon affecting column 5, line 11 of the document. The length of Neferkaura's reign is nonetheless preserved with "4 years, 2 months and 0 days".
Neferkaura is also known from a contemporary inscription, a fragmentary decree inscribed on a limestone slab known as Gebtu Decree h and concerning offerings for the temple of Min at Gebtu. One of the two existing fragments of this decree was given by Edward Harkness to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is now on display in Gallery 103. The decree is dated to the fourth regnal year of Neferkaura, which is the highest attested date of any king of the Eighth Dynasty. The first sign of the king's Horus name is clearly present while the second sign is debated. von Beckerath commits only to the first sign and reads Kha[...], while Baker and William C. Hayes read Khabau. The decree is addressed to the then governor of Upper Egypt, Shemay, and requires that fixed amounts of offerings be given at regular intervals to the god Min and then possibly to a statue of the king.
Neferkauhor Khuiwihapi[]
| Neferkauhor Khuiwihapi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 19 April 2163 - 20 May 2161 |
| Predecessor | Neferkaura |
| Successor | Neferirkara II |
| Born | April 26, 2219 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | May 20, 2161 B.C. (aged 58) |
| Spouse | Behenu III |
| Issue | Neferirkara II |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Netjerbau Nebty Name:Netjerbau Golden Horus Name: Puwyhapi Praenomen: Neferkauhor Nomen: Khuiwihapi | |
| House | Khasekhemwy (0thoenid Branch) |
| Dynasty | Neferkarian Dynasty |
| Father | Qakara I Ibi I |
| Mother | Khentkaus VI |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Neferkauhor Khuwihapi was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Eighth Dynasty during the early First Intermediate Period (2181–2055 BC), at a time when Egypt was possibly divided between several polities. Neferkauhor was the fifth and penultimate king of the Eighth Dynasty and as such would have ruled over the Memphite region. Neferkauhor reigned for little over 2 years and is one of the best attested kings of this period with eight of his decrees surviving in fragmentary condition to this day.
Attestations on king lists[]
Neferkauhor is listed on entry 55 of the Abydos King List, a king list redacted during the reign of Seti I, some 900 years after Neferkauhor's lifetime. He is believed to have been listed on the Turin Canon as well even though his name is lost in a lacuna affecting column 5, row 12 of the document (following Kim Ryholt's reconstruction). The duration of his reign is, however, preserved and given as "2 years, 1 month and 1 day".
The decrees of Neferkauhor[]
A total of eight different decrees found in the temple of Min at Coptos are attributed to Neferkauhor and survive to this day in fragmentary condition. Four of these decrees, inscribed on limestone slabs, were given in 1914 by the philanthropist Edward Harkness to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where there are now on display in Gallery 103.
Seven out of the eight decrees were issued on a single day of the first year of reign of Neferkauhor, perhaps on the day of his accession to the throne. The year in question is given the name of "Year of Uniting the Two Lands". In the first decree Neferkauhor bestows titles to his eldest daughter Nebyet, wife of a vizier named Shemay. He attributes her a bodyguard, the commandant of soldiers Khrod-ny (also read Kha’redni), and orders the construction of a sacred barque for a god called "Two-Powers", perhaps the syncretized god Horus-Min.
The second and best preserved of the decrees concerns the appointment of Shemay's son, Idy, to the post of governor of Upper Egypt, ruling over the seven southernmost nomes from Elephantine to Diospolis Parva:
The Horus Netjerbau. Sealed in the presence of the king himself in the Month 2 [of Peret, Day 20]. Royal decree to the count, the over[seer of priests, Idy]: you are appointed count, governor of Upper Egypt, overseer of priests in this same Upper Egypt, which [is under] your supervision southward to Nubia, northward to the Sistrum nome, functioning as count, overseer of priests, chief of the rulers of towns who are under your supervision, in place of your father, the father of the god, beloved of the god, the hereditary prince, mayor of the [pyramid ci]ty, chief justice, vizier, keeper of the king's archives, [count, governor of Upper Egypt, overseer of priests, Shemay. No] one [shall have rightfull claim against it]...
