Merykara
| Merikare | |
|---|---|
| Merykare, Merykara | |
Scribe palette of the chancellor Orkaukhety, with the cartouche of Merikare.
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| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | c. 2075–2040 BC (10th Dynasty) |
| Predecessor | Wahkare Khety ? |
| Successor | possibly an unnamed ephemeral successor, then Mentuhotep II (11th Dynasty) |
| Father | Wahkare Khety ? |
| Died | around 2040 BCE |
| Burial | Pyramid of Merikare |
Merikare (also Merykare and Merykara) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 10th Dynasty who lived towards the end of the First Intermediate Period. His name cannot be recognized in the Turin King List; also his dates are uncertain.
According to many scholars, he ruled at the end of the 10th Dynasty following his father's long reign in his middle-age. The identity of his predecessor (the so-called "Khety III" who was the purported author of the Teaching for King Merikare) is still a question of debate among Egyptologists. Some scholars tend to identify Merikare's predecessor with Wahkare Khety. These sebayt ("teachings", in ancient Egyptian) – possibly composed under the reign of Merikare himself and fictitiously attributed to his father – are a collection of precepts for good governance. The text also mentions the eastern borders, recently secured but still in need of the king's attention. In the text, Merikare's unnamed father mentions having sacked Thinis, but he advises Merikare to deal more leniently with the troublesome Upper Egyptian realms.
Once crowned, around 2075 BCE, Merikare wisely resigned himself to the existence of two separate kingdoms (the Herakleopolite and the Theban ones) and tried to maintain the policy of peaceful coexistence achieved by his father. It seems that the period of peace brought a certain amount of prosperity to Merikare's realm. Some time later, the pharaoh himself was forced to sail up the Nile with his court on a great fleet. Once he reached Asyut, the king installed the loyalist nomarch Khety II, who succeeded his deceased father Tefibi; he also made restorations at the local temple of Wepwawet. After that, Merikare advanced farther upstream to the town of Shashotep, likely to quell a revolt, and at the same time as a show of force to the turbulent southern border areas.
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