Fifth dynasty of Egypt
Known rulers, in the
History of Egypt, for the
Fifth Dynasty.
The Third, Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth
Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title,
Old Kingdom.
The Fifth Dynasty of Egypt is considered part of the
Old Kingdom of
ancient Egypt.
Manetho writes that these kings ruled from
Elephantine, but archeologists have found evidence clearly showing that their palaces were still located at
Ineb-hedj ("White Walls").
How
Pharaoh Userkaf founded this dynasty is not known for certain. The
Papyrus Westcar, which was written during the
Middle Kingdom, tells a story of how king
Khufu of the
Fourth Dynasty was given a prophecy that triplets born to the wife of the priest of
Ra in
Sakhbu would overthrow him and his heirs, and how he attempted to put these children to death; however in recent years, scholars have recognized this story to be at best a legend, and admit their ignorance over how the transition from one dynasty to another transpired.
During this dynasty,
Egyptian religion made several important changes. The earliest known copies of funerary prayers inscribed on royal tombs (known as the
Pyramid Texts) appear. The cult of the god
Ra gains added importance, and kings from Userkaf through
Menkauhor built temples dedicated to Ra at or near
Abusir. Then late in this dynasty, the cult of
Osiris assumes importance, most notably in the inscriptions found in the tomb of
Unas.
Amongst non-royal Egyptians of this time,
Ptahhotep,
vizier to
Djedkare Isesi, won fame for his wisdom;
The Maxims of Ptahhotep was ascribed to him by its later copyists. Non-royal tombs were also decorated with inscriptions, like the royal ones, but instead of prayers or incantations, biographies of the deceased were written on the walls.
As before, expeditions were sent to
Wadi Maghara and
Wadi Kharit in the
Sinai to mine for
turquoise and
copper, and to quarries northwest of
Abu Simbel for
gneiss. Trade expeditions were sent south to
Punt to obtain
malachite,
myrrh, and
electrum, and archeological finds at
Byblos attest to diplomatic expeditions sent to that
Phoenician city. Finds bearing the names of a several Fifth Dynasty kings at the site of
Dorak, near the
Sea of Marmara, may be evidence of trade but remain a mystery.
