Pepi II Neferkare (2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either 2216 or 2184 BC) was a king of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom. His second name, Neferkare (Nefer-ka-Re), means "Beautiful is the Ka of Re". He succeeded to the throne at age six, after the death of Nemtyemsaf I.
Pepi II's reign marked a sharp decline of the Old Kingdom. As the power of the nomarchs grew, the power of the king declined. With no dominant central power, local nobles began raiding each other's territories and the Old Kingdom came to an end within a couple of years after the end of Pepi II's reign. This led to the First Intermediate Period of Egypt which lasted from the Seventh Dynasty of Egypt to the Tenth Dynasty of Egypt.
According to the ancient historian Manetho (4th century BC), he reigned for 94 years, and according to the Turin King List (13th century BC), for 90 years. Since the latest contemporary documentary evidence for Pepi II dates from his 62nd year of reign,Year after the 31st Count (if biannual) in Anthony Spalinger, Dated Texts of the Old Kingdom, SAK 21, (1994), p.308. the 90+ years may be questionable.
Early reign
While Pepi II was long thought to be the son of Pepi I and Queen Ankhesenpepi II, many Egyptologists believe that Pepi II was likely the son of Merenre Nemtyemsaf I and Ankhesenpepi II.Labrousse, A. and Leclant, J. "Les reines Ânkhesenpépy II et III (fin de l'Ancien Empire): campagnes 1999 et 2000 de la MAFS", Compte-rendu de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres/, (CRAIBL) (2001), pp. 367–384. . During the 1999–2000 excavation season at Saqqara, several 6th Dynasty royal seals and stone blocks – the latter of which were found within the funerary temple of Ankhesenpepi II – were discovered, demonstrating that – after Pepi I's death – she married Merenre and became this king's chief wife.Labrousse, A. and Leclant, J., "Une épouse du roi Mérenrê Ier: la reine Ankhesenpépy I", in M. Barta (ed.), Abusir and Saqqara in the Year 2000, Prague, 2000. pp. 485–490. Inscriptions on these stone blocks give Ankhesenpepi II the royal titles of: "King's Wife of the Pyramid of Pepy I, King's Wife of the Pyramid of Merenre, King's Mother of the Pyramid of Pepy II".Labrousse and J. Leclant, pp. 485–490. The South Saqqara Stone annals record that Merenre Nemtyemsaf I had a minimum reign of 11 years. Pepi II was, therefore, Pepi I's grandson while Merenre was, most likely, Pepi II's father since he is known to have married Pepi II's known mother, Queen Ankhesenpepi II.
His mother Ankhesenpepi II (Ankhesenmeryre II) most likely ruled as regent in the early years of his reign. She may have been helped in turn by her brother Djau, who was a vizier under the previous pharaoh. An alabaster statuette in the Brooklyn Museum depicts a young Pepi II, in full kingly regalia, sitting on the lap of his mother. Despite his long reign, this piece is one of only three known sculptural representations in existence of this particular king. Some scholars have taken the relative paucity of royal statuary to suggest that the royal court was losing the ability to retain skilled artisans.
A glimpse of the personality of the pharaoh while he was still a child can be found in a letter he wrote to Harkhuf, a governor of Aswan and the head of one of the expeditions he sent into Nubia. Sent to trade and collect ivory, ebony, and other precious items, he captured a pygmy. News of this reached the royal court, and an excited young king sent word back to Harkhuf that he would be greatly rewarded if the pygmy were brought back alive, where he would have likely served as an entertainer for the court. This letter was preservedTomb inscriptions of Harkhuf Retrieved 31 October 2024. as a lengthy inscription on Harkhuf's tomb, and has been called the first travelogue.Zuhdi, Omar. Count Harkhuf and The Dancing Dwarf, KMT 16 1, Spring 2005, pp. 74–80.
Family
Over his long life, Pepi II had several wives, including: Neith – She may be a daughter of Ankhesenpepi I and hence also Pepi II's cousin and half-sister.Tyldesley, Joyce, Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt. Thames & Hudson. (2006). pp. 61–63. . Iput II – A half-sister of Pepi II. Ankhesenpepi III – She was the daughter of Nemtyemsaf I and hence a granddaughter of Pepi I. Ankhesenpepi IV – The mother of King Neferkare according to texts in her tomb. Udjebten – She may have been a daughter of Pepi I. Meritites IV – Originally thought to be a wife of Pepi I, she is now known to have been one of Pepi II's consorts, and a daughter of Pepi I.
Of these queens, Neith, Iput, and Udjebten each had their own minor pyramids and mortuary temples as part of the king's own pyramid complex in Saqqara. Queen Ankhesenpepi III and Meritites IV were buried in pyramids near the pyramid of Pepi I Meryre, and Ankhesenpepi IV was buried in a chapel in the complex of Queen Udjebten.
Children with Ankhesenpepi IV
Neferkare: It is not known which Neferkare as there are several kings with that name during the First Intermediate Period. His name may be Neferkare Nebi.
Possible children with Neith
Nemtyemsaf II (died c. 2213 BC)Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. (2004). pp. 70–78. .
Children with unknown spouse(s)
Nebkauhor-Idu Ptahshepses (D)
Foreign policy Pepi II seems to have carried on foreign policy in ways similar to that of his predecessors. Copper and turquoise were mined at Wadi Maghareh in the Sinai Peninsula, and alabaster was quarried from Hatnub. He is mentioned in inscriptions found in the Phoenician city of Byblos.Brovarski, G. Edward: "First Intermediate Period, overview" in Kathryn A. Bard and Steven Blake Shubert, eds. Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt (New York: Routledge, 1999), 46.
