Neferkare VII was the third
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
Ninth Dynasty of Egypt of
ancient Egypt, ca. 2140 BCE (during the
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 ...
), according to the
Turin King List where his name, Neferkare, is inscribed in the register 4.20.
Neferkare is not included on the
Abydos King List or the
Saqqara King List, nor can the existence of his reign be positively confirmed through archaeological finds.
[ William C. Hayes, in '' The Cambridge Ancient History'', vol 1, part 2, 1971 (2008), Cambridge University Press, , pp. 464–465.]
The
prenomen "Neferkare" suggests he considered himself a legitimate successor of
Pepi II Neferkare of the
Sixth Dynasty, much like the many namesake
Memphite kings 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 ...
. In some literature he is called "Neferkare VII" because he likely was the seventh king to bear this name, although many of his predecessors are now called by a combination of their prenomen and
nomen (for example,
Neferkare Neby, or
Neferkare Pepiseneb
Neferkare VI Pepiseneb was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Eighth Dynasty during the early First Intermediate Period (2181–2055 BC). According to the Egyptologists Kim Ryholt, Jürgen von Beckerath and Darrell Baker he was the twelfth king o ...
).
This otherwise unattested ruler of
Herakleopolis Magna has been controversially identified by various scholars with a king named ''Ka-nefer-re'', who is mentioned in an obscure and isolated tomb inscription of
Ankhtifi, the pro-Herakleopolite
nomarch of
Hieraconpolis and prince of
El-Mo'alla
El Mo'alla ( ar, المعلّى) is a town in Upper Egypt located about 35 km south of Luxor, on the east bank of the Nile.
Known as Hefat by ancient Egyptians, it served as a necropolis for the nearby city of Djerty (nowadays El-Tod) sinc ...
, about south of
Thebes.
If Neferkare and Kaneferre were the same pharaoh, his authority is sometimes presumed from Ankhtifi's inscription to have extended at least over Elephantine
Elephantine ( ; ; arz, جزيرة الفنتين; el, Ἐλεφαντίνη ''Elephantíne''; , ) is an island on the Nile, forming part of the city of Aswan in Upper Egypt. The archaeological sites on the island were inscribed on the UNESCO ...
, Edfu and Hieraconpolis, the capitals of the first three '' nomoi'' of Upper Egypt. However, the inscription in question simply states "Horus
Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the P ...
brings/brought (or may Horus bring) a (good) inundation for his son Ka-nefer-Re." Uncertainty about the verb tense in the inscription has led to disagreement among various scholars as to whether this named pharaoh would have ruled in Ankhtifi's youth, or at the time of the events he describes, or indeed if it were not a king before Ankhtifi's time, who had ruled toward the end of the Old Kingdom from Memphis.[
]
References
22nd-century BC Pharaohs
Pharaohs of the Ninth Dynasty of Egypt
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