Pepi II
| Pepi II Neferkare | |
|---|---|
| Pepy, Phiops or Fiops | |
Alabaster statue of Ankhesenmeryre II and her son Pepi II.
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| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 2278–after 2247 BC, probably either c. 2216 or c. 2184 BC(6th Dynasty) |
| Predecessor | Merenre Nemtyemsaf I |
| Successor | Merenre Nemtyemsaf II |
| Consort | Neith, Iput II, Ankhesenpepi III, Ankhesenpepi IV, and Udjebten |
| Father | Merenre Nemtyemsaf I |
| Mother | Ankhesenpepi II |
| Born | 2284 BC |
| Died | after 2247 BC, probably c. 2216 BC or c. 2184 BC |
| Burial | Pyramid in South Saqqara |
| Monuments | Pyramid in South Saqqara |
Pepi II (also Pepy II; 2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either c. 2216 or c. 2184 BC) was a pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom who reigned from c. 2278 BC. His throne name, Neferkare (Nefer-ka-Re), means "Beautiful is the Ka of Re". He succeeded to the throne at age six, after the death of Merenre I.
He was traditionally thought to be the son of Pepi I and Queen Ankhesenpepi II but the South Saqqara Stone annals record that Merenre had a minimum reign of 11 years. Several 6th dynasty royal seals and stone blocks—the latter of which were found within the funerary temple of Queen Ankhesenpepi II, the known mother of Pepi II—were discovered in the 1999/2000 excavation season at Saqqara which demonstrate that she also married Merenre after Pepi I's death and became this king's chief wife. Inscriptions on these stone blocks give Ankhesenpepi II the royal titles of:
Therefore, today, many Egyptologists believe that Pepi II was likely Merenre's own son. Pepi II would, therefore, be 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. This would also conform well with the evidence from the South Saqqara Stone which shows no coregency between the reigns of Pepi I and Merenre thus making it far more likely that Pepi II was Merenre's own son.
Pepi II's reign marked a sharp decline of the Old Kingdom. As the power of the nomarchs grew, the power of the pharaoh declined. With no dominant central power, local nobles began raiding each other's territories and the Old Kingdom came to an end within mere decades after the close of Pepi II's reign.
His mother Ankhesenpepi II (Ankhesenmeryre II) most likely ruled as regent in the early years of his reign. 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. She may have been helped in turn by her brother Djau, who was a vizier under the previous pharaoh. Some scholars have taken the relative paucity of royal statuary to suggest that the royal court was losing the ability to retain skilled artisans.
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