Djedkare Isesi

Djedkare Isesi
Djedkara, Izezi, Izzj, Asosi, Tankeris
Part of a door jamb showing the cartouche of Djedkare Isesi, Neues Museum, Berlin
Pharaoh
Reign	Duration uncertain, at least 33 years and possibly more than 44 years, in the late-25th to mid-24th century BC[note 1]
Predecessor	Menkauhor Kaiu
Successor	Unas
Royal titulary Horus name Djedkhau Ḏd-ḫˁ.w Horus, enduring of appearances[13] Nebty name Djedkhau Nebty Ḏd-ḫˁ.w Neb.tj Enduring of appearances (by means of?) the Two Ladies[13] Golden Horus Bik Nebu Djed Bik-nbw-Ḏd The enduring Golden Falcon[13] Saqqara Tablet: Maatkare[14] M3ˁ.t-k3-Rˁ He of the Maat and Ka of Ra Turin canon: Djedu Ḏdw Abydos King List: Djedkare Ḏd-k3-Rˁ The enduring one of the Ka of Ra Karnak king list: Isesi Izzj Prenomen  (Praenomen) Djedkare Ḏd-k3-Rˁ The enduring one of the Ka of Ra[13] The soul of Ra endureth[15] Nomen Isesi Izzi Translation uncertain, possibly from the imperative iz for "go!", which could have been said by a midwife during Djedkare's birth[16]
Consort	Setibhor
Children	Neserkauhor♂, Kekheretnebti♀, Meret-Isesi♀, Hedjetnebu♀, Nebtyemneferes♀ Uncertain: Raemka♂, Kaemtjenent♂, Isesi-ankh♂ Conjectural: Unas♂
Burial	Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi
Dynasty	Fifth Dynasty

Djedkare Isesi (known in Greek as Tancheres) was a pharaoh, the eighth and penultimate ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt in the late 25th century to mid-24th century BC, during the Old Kingdom. Djedkare succeeded Menkauhor Kaiu and was in turn succeeded by Unas. His relationship to both of these pharaohs remain uncertain, although it is often conjectured that Unas was Djedkare's son, owing to the smooth transition between the two.

Djedkare likely enjoyed a reign of more than 40 years, which heralded a new period in the history of the Old Kingdom. Breaking with a tradition followed by his predecessors since the time of Userkaf, Djedkare did not build a temple to the sun god Ra, possibly reflecting the rise of Osiris in the Egyptian pantheon. More significantly, Djedkare effected comprehensive reforms of the Egyptian state administration, the first undertaken since the inception of the system of ranking titles. He also reorganised the funerary cults of his forebears buried in the necropolis of Abusir and reformed the corresponding priesthood.

Djedkare commissioned expeditions to Sinai to procure copper and turquoise, to Nubia for its gold and diorite and to the fabled Land of Punt for its incense. One such expedition had what could be the earliest recorded instance of oracular divination undertaken to ensure an expedition's success. The word "Nub", meaning gold, to designate Nubia is first recorded during Djedkare's reign. Under his rule, Egypt also entertained continuing trade relations with the Levantine coast and made punitive raids in Canaan. In particular, one of the earliest depictions of a battle or siege scene was found in the tomb of one of Djedkare's subjects.

Djedkare is believed to have been buried in a pyramid in Saqqara named Nefer Djedkare ("Djedkare is perfect"), which is now ruined owing to theft of stone from its outer casing during antiquity. When excavated in the 1940s, the burial chamber contained mummified skeletal remains thought to belong to Djedkare. Examinations of the mummy revealed the individual died in his fifties. A clue to the identity of the remains came from skeletal and blood type comparisons with those of two females thought to be Djedkare's daughters buried in the nearby Southern Cemetery as Abusir. Radio carbon dating carried out on the effects of the three individuals revealed a common range of 2886–2507 BC, some 160–390 years older than the accepted chronology of the 5th Dynasty.^[17]

After his death, Djedkare was the object of a cult that lasted at least until the end of the Old Kingdom. He seemed to have been held in particularly high esteem during the mid-Sixth Dynasty, whose pharaohs lavished rich offerings on his cult. Archaeological evidence suggests the continuing existence of this funerary cult throughout the much later New Kingdom (c. 1550–1077 BC). Djedkare was also remembered by the ancient Egyptians as the Pharaoh of Vizier Ptahhotep, the purported author of The Maxims of Ptahhotep, one of the earliest pieces of philosophic wisdom literature.

The reforms implemented by Djedkare are generally assessed negatively in modern Egyptology as his policy of decentralization created a virtual feudal system that transferred much power to the high and provincial administrations. Some Egyptologists such as Naguib Kanawati argue that this contributed heavily to the collapse of the Egyptian state during the First Intermediate Period, c. 200 years later. These conclusions are rejected by Nigel Strudwick, who says that in spite of Djedkare's reforms, Ancient Egyptian officials never amassed enough power to rival that of the king.

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