Flourished Circa 2288 B.C.E.
King, Dynasty 6

Extensive Reign. Tradition claims that Neferkare Pepy II acceded to the Egyptian throne at age six and that he ruled for ninety-four years. His rule (circa 2288-2224/2194) was marked by not only internal turmoil but also by external pressure. Excessive expenditures on funerary endowments drained national resources, while nomarchs (provincial governors) gradually acquired more autonomy. Meanwhile, military and commercial expeditions to Nubia (the Sudan and southern Egypt) and Punt (Ethiopia and Djibouti) met with resistance. The successors of Neferkare Pepy II failed to deal effectively with the political and economic crises fostered by their father.

Sources:

Lionel Casson, The Pharaohs (Chicago: Stonehenge, 1981).

Peter A. Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1994).

Barry J. Kemp, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization (London & New York: Routledge, 1991).