The third and fourth decrees are partially preserved on a single fragment. They record Neferkauhor giving Idy's brother a post in the temple of Min and possibly also informing Idy about it. This last decree records why the decrees were found in the temple of Min:
[My majesty commands you to post] the words [of this decree at the gate]way of the temple of Min [of Coptos forever] and ever. There is sent the sole companion, Hemy's son, Intef, concerning it. Sealed in the presence of the [king] himself in the Year of Uniting the Two Lands, Month 2 of Peret, Day 20."
The remaining decrees concern the appointment of mortuary priests to the chapels of Nebyet and Shemay as well as ordering inventories at the temple of Min.
Other attestations[]
Beyond the decrees Neferkauhor is also attested by two inscriptions on a wall in Shemay's tomb. They are dated to the first year of his reign, Month 4 of Shemu, Day 2. The inscriptions report the bringing of stone from the Set Maat (Coptos is the starting point for expeditions to this Wadi). The inscriptions are partly destroyed, but seem to mention that the work was done within 19 days. From the Wadi Hammamat are known three rock inscriptions reporting the bringing of a stone. One of the texts is dated under year one of an unnamed king. In two of the inscriptions an Idy is also mentioned. If this Idy is identical to the one known from the decrees, the inscriptions also refer to this expedition under the king.
Neferirkara II Pepi III[]
| Neferirkara II Pepi III | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 20 May 2161 - 22 November 2160 |
| Predecessor | Neferkauhor |
| Successor | Khety I |
| Born | December 29, 2200 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | May 20, 2161 B.C. (aged 38) |
| Spouse | Ankhesenpepi VIII, Seshathotep, Ankhnespepi-Teti |
| Issue | Neferkara, Neferkauhor, Teti, Nemtyemsaf, Pepi, Ankhnespepi, Seshat, Ptahshepses, Meritites |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Demedjibtawy Nebty Name:Demedjibtawy Golden Horus Name: Neferkhaura Praenomen: Neferirkara Nomen: Pepi | |
| House | Khasekhemwy (0thoenid Branch) |
| Dynasty | Neferkarian Dynasty |
| Father | Neferkauhor |
| Mother | Behenu III |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Neferirkara II Pepi III was the last pharaoh of Egypt's 8th Dynasty, a period marked by the fragmentation of centralized power and the decline of the Old Kingdom. His reign saw the final collapse of royal authority and the rise of the Herakleopolitan kings, marking the end of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the First Intermediate Period.
Background[]
By the time Neferirkara II ascended the throne, the power of the pharaoh had diminished significantly. The once-mighty kingdom had splintered into smaller, semi-independent regions ruled by powerful nomarchs, particularly in the Nile Delta. The central government, based in Memphis, was struggling to maintain control, and the influence of the pharaoh was largely nominal.
The real power lay in the hands of regional rulers, most notably Khety the Cruel, a prominent leader in Herakleopolis, who would go on to establish the 9th Dynasty. Neferirkara II’s reign began in a period of intense political instability, with rival factions vying for control over Egypt's fragmented territories.
The War Against Khety the Cruel[]
In an attempt to restore the authority of the pharaoh and reunify Egypt, Neferirkara II launched a military campaign against Khety the Cruel. This ambitious effort was supported by several nomarchs from the Nile Delta who still recognized the traditional authority of Memphis. However, the campaign quickly became a prolonged and bloody conflict.
For six months, Neferirkara II and his allies engaged in a series of battles against Khety's forces. Despite early successes, the tide of war soon turned against Neferirkara. The nomarchs, seeing the strength of Khety's army and the futility of continued resistance, began to defect one by one. The last of Neferirkara’s allies surrendered, leaving the pharaoh isolated.
The Siege of Memphis[]
Khety's forces marched on Memphis, the once-great capital of Egypt, and laid siege to the city. The siege lasted for four grueling months, during which the city's defenders, weakened by famine and disease, were gradually worn down. Finally, Memphis fell to Khety's forces, marking the end of the 8th Dynasty.
The Fall of Neferirkara II[]
After the fall of Memphis, Neferirkara II was captured by Khety. In a brutal display of power and authority, Khety ordered the execution of Neferirkara, his wife, their five sons, and two grandsons. Neferirkara's daughters and daughters-in-law were spared but were forced into marriages with Khety's grandsons, further cementing the Herakleopolitan dynasty's control over Egypt.
- ↑ Sixth, seventh and eighth dynasties