Pepy I was succeeded by two of his sons, first by Merenra (fully Merenra-nemtyemsaf, Homs Ankh-khau, 2287-2278 bc), and then by Pepy II (Homs Netjerkhau, 2278-2184 bc). Both of them came to the throne very young and both built their pyramids at South Saqqara. Pepy IPs reign of some ninety-four years (he inherited the throne at the age of 6) was the longest in ancient Egypt, but its second half probably was rather ineffective, as the forces that had been insidiously eroding the theoretical foundations of the Egyptian state became apparent. The ensuing crisis was inevitable, because its seeds were contained in the system itself. It was, in the first instance, ideological, because the king whose economic power had been greatly weakened could no longer perform the role assigned to him by the doctrine of Egyptian kingship. The consequences of this for the whole of Egyptian society were serious; the ex officio system of remuneration no longer Functioned satisfactorily and the fiscal system was probably on the verge of collapse.
Some offices became, in effect, hereditary and were kept in the same family for several generations. In Middle and Upper Egypt, rock-cut tombs at sites such as Sedment, Dishasha, Kom el-Ahmar Sawaris, Sheikh Said, Meir, Deir el-Gebrawi, Akhmim (el-Hawawish), el-Hagarsa, el-Qasr wa '1-Saiyad, Elkab, and Aswan (Qubbet el-Hawa) testify to the aspirations of the local administrators, now would-be semi-independent local rulers. We know less about the corresponding cemeteries in the Delta, although sites such as Heliopolis and Mendes prove that they existed. The proximity of the capital may have made any moves towards increased autonomy more difficult, but the main reason for the lack of evidence is local geography and geology. Old Kingdom levels are close to or below the current water table and this makes excavations very difficult. We know much more about the local administrators of Dakhla Oasis who lived in the settlement of Ayn Asil and were buried in large mastaba-tomhs in the local cemetery (Qilat el-Dabba).
Centralized government all but ceased to exist, and the advantages of a unified state were lost. The situation was further aggravated by climatic factors, especially a series of low Niles and a decline in precipitation that affected areas adjacent to the Nile Valley and produced pressure on Egypt’s border areas by nomadic inhabitants. The fact that many potential royal successors were waiting in the wings after Pepy ITs exceptionally long reign probably contributed to the chaotic situation that followed.
Pepy II was succeeded by Merenra II (Nemtyemsaf), Queen Nitiqret {2184-2181 Bc), and some seventeen or more ephemeral kings who represent Manetho’s 7th and 8th Dynasties. His dynastic separations are, again, hard to explain except as accidental divisions in the lists. Most of these rulers are little more than names for us, but several of them are known from the protective decrees issued for the temple of Min at Koptos. Qakara Iby is the only one whose small pyramid (side 31.5 sq. m.) has been found at South Saqqara. So it was mainly the Memphite residence and the theoretical claim to the whole of Egypt that linked these kinglets with the giant kings of the earlier Old Kingdom. The Turin Canon’s grand total of 955 years that separated Menes, at the beginning of the ist Dynasty, from the last of these ephemeral rulers, concludes the line of Memphite kings and the period described by us as the Old Kingdom.
World History
