page_title: Pepi I Meryre
section_title: Length of reign
hierarchical_section_title: Pepi I Meryre / Chronology / Length of reign
caption_attribution_description: Alabaster statuette of Pepi I dressed for the Sed Festival, flanked by Horus.
context_page_description: Pepi I Meryre was the third king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, ruling for circa 50 years during the second half of the 24th century BC, toward the end of the Old Kingdom period. Pepi I was the son of his second predecessor Teti, ascending the throne only after the brief and enigmatic reign of the shadowy Userkare. Pepi's mother was queen Iput, who may have been a daughter of Unas, final ruler of the preceding Fifth Dynasty. Pepi, who had at least six queens, was succeeded by son Merenre Nemtyemsaf I with whom he may have share power in a coregency at the very end of his reign. In turn, Merenre was succeeded by Pepi II Neferkare, who might also have been a son of Pepi I. Pepi II was the last great pharaoh of the Old Kingdom period.
  Pepi faced several difficulties during his five decades on the throne, starting with the possible murder of his father and the ensuing reign of Userkare. Later, likely after his twentieth year of reign, Pepi faced a harem conspiracy hatched by one of his queens to place her son as heir to the throne, and possibly yet another conspiracy involving his vizier at the end of his reign.
context_section_description: Pepi I's length of reign remains somewhat uncertain, although the consensus is that he ruled over Egypt for around five decades, likely 49 or 50 years.
  During the Old Kingdom period, the Egyptians did not record time as we do today. Rather, they counted years since the beginning of the reign of the current king. Furthermore, these years were referred to by the number of cattle counts which had taken place since the start of the reign. The cattle count was an important event aimed at evaluating the amount of taxes to be levied on the population. This involved counting cattle, oxen and small livestock. During the early Sixth Dynasty, this count might have been biennial, that is occurring every two years.
  The Sixth Dynasty royal annals, now known as South Saqqara Stone and dating to the reign of Pepi II, as well as an inscription in Hatnub both record the 25th cattle count under Pepi I, his highest known date. Accepting a biennial count, this indicates that Pepi reigned 49 years. That a 50th year of reign could have also been recorded on the royal annal cannot be discounted however, due to damaged state of the South Saqqara Stone. Another historical source supporting such a long reign is Africanus' epitome of Manetho's Aegyptiaca, which credits Pepi I with a long reign of 53 years. At the opposite the Turin King List gives only 20 years on the throne to Pepi I while his successor Merenre I is said to have reigned 44 years. This latter figure contradicts both contemporaneous and archaeological evidences, for example the royal annals mention no further cattle count under Merenre I beyond his fifth, which might corresponds to his tenth year of rule. The Egyptologist Kim Ryholt suggests that the two entries of the Turin king list might have been interchanged.
  Archaeological evidence in favor of a long reign for Pepi I include his numerous building projects and many surviving objects made in celebration his first Sed festival. For example, numerous ointment alabaster vessels celebrating Pepi's first Sed festival have been produced. They bear a standard inscriptions reading "The king of Upper and Lower Egypt Meryre, may he be given life for ever. The first occasion of the Sed festival". Examples can now be found in museums throughout the world:
  The Sed festival was meant to rejuvenate the king and was first celebrated on the 30th year of a king's rule. The festival itself had a considerable importance for the king. Representations of it were part of the typical decorations of temples associated to the ruler during the Old Kingdom, had the king actually celebrated it or not. Further witnessing to the importance of this event, the state administration seems to have had a tendency to mention Pepi's first jubilee repeatedly in the years following its celebration and up until the end of his rule in connection with building activities. For example, Pepi's final 25th cattle count reported on the Sixth Dynasty royal annals is associated with his first Sed festival even though it likely had taken place some 19 years prior.
caption: Alabaster statuette of Pepi I dressed for the Sed Festival, Brooklyn Museum[54]
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