The sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...

 (notated Dynasty VI) is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and V under the group title the Old Kingdom

Old Kingdom

Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...

.

Pharaohs

Known pharaoh

Pharaoh

Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...

s of Dynasty VI are as follows (the absolute dates given are suggestions rather than facts, as the error margin amounts to tens of years) The pharaohs of Dynasty VI ruled for approximately one hundred and sixty-four years. The Horus names and names of the Queens are taken from Dodson and Hilton.

Dynasty VI pharaohs

Name of King	|Horus (Throne) Name	|Date	|Pyramid	|Queen(s)
Teti Teti Teti, less commonly known as Othoes, was the first Pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt and is buried at Saqqara. The exact length of his reign has been destroyed on the Turin King List, but is believed to have been about 12 years.-Biography:...	Seheteptawy	2345 – 2333	Pyramid of Teti Pyramid of Teti The Pyramid complex of Teti is located in the pyramid field at Saqqara, in Egypt. It was originally called Teti's places are enduring. The preservation above ground is very poor, and it now resembles a small hill. Below ground the chambers and corridors are very well preserved.-Below Ground:The...  at Saqqara	Khent(kaus III)  Iput I  Khuit Khuit Khuit II was a wife of King Teti, the first pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt.- Biography :Khuit may have been the first prominent royal wife from the reign of Teti...
Userkare Userkare Userkare was the second king of the Sixth Dynasty. He is generally seen as one of the leaders who opposed his predecessor, Teti's royal line and was most likely an usurper to the throne...		2333 – 2331
Pepi I Pepi I Meryre Pepi I Meryre was the third king of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. His first throne name was Neferdjahor which the king later altered to Meryre meaning "beloved of Rê."-Family:...	Nefersahor/Merenre	2331 – 2287	Pyramid in South Saqqara Saqqara Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...	Ankhesenpepi I Ankhesenpepi I Ankhenespepi I or Ankhenesmeryre I was a queen consort during the sixth dynasty of Egypt.- Biography :Ankhesenpepi was a daughter of Nebet the female vizier and her husband Khui...   Ankhesenpepi II Ankhesenpepi II Ankhesenpepi II or Ankhesenmeryre II was a queen consort during the sixth dynasty of Egypt. She was the wife of Kings Pepi I and Merenre Nemtyemsaf I, and the mother of Pepi II. She was buried in Saqqara.- Biography :...   Nubwenet Nubwenet Nubwenet was an ancient Egyptian queen consort, a wife of Pharaoh Pepi I of the 6th dynasty.- Titles :Her titles were: Great one of the hetes-sceptre , She who sees Horus and Seth , Great of Praises , King’s Wife, his beloved , Beloved King’s Wife of Pepi-Mennefer...   Meritites IV Meritites IV Meritites IV was a queen from the 6th dynasty and a wife of Pepi I. Her title King’s Daughter of his body of Pepy-Mennefer may indicate she was also a daughter of Pepi I...   Inenek-Inti Inenek-Inti Inenek, also called Inti was an ancient Egyptian queen consort, a wife of Pharaoh Pepi I of the 6th dynasty.- Titles :Inti's titles were: Hereditary Princess , Foremost of the Elite , King’s Wife , King’s Wife, his beloved , Daughter of Merehu , Daughter of Geb .-...   Mehaa  Nedjeftet Nedjeftet Nedjeftet is a queen mentioned on reliefs discovered near the pyramid complex of Pepi I . She was a wife of Pepi...
Nemtyemsaf I Merenre Nemtyemsaf I Merenre Nemtyemsaf I was the fourth king of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. His nomen, theophorically referring to Nemty, was formerly read as Antyemsaf, a reading now known to be incorrect.- Biography :...	Merenre	2287 – 2278		Ankhesenpepi II Ankhesenpepi II Ankhesenpepi II or Ankhesenmeryre II was a queen consort during the sixth dynasty of Egypt. She was the wife of Kings Pepi I and Merenre Nemtyemsaf I, and the mother of Pepi II. She was buried in Saqqara.- Biography :...
Pepi II Pepi II Neferkare Pepi II was a pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom. His throne name, Neferkare , means "Beautiful is the Ka of Re". He succeeded to the throne at age six, after the death of Merenre I, and is generally credited with having the longest reign of any monarch in history at 94 years...	Neferkare	2278 – 2184	Pyramid in South Saqqara Saqqara Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...	Neith Neith (wife of Pepi II) Neith was an ancient Egyptian queen consort, one of the principal queens of the Old Kingdom pharaoh Pepi II, who ruled . Queen Neith was named after goddess Neith.-Family:...   Iput II Iput II Iput was an ancient Egyptian queen consort of the Sixth dynasty, a sister and wife of Pepi II.-Titles:Her titles King’s Daughter , and Eldest King’s Daughter show that Iput II was a daughter of a pharaoh...   Ankhesenpepi III Ankhesenpepi III Ankhesenpepi III was an ancient Egyptian queen of the Sixth dynasty. She was named after her grandmother, Ankhesenpepi I. Ankhesenpepi III was a daughter of Nemtyemsaf I and she became the wife of Pepi II....   Ankhesenpepi IV Ankhesenpepi IV Ankhesenpepi IV was an ancient Egyptian queen, a wife of Pharaoh Pepi II of the Sixth dynasty. She was the mother of King Neferkare II. Pepi II also had several other wives.- Titles :...   Udjebten Udjebten Udjebten or Wadjebten was an ancient Egyptian queen consort, a wife of Pharaoh Pepi II of the sixth dynasty.-Titles:Her titles include that of Hereditary Princess , which indicates she was of noble birth....
Nemtyemsaf II Merenre Nemtyemsaf II Merenre Nemtyemsaf II was briefly Pharaoh of Egypt, likely succeeding his long-lived father Pepi II Neferkare. The Turin King List says that Merenre reigned for only a year, after succeeding his father Pepi II. His name is also mentioned on a stela that was discovered near the site of the pyramid...	Merenre	2184
Nitiqret? or Neitiqerty Siptah Neitiqerty Siptah The Ancient Egyptian king, Neitiqerty Siptah is an obscure successor to Merenre Nemtyemsaf II, towards the end of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. His reign is usually replaced with that of Nitocris, the 'first female pharaoh', who seems not to have actually existed, as although it was claimed that...		2184 – 2181

