Akhet - The Horizon

Overview of the Saqqara area. After M. Lehner - The Complete Pyramids

Pepi I
Pepi I, the 2nd king in the 6th Dynasty and son of Teti and Iput probably ascended the throne at an early age. He seems to have reigned for a long period, around 50 years, in a time when noblemen outside the royal circles began to rise in wealth and power. Pepi I chose to build his tomb a few kilometers to the south of the main necropolis, as this seems to have been pretty full by this time. Today the tomb is also to the south of the New Kingdom tombs. His pyramid was named 'Men-nefer Pepy', meaning 'Pepy is established and good/beautiful' and it was from this that the ancient capital of Men-Nefer (Gr: Memphis) had its name. It´s much ruined nowadays, having been robbed in antiquity.

The Pyramid
From the beginning the pyramid was constructed with limestone blocks, laid in six steps. At the north side tere was probably an entrance chapel. From this a sloping corridor leads to a vestibule and another corridor, which once was blocked by three big granite blocks. After this is an antechamber with three rooms for statues or for magazines to the east while vaulted the burial chamber is to the west. Both the burial chamber, the antechamber and the corridor leading there, had the Pyramid Text on the walls. Although much in fragments, it has been pieced together and under this process an earlier throne name of Pepi was revealed. It seems that at the start of his reign, he had the throne name Nefersahor, which he later changed to Meryre. The sarcophagus of black stone was still at the west wall. The king´s mummy was not found, only a piece of linen inscribed with 'Linen for the King of Upper and Lower Egypt' and Pepi´s titles and names. There was also a pink granite canopic chest found, with some small pieces of alabaster canopic jars. At the southeastern corner of the pyramid, is a small satellite pyramid, also very damaged though in better condition than the main pyramid. In it was found a statue with the name of Smenkhuptah, 'Inspector of Prophets of the Pyramid of Pepi I during the MiddleKingdom. This and other finds points at the cult of Pepi endured into the Middle Kingdom days. There was, according to fragments found, restorations made by Khaemwaset, son of Ramesses II, in the New Kingdom, after it had been found deserted.

The Mortuary Temple
There is also the mortuary temple of Pepi I, with a causeway of which only a few meters have been found. Also this temple has been robbed but the original ground plan is visible. Ther was an entrance hall with magazines on both sides, which led to a court with a portico and columns, and behind this chambers for statues and a shrine room with magazines on both sides. Here is also some remains of a false door. A rather unusual find was made in the southwestern part; several statues of headless, bound prisoners. It is not known whether these have come from the columned court and served as a sign of Pepy conquering the 'evil' foreigners.

Queens and Consorts
The unusual number of six separate pyramids were found on the southern side of Pepi´s pyramid. These seem all to belong to the wifes of Pepi I. This area isn´t fully excavated yet. First three pyramids were excavated, the eastern one with a mortuary temple was ascribed to Nebwenet. Her sarcophagus was gone, only a few pink granite fragments and some funerary items wer found there. The middle pyramid probably belonged to Inenek-Inty, another of Pepi´s wifes. The mortuary temple of hers has an unusual structure, built around three sides of the pyramid. Then there is the western pyramid, which has no name, only the title 'Eldest Daughter of the King' so it´s uncertain if she was a queen or the daughter of Pepi I. To the south of the middle pyramid, there is a fourth one where the owner is 'Daughter of the King and wife of the King, Meritites'. Not much else is known about her yet. There are also recently discoveres two smaller pyramids nearby, which seem to belong to two more of Pepi´s wifes, these two sisters, both called Ankhenes-pepi. These two are also called Ankhenesmeryre but there is no certainty about these identites for the issue is quite complicated. They are named as sisters on a stela of Djau, their brother, at Abydos. He later served as tjatey to both kings Merenre I and Pepy II. A son of Pepy I, Hornetjerkhet, is buried close to Pepi I and the name of his mother Mehaa is inscribed on the remains of a doorway. We don´t know if she too was a wife of Pepi I but it is likely.

The elder one of these two women, Ankhesmeryre I, was the mother of Merenre I, who succeeded his father Pepy I, but not for very long. She also had a daughter named Neith, who later married Pepi II. The younger Ankhnesmeryre II was the mother of King Pepi II, who was very longlived and who at one point married the princess Neith, whom might have been the mythical Nitocris who is said to have been playing a part during the end of the 6th Dynasty. There is also some evidence that Pepi II married a third Ankhenespepy, which in this case would have been the third of that name. In the basalt sarcophagus of Ankhesmeryre II was found texts from the Pyramid Texts, which is unusual since normally it was only the King who could include them. Beacuse of this, it is suggested that Queen Ankhesmeryre II might have had a specially powerful position, perhaps she stepped in to rule when her son, Pepi II ascended the throne, only six years old.

There is a contemporary text by the noble Weni, inscribed on the walls in his tomb at Abydos, an autobiography of how Weni made his career from humble origins to become Governor of the South under Merenre. In the reign of Pepi I, he tells how he was the arbiter in a harem conspiracy trial involving a Queen Weret-Imtes. She is not recorded in any of the pyramids around Pepi´s and it is thought that as this trial was recorded, the queen must have been found guilty and accordingly had forfeited maybe both her life and a burial near the king. perhaps the queens plotted against each pther and the king, in order to make their own son the next heir, who knows. There is also a son of Pepi, Hornetjerkhet, known from his tomb near the king´s, where his name and that of his mother´s, Mehaa, still is inscribed on a doorway to the chamber. Is she yet another queen or a concubine?

Excavations are still gong on in this area and recently a fragment was found with the name of a Queen Nedjefet. If she too was one of the queens of Pepi I, is not known yet so the question of Pepi I and his many consorts have to wait for its eventual solution.