Neferkare VI Pepiseneb was an
ancient Egyptian
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ''pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the an ...
of the
Eighth Dynasty
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, likely with their seat of power in Memphis. The Eighth Dynasty held sway at a time re ...
during the early
First Intermediate Period
The First Intermediate Period, described as a 'dark period' in ancient Egyptian history, spanned approximately 125 years, c. 2181–2055 BC, after the end of the Old Kingdom. It comprises the Seventh (although this is mostly considered spurious ...
(2181–2055 BC). According to the Egyptologists
Kim Ryholt
Kim Steven Bardrum Ryholt (born 19 June 1970) is a professor of Egyptology at the University of Copenhagen and a specialist on Egyptian history and literature. He is director of the research centeCanon and Identity Formation in the Earliest Litera ...
,
Jürgen von Beckerath
Jürgen von Beckerath (19 February 1920, Hanover – 26 June 2016, Schlehdorf) was a German Egyptologist. He was a prolific writer who published countless articles in journals such as '' Orientalia'', ''Göttinger Miszellen'' (GM), ''Journal of t ...
and Darrell Baker he was the twelfth king of the Eighth Dynasty.
[Darrell D. Baker: The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I - Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300–1069 BC, Stacey International, , 2008, p. 268-269]
Attestations
The name Neferkare VI Pepiseneb is attested on the
Abydos King List (number 51), but not elsewhere. However, Jürgen von Beckerath has proposed that Neferkare Pepiseneb is to be identified with a "Neferkare Khered Seneb" appearing on the
Turin canon The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin. The papyrus is the most extensive list av ...
.
[Jürgen von Beckerath: ''The Date of the End of the Old Kingdom of Egypt'', JNES 21 (1962) pp. 144-145] As such, Neferkare Pepiseneb would be the first king of the Eighth Dynasty, following ''Ntyiqrt'' (who might be
Neitiqerty Siptah) whose name appears on the Turin canon, 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 Neferkare Pepiseneb in the Turin canon means "child" or "young". Consequently, "Neferkare Khered Seneb" is translated as ''Neferkare The Child is Healthy''.
Several hypotheses have been put forth by Egyptologists concerning this epiteth. Hratch Papazian proposes that the fact that the king was called ''Khered'' on the Turin canon hints at his youthful age upon ascending to the throne.
In reality, however, the epithet Khered always indicates that he had the same name as his father, making the only candidate for his father
Neferkare II (as crown prince
Neferkare (eldest son of
Pepi II Neferkare
Pepi II Neferkare (2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either 2216 or 2184 BC) was a pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom who reigned from 2278 BC. His second name, Neferkare (''Nefer-ka-Re''), means "Beautiful is ...
),
Neferkare III Neby,
Neferkare IV Khendu, and
Neferkare V Tereru all died unmarried and Pepi II Neferkare and crown prince
Neferkare were members of the
6th dynasty
The Sixth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty VI), along with the Third, Fourth and Fifth Dynasty, constitutes the Old Kingdom of Dynastic Egypt.
Pharaohs
Known pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty are listed in the table below. Manetho ac ...
).
Reign
According to Ryholt's latest reading of the Turin canon, Neferkare VI Pepiseneb reigned at least one year.
[Kim Ryholt: "The Late Old Kingdom in the Turin King-list and kingsIdentity of Nitocris", Zeitschrift für ägyptische, 127, 2000, p. 91] As all pharaohs from
Menkare until
Neferkahor all had very short reigns (all within the year 2181 BC) and Neferkare VI Pepiseneb died in 2171 BC, he must have reigned 10 years (2181-2171 BC).
References
*Smith, W. Stevenson. ''The Old Kingdom in Egypt and the Beginning of the First Intermediate Period,'' in ''The Cambridge Ancient History,'' vol. I, part 2, ed. Edwards, I.E.S, ''et al.'' p. 197. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1971.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neferkare Pepiseneb
22nd-century BC Pharaohs
Pharaohs of the Eighth Dynasty of Egypt