Dynasty VI is considered by many authorities as the last dynasty of the Old Kingdom, although The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt includes Dynasties VII and VIII as part of the Old Kingdom. Manetho

Manetho

Manetho was an Egyptian historian and priest from Sebennytos who lived during the Ptolemaic era, approximately during the 3rd century BC. Manetho wrote the Aegyptiaca...

 writes that these kings ruled from Memphis

Memphis, Egypt

Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...

, since their pyramids were built at Saqqara

Saqqara

Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...

, very close one to another.

Teti

Dynasty VI was founded by Teti

Teti

Teti, less commonly known as Othoes, was the first Pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt and is buried at Saqqara. The exact length of his reign has been destroyed on the Turin King List, but is believed to have been about 12 years.-Biography:...

, who had married Iput, commonly believed to be the daughter of the Dynasty V pharaoh Unas

Unas

Unas was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, and the last ruler of the Fifth dynasty from the Old Kingdom. His reign has been dated as falling between 2375 BC and 2345 BC...

. Manetho claimed that Teti was eventually murdered by his own bodyguard

Bodyguard

A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...

, but no contemporary sources confirm this.

Pepi I

During this dynasty, expeditions were sent to Wadi Maghara in the Sinai Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...

 to mine for turquoise

Turquoise

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...

 and copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

, as well as to the mines at Hatnub

Hatnub

Hatnub is/are Egyptian alabaster quarries and associated seasonally occupied workers' settlement in the Eastern Desert, about 65km southeast of modern el-Minya. The pottery, hieroglyph inscriptions and hieratic graffiti at the site show that it was in use intermittently from at least as early as...

 and Wadi Hammamat

Wadi Hammamat

' is a dry river bed in Egypt's Eastern Desert, about halfway between Qusier and Qena. It was a major mining region and trade route east from the Nile Valley in ancient times, and three thousand years of rock carvings and graffiti make it a major scientific and tourist site today.-Trade...

. The pharaoh Djedkara sent trade expeditions south to Punt

Land of Punt

The Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egyptians, was a trading partner known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals...

 and north to Byblos

Byblos

Byblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...

, and Pepi I

Pepi I Meryre

Pepi I Meryre was the third king of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. His first throne name was Neferdjahor which the king later altered to Meryre meaning "beloved of Rê."-Family:...

 sent expeditions not only to these locations, but also as far as Ebla

Ebla

Ebla Idlib Governorate, Syria) was an ancient city about southwest of Aleppo. It was an important city-state in two periods, first in the late third millennium BC, then again between 1800 and 1650 BC....

 in modern-day Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

.

Pepi II

The most notable member of this dynasty was Pepi II

Pepi II Neferkare

Pepi II was a pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom. His throne name, Neferkare , means "Beautiful is the Ka of Re". He succeeded to the throne at age six, after the death of Merenre I, and is generally credited with having the longest reign of any monarch in history at 94 years...

, who is credited with a reign of 94 years., the longest of any monarch in history.

Nitiqret

Also known by the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 name Nitocris, this woman is believed by some authorities to have been not only the first female pharaoh but the first queen in the literate world, although it is currently accepted that her name is actually a mistranslation of Neitiqerty Siptah

Neitiqerty Siptah

The Ancient Egyptian king, Neitiqerty Siptah is an obscure successor to Merenre Nemtyemsaf II, towards the end of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt. His reign is usually replaced with that of Nitocris, the 'first female pharaoh', who seems not to have actually existed, as although it was claimed that...

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The rise of the nobility

With the growing number of biographical inscriptions in non-royal tombs, our knowledge of the contemporary history broadens. For example, we hear of an unsuccessful plot against Pepy I. We also read a letter written by the young king Pepy II, excited that one of his expeditions will return with a dancing pygmy

Pygmy

Pygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually short; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult men grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed "pygmoid." The best known pygmies are the Aka,...

 from the land of Yam, located to the south of Nubia

Nubia

Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...

.

These non-royal tomb inscriptions are but one example of the growing power of the nobility, which further weakened the absolute rule of the king. As a result, it is believed that on the death of the long-lived Pepy II his vassals were entrenched enough to resist the authority of his many successors, which may have contributed to the rapid decline of the Old Kingdom.