In the south, the trade relations consist of caravans trading with the Nubians. Harkhuf was a governor of Upper Egypt, who led several expeditions under Merenre and Pepi II. His last expedition was a trip to a place called Iam.Wente, Edward, Letters from Ancient Egypt, Scholars Press, 1990. , pp. 20–21. Harkhuf brought back with him what his correspondence with the young pharaoh referred to as a dwarf, apparently a pygmy.Vernus, Pascal; Yoyotte, Jean: The Book of the Pharaohs, Cornell University Press (2003). . p. 7. Egypt received goods such as incense, ebony, animal skins, and ivory from Nubia.Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. (2000). . pp. 116–117. The Western desert was known to have extensive caravan routes. Some of these routes allowed for trade with the Kharga Oasis, the Selima Oasis, and the Dakhla Oasis.
At Ebla, an alabaster lid was found in the destruction layer of Mardikh IIB1.Matthiae 1978:540
King Neferkare and General Sasenet Only a small number of pharaohs were immortalized in ancient fiction, Pepi II may be among them. In the tale of "King Neferkare and General Sasenet", three fragments of a papyrus dating from the late New Kingdom (although the story may have been composed earlier),Lynn Meskell, Archaeologies of social life: age, sex, class et cetera in ancient Egypt, Wiley-Blackwell, 1999, p.95 report clandestine nocturnal meetings with a military commander – a General Sasenet or Sisene. Some have suggested this reflects a homosexual relationship although it is disputed that the text relates to Pepi II at all.Greenberg, David, The Construction of Homosexuality, 1988; Parkinson, R.B., Homosexual Desire and Middle Kingdom Literature Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 81, (1995), pp. 57-76. Some, like R. S. Bianchi, think that it is a work of archaizing literature and dates to the 25th Dynasty referring to Shabaka Neferkare, a Kushite king.Robert Steven Bianchi, Daily Life Of The Nubians, Greenwood Press, (2004). p. 164.
Decline of the Old Kingdom
The decline of the Old Kingdom arguably began before the time of Pepi II, with nomarchs (regional representatives of the king) becoming more and more powerful and exerting greater influence. Pepi I, for example, married two sisters who were the daughters of a nomarch and later made their brother a vizier. Their influence was extensive, both sisters bearing sons who were chosen as part of the royal succession: Merenre Nemtyemsaf I and Pepi II himself.
Increasing wealth and power appears to have been handed over to high officials during Pepi II's reign. Large and expensive tombs appear at many of the major nomes of Egypt, built for the reigning nomarchs, the priestly class and other administrators. Nomarchs were traditionally free from taxation and their positions became hereditary. Their increasing wealth and independence led to a corresponding shift in power away from the central royal court to the regional nomarchs.
Later in his reign, it is known that Pepi divided the role of vizier so that there were two viziers: one for Upper Egypt and one for Lower, a further decentralization of power away from the royal capital of Memphis. Further, the seat of vizier of Lower Egypt was moved several times. The southern vizier was based at Thebes.
Reign length
Pepi II is often mentioned as the longest reigning monarch in history, due to a 3rd-century BC account of Ancient Egypt by Manetho, which accords the king a reign of 94 years; this has, however, been disputed by some Egyptologists such as Hans Goedicke and Michel Baud due to the absence of attested dates known for Pepi II after his 31st count (Year 62 or 63 if biennial count starting in Year 1 or 2). Ancient sources upon which Manetho's estimate is based are long lost, and could have resulted from a misreading on Manetho's behalf (see von Beckerath).Jürgen von Beckerath, Chronologie des pharaonischen Ägypten (Mainz 1997), p. 151. The Turin canon attributes 90+ [X] years of reign to Pepi II, but this document dates to the time of Ramesses II, 1,000 years after Pepi II's death and its accuracy is uncertain.
Spalinger (1994) provides the highest attested date "Year after the 31st Count, 1st Month of Shemu, day 20" from Hatnub graffito No.7,Spalinger, Anthony: Dated Texts of the Old Kingdom, SAK 21, (1994), p. 308. which assuming a biennial cattle count system would represent 62+1 complete or partial years. Therefore, some Egyptologists suggest instead that Pepi II reigned no more than 64 years.Goedicke, Hans: "The Death of Pepi II-Neferkare" in Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 15, (1988), pp. 111–121.Baud, Michel: "The Relative Chronology of Dynasties 6 and 8" in Ancient Egyptian Chronology (Leiden, 2006) pp. 152–57. This is based on the complete absence of higher attested dates for Pepi beyond his Year after the 31st Count (Year 62 on a biannual cattle count). A previous suggestion by Hans Goedicke that the Year of the 33rd Count appears for Pepi II in a royal decree for the mortuary cult of Queen Udjebten was withdrawn by Goedicke himself in 1988 in favour of a reading of "the Year of the 24th Count" instead. Goedicke writes that Pepi II is attested by numerous year dates until the Year of his 31st count which strongly implies that this king died shortly after a reign of about 64 years.Goedicke, 1988, pp. 111–121. Other scholars note that the lack of contemporary sources dated after his 62nd year on the throne does not preclude a much longer reign, in particular since the end of Pepi II's reign was marked by a sharp decline in the fortunes of the Old Kingdom pharaohs who succeeded him.Baker, Darell D.: The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I – Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300 – 1069 BC, Stacey International, , (2008).