| Shepseskara I the Young | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 15 January 2470 - 18 March 2470 |
| Predecessor | Neferefra I |
| Successor | Nyuserra I, Khentkaus II |
| Regent | Khentkaus II, 2470 |
| Born | February 15, 2474 B.C. Mennefer, Egypt |
| Died | March 18, 2470 B.C. (aged 4) |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Sekhemkhau Praenomen: Shepseskara Nomen: Netjeruser | |
| House | Khasekhemwy |
| Dynasty | Userkafian Dynasty |
| Father | Neferefra I |
| Mother | Khentkaus III |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Shepseskara (Egyptian for "Noble is the Soul of Ra") was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the fourth or fifth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty (2494–2345 BC) during the Old Kingdom period. Shepseskara lived in the mid-25th century BC and was probably the owner of an unfinished pyramid in Abusir, which was abandoned after a few weeks of work in the earliest stages of its construction.
Shepseskara's reign lasted only a few months, after that of Neferefra. This conclusion is based upon the documentation of reign and the state and location of Shepseskara's unfinished pyramid in Abusir as well as the very small number of artefacts attributable to this king.
Shepseskara's was the eldest son of Neferefra, taking the throne aged four after the premature death of his predecessor only to die prematurely himself two months later
Building activities[]
Pyramid[]
An unfinished pyramid located in north Abusir, between the sun temple of Userkaf and the Pyramid of Sahure, is believed to belong to Shepseskara. The structure was discovered in 1980 by a Czechoslovakian archaeological team led by Miroslav Verner and seems to have been abandoned after no more than a few weeks or months of work. A square area of roughly 100 m2 (1,100 sq ft) was leveled and the digging of a T-shaped ditch was just started in its center. This ditch was to be left open during the pyramid construction to allow for simultaneous works on the pyramid filling and its substructures. This construction technique is common to all pyramids of the Fifth Dynasty and can directly be seen in the case of the Pyramid of Neferefra, which was also left unfinished. This technique as well as the location of the unfinished pyramid in the royal necropolis of the Fifth Dynasty indicates that it belonged in all likeliness to Shepseskara, the pyramids of the other kings of the dynasty being already known. If finished according to the established pattern, the pyramid would have reached 73 m (240 ft) high, similar to the Pyramid of Neferirkara.
Analyzing the fragments of clay seals bearing Shepeseskare's name, the Swiss Egyptologist Peter Kaplony has proposed that the ancient name of Shepseskara's pyramid could be reconstructed as Rsj-Špss-k3-Rˁ, reading "Resj-Shespeskare" and meaning "The awakening of Shepseskara". Verner rejects this hypothesis, and he contests the reading of certain signs and their interpretation as the name of a pyramid.
Sun temple[]
Kaplony has proposed that Shepseskara started to build a sun temple named Ḥtp-jb-Rˁ, reading "Hotepibre" and meaning "Satisfied is the heart of Ra". Although all the kings of the early to mid-Fifth Dynasty, from Userkaf to Menkauhor Kaiu, did build sun temples, Verner regards Kaplony's hypothesis as "sheer speculation" since it is based on the tentative reconstruction of a single clay seal. Verner first argues that this seal is not inscribed with Shepseskara's name but rather bears traces of a Horus name which could equally well be that of Djedkara Isesi. Second, Verner notes that the name of a sun temple is rarely found with that of the king who built it: more often it is found with the name of another king during whose reign the seal was made. Finally, he doubts that the sign reading Ḥtp, "Hotep", is really part of the name of a sun temple. Instead, he believes it is more probable that the seal either refers to the sun temple of Neferirkara, named St-jb-Rˁ.w, that is "Setibraw"; or to that of Nyuserra, which was called Šsp-jb-Rˁ, "Shesepibre".
Mortuary temple of Neferefra[]
It is possible that Shepseskara continued the construction of the funerary complex of his predecessor. As Neferefra had died after a short reign, his pyramid complex was far from finished and neither the burial chamber nor the mortuary temple had been built. The planned pyramid was thus hastily changed into a square mastaba representing a stylized primeval hill and the accompanying mortuary temple was completed during the reign of Nyuserra. The presence of seals of Shepseskara in the oldest part of Neferefra's mortuary temple could indicate that the former also undertook construction works there. The evidence for such works is uncertain: these seals could have been placed on boxes which were later moved into the magazine rooms of the temple. For example, seals of Userkaf, Sahure and Neferirkara Kakai were also found in the temple, while these three pharaohs died before Neferefra's reign.