| Shepseskare | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sisires | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Drawing by the Egyptologist Georges Émile Jules Daressy of a bronze cylinder seal of Shepseskare bearing his Horus name "Sekhemkhaw".[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | Duration uncertain: likely for less than a year[2][3][4][5] or seven years[6][7][8][9] in the mid 25th century BC.[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | uncertain, Neferefre (most likely) or Neferirkare Kakai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | uncertain, Nyuserre Ini (most likely) or Neferefre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Father | highly uncertain and conjectural: Sahure, Neferirkare Kakai or Neferefre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | uncertain, possibly Meretnebty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monuments | Unfinished trench in North Abusir representing the earliest stages of a pyramid. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Fifth Dynasty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shepseskare or Shepseskara (Egyptian for "Noble is the Soul of Ra")[15] was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the fourth or fifth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty (2494–2345 BC) during the Old Kingdom period. Shepseskare lived in the mid-25th century BC and was probably the owner of an unfinished pyramid in Abusir, which was abandoned after a few weeks of work in the earliest stages of its construction.[16]
Following historical sources, Shepseskare was traditionally believed to have reigned for seven years, succeeding Neferirkare Kakai and preceding Neferefre on the throne,[17][18] making him the fourth ruler of the dynasty. He is the most obscure ruler of this dynasty and the Egyptologist Miroslav Verner has strongly argued that Shepseskare's reign lasted only a few months at the most, after that of Neferefre. This conclusion is based upon the state and location of Shepseskare's unfinished pyramid in Abusir as well as the very small number of artefacts attributable to this king. Verner's arguments have now convinced several Egyptologists such as Darrell Baker and Erik Hornung.
Shepseskare's relations to his predecessor and successor are not known for certain. Verner has proposed that he was a son of Sahure and a brother to Neferirkare Kakai, who briefly seized the throne following the premature death of his predecessor and probable nephew, Neferefre. Shepseskare may himself have died unexpectedly or he may have lost the throne to another of his nephews, the future pharaoh Nyuserre Ini. The possibility that Shepseskare was a short-lived usurper from outside the royal family cannot be totally excluded.
- ^ Daressy 1915, p. 94.
- ^ Verner 2001, p. 400.
- ^ Baker 2008, pp. 427–428.
- ^ a b Hornung 2012, p. 491.
- ^ Grimal 1988, p. 92.
- ^ a b Shaw 2000, p. 480.
- ^ a b Rice 1999, p. 190.
- ^ a b von Beckerath 1999, p. 283.
- ^ Hayes 1978, p. 58.
- ^ Hawass & Senussi 2008, p. 10.
- ^ Clayton 1994, p. 60.
- ^ Strudwick 2005, p. xxx.
- ^ Lloyd 2010, p. xxxiv.
- ^ Arnold 1999.
- ^ Clayton 1994, p. 61.
- ^ Abdallatif, Tareq Fahmy; Abd‐All, Esmat Mohamed; Suh, Mancheol; Mostafa Mohamad, Reem; El‐Hemaly, Ibrahim Aly (2005-04-05). "Magnetic tracing at Abu Sir (land of forgotten pyramids), northern Egypt". Geoarchaeology. 20 (5): 483–503. doi:10.1002/gea.20058. ISSN 0883-6353.
- ^ Callender, V. G. (January 2011). "Curious Names of Some Old Kingdom Royal Women*". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 97 (1): 127–142. doi:10.1177/030751331109700109. ISSN 0307-5133.
- ^ Chauvet, Violaine (September 2002). "Abusir Realm of Osiris. Miroslav Verner". Near Eastern Archaeology. 65 (3): 214–215. doi:10.2307/3210886. ISSN 1094-2076.
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