Old Kingdom

Merenre Nemtyemsaf II

6th Dynasty · 2345-2181 BCE

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Background

Merenre II, sometimes called Nemtyemsaf II, is a conventional late Dynasty 6 entry whose historical reality and position are difficult to establish from contemporary evidence. Later king lists and traditions place him after Pepi II, but the surviving archaeological record is thin and does not permit a secure biography. His apparent very short reign fits a period of dynastic instability, yet even that conclusion depends heavily on retrospective sources. He is best treated as a possible transitional ruler at the end of the Old Kingdom rather than as a figure for whom policies, monuments or family relations can be confidently reconstructed. Research: UCL Digital Egypt; Old Kingdom king lists.

Chronology: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)