Unis (Weni, Wenis) (d. 2323 b. c.e.) Ninth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty
Reigning 2356-2323 b. c.e., Unis was possibly a son of IZEZI (Djedkare), inheriting the throne when the original heir, Remkuy, died. The TURIN canon lists Unis, whose reign was prosperous.
He married Queen nebet and khenut. Unis did not have an heir, but his daughter, iput (1), married teti, who founded the Sixth Dynasty. Unis conducted trade with BYBLOS, in Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), and nubia (modern Sudan), and he sent an expedition to Nubia that was recorded on the Elephantine Island. This expedition returned to Egypt with a giraffe, a rare sight in Egypt at the time. He also fought a battle with the bedouins in the SINAI Peninsula.
Queen Nebet, the mother of Prince Unis-ankh, and Queen Khenut were buried in Unis’s mortuary complex in SAQQARA. This pyramidal structure is in the northern part of the Saqqara necropolis and was restored centuries later by kha’emweset (1), a son of ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 B. C.E.). The pyramid had a rubble core and was designed with a long causeway that led to the valley TEMPLE, a MORTUARY TEMPLE, and two boat pits. The
PYRAMID TEXTS serve as reliefs in this tomb and offer vigorous images, including the cannibal hymn. The site has burial shafts and a multichambered chapel. Prince Unis-ankh and Princess Iput were buried there.
Unu He was the hare deity of Egypt called “the Springer-up.” The hare was considered a form of the god RE and was worshiped at hermopolis. His consort was WENUT, a goddess of thebes. Some of the gods and goddesses of the nation were associated with nature and with animal, theophanies, used as symbols of special virtues or strength.
World History
