Peoples of the Old Testament World by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-01-06T13:55:00+00:00

Triad of King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and two goddesses, 2548-2530 B.C. (height: 32.9"; width: 15.5')

Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

After Bakare's brief reign (two years according to the Turin Canon), Menkaure, generally thought to be a usurper, succeeded. His twenty-eight-year reign51 is marked by the construction of the third and smallest pyramid at Giza, standing only 204 feet in height.52 Some of Menkaure's famous statues, including the triads showing the king in the company of two deities, were found in his valley temple.53

Menkaure's death signaled the virtual end of Dynasty 4. His successor, Shepses- kaf, ruled but four years (so the Turin Canon) and was buried in a mastabalike structure located between Dashur and Sakkara.S4 What led to the demise of this once powerful dynasty and the establishment of Dynasty 5 is not certain. There may be a link between the dynasties: Userkaf, the founder of the new dynasty, appears to have been the son of Neferhetepes, the daughter of the usurper king Redjedef, but the identity of his father remains a mystery.55

Since Userkaf's claim to the throne was questionable, a number of steps were taken to legitimize the new king. He married Khentkawes, probably the daughter of Menkaure; she in turn became the mother of two succeeding kings of Dynasty 5: Sahure and Neferirkare.56 Although it is not beyond dispute, the "Tale of Three Wonders" (Papyrus Westcar) might have been composed as propaganda to authenticate Userkaf's rule.57 In the tale, the sage Djedi informs Khufu that a women is pregnant with triplets sired by Re. Djedi assures Khufu that these children will not come to the throne until Khufu's grandson has ruled. Because Papyrus Westcar is written in good Middle Egyptian, William K. Simpson believes it dates to Dynasty 12,58 the early kings of which were masters of propagandistic literature.59 Since Papyrus Westcar would have little political advantage for these kings, one is inclined to think that the section of Papyrus Westcar that legitimizes Fifth Dynasty monarchs is based on an Old Kingdom tradition.

Userkaf built his pyramid, which was poorly constructed and is not well preserved, at Sakkara near the funerary complex of Djoser. After only a seven-year reign (according to the Turin Canon),60 he was succeeded by Sahure, who reigned twelve years.61 Sahure, Neferirkare, Neferefre, and Neuserre all built their pyramid complexes at a new site, Abu Sir, situated between Giza and Sakkara. Neferirkare's pyramid originally stood around 228 feet in height and was the largest at that site. 2 Poorer construction techniques and irregular sizes of blocks contributed to the dilapidated condition of the pyramids. Comparing the pyramids of Dynasties 4 and 5 might lead one to think that the power and prestige of the pharaoh had been somehow diminished. In one sense, this is true. John Wilson says, "In the Fourth Dynasty the pharaoh had dominated Re; in the Fifth Dynasty Re dominated the pharaoh."63 Wilson believes that the Re priesthood at Heliopolis was jealous for their patron deity, whose power was being overshadowed by the phar- aoh.

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