Userkaf

Userkaf
Ouserkaf, Weserkaf, Woserkaf, Usercherês, Οὐσερχέρης
Head of Userkaf, recovered from his sun temple
Pharaoh
Reign7 regnal years
late 26th to early 25th century BC.[note 1]
PredecessorShepseskaf (most likely) or Thamphthis (possibly known as Djedefptah)
SuccessorSahure
Royal titulary
Horus name
Hor Irymaat
Hr-iry-maat
Horus, he who ensures the harmony
Alternative translations:
Performer of Maat[3]
He who puts Maat into practice[21]
The one who has accomplished Maat[22]

Nebty name
Irymaat
nbtj iry-maat
He who ensures the harmony
Alternative translations:
Performer of Maat[3]
He who puts Maat into practice[21]
The one who has accomplished Maat[22]

Golden Horus
Bik Nebu Nefer
bik-nbw-nfr
The perfect golden falcon[22]
Praenomen
Userkaf
wsr-k3-f
His Ka is strong[22]
Alternative translations:
Powerful is his Ka[21][3]
His Ka is potent[23]
Nomen
Userkaf[24]
wsr-k3-f
His Ka is strong[22]
Alternative translations:
Powerful is his Ka[21][3]
His Ka is potent[23]
ConsortNeferhetepes (most likely) or Khentkaus I
ChildrenSahure ♂, Khamaat ♀
Fatherunknown, but probably belonged to a branch of the Fourth Dynasty royal family
MotherKhentkaus I?
Raddjedet (myth)
MonumentsPyramid Wab-Isut-Userkaf
Pyramid of Neferhetepes
Sun temple Nekhenre
Temple of Montu in El-Tod
DynastyFifth Dynasty

Userkaf (known in Ancient Greek as Οὐσερχέρης, Usercherês) was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Fifth Dynasty. He reigned for seven to eight years in the early 25th century BC, during the Old Kingdom period. He probably belonged to a branch of the Fourth Dynasty royal family, although his parentage is uncertain; he could have been the son of Khentkaus I. He had at least one daughter and very probably a son, Sahure, with his consort Neferhetepes. This son succeeded him as pharaoh.

His reign heralded the ascendancy of the cult of Ra, who effectively became Egypt's state god during the Fifth Dynasty. Userkaf may have been a high-priest of Ra before ascending the throne, and built a sun temple, known as the Nekhenre, between Abusir and Abu Gurab. In doing so, he instituted a tradition followed by his successors over a period of 80 years. The Nekhenre mainly functioned as a mortuary temple for the setting sun. Rites performed in the temple were primarily concerned with Ra's creator function and his role as father of the king. Taken with the reduction in the size of the royal mortuary complex, this suggests a more concrete separation between the sun god and the king than in the preceding dynasties. After Userkaf's death, his temple was the subject of four building phases, during which it acquired a large obelisk.

Userkaf built a pyramid in Saqqara close to that of Djoser, a location that forced architects to put the associated mortuary temple in an unusual position, to the south of the pyramid. The latter was much smaller than those built during the Fourth Dynasty but the mortuary complex was lavishly and extensively decorated with fine painted reliefs. In addition to his own pyramid and temple, Userkaf built a smaller pyramid close to his for one of his queens, likely Neferhetepes. Although Userkaf was the object of a funerary cult after his death like the other Fifth Dynasty kings, his was relatively unimportant, and was abandoned after the end of the dynasty. Little is known of his activities beyond the construction of his pyramid and sun temple. The Old Kingdom royal annals record offerings of beer, bread and lands to various gods, some of which may correspond to building projects on Userkaf's behalf, including the temple of Montu in El-Tod where he is the earliest attested pharaoh. Beyond the borders of Egypt, a military expedition to Canaan or the Eastern Desert may have taken place, and trade contacts with the Aegean seem to have existed at the time.

  1. ^ Hayes 1978, p. 58.
  2. ^ Verner 2001c, p. 91.
  3. ^ a b c d e Altenmüller 2001, p. 598.
  4. ^ El-Shahawy & Atiya 2005, p. 61.
  5. ^ a b Beckerath 1997, p. 188.
  6. ^ Clayton 1994, p. 60.
  7. ^ Malek 2000a, pp. 98 & 482.
  8. ^ Rice 1999, p. 215.
  9. ^ David & David 2001, p. 164.
  10. ^ Beckerath 1999, p. 285.
  11. ^ Helck 1981, p. 63.
  12. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica 2018.
  13. ^ Arnold 1999.
  14. ^ Wilkinson 2000, p. 121.
  15. ^ Lehner 2008, p. 140.
  16. ^ List of rulers of ancient Egypt and Nubia, MET 2019.
  17. ^ CMA 2018.
  18. ^ Strudwick 1985, p. 3.
  19. ^ Hornung et al. 2012, p. 491.
  20. ^ Dodson & Hilton 2004, p. 288.
  21. ^ a b c d Grimal 1992, p. 75.
  22. ^ a b c d e Leprohon 2013, p. 38.
  23. ^ a b Magi 2008, p. 12.
  24. ^ Digital Egypt 2018.


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