Old Kingdom
Userkare
6th Dynasty · 2345-2181 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Userkare is a shadowy early Dynasty 6 ruler placed between Teti and Pepi I in several king lists. He has little secure contemporary documentation, and the length and nature of his reign are unknown. Later narratives have encouraged suggestions of a disputed succession, but this cannot be established with confidence. Because the evidence is so limited, it is safer to treat Userkare as a likely, briefly attested king than to give him a detailed programme or biography. His entry is important precisely because it highlights gaps between formal king lists and the archaeological record. Research: Old Kingdom king lists; Metropolitan Museum chronology.
Reign dates: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
The phantom king
Userkare is a highly enigmatic figure. His name appears on the Abydos King List, yet there are virtually no contemporary archaeological records to prove his existence. Because of this lack of evidence, many scholars suspect he was a usurper. If the rumors of Teti's assassination are true, Userkare may have been a conspirator who seized the throne for a year or less before Teti's true heir, Pepi I, could secure power.
Missing from some king lists
Userkare's status is complicated by the fact that he does not appear in every ancient king list. He is present on the Abydos King List compiled under Seti I, but he is omitted from the fragmentary Saqqara King List and, in most reconstructions, from the Turin Canon as well, where the sequence appears to pass directly from Teti to Pepi I. This unevenness across sources is one of the main reasons Egyptologists treat Userkare's reign, and even his exact place in the succession, with caution rather than certainty.
A name invoking royal power
The name Userkare, meaning roughly "powerful is the ka of Ra," follows a naming pattern shared by several kings of the surrounding period and does not by itself indicate any particular religious or political program distinct from his neighbors in the king lists. Beyond his name and its brief appearance in later commemorative lists, no securely dated inscription, monument, or administrative document naming Userkare as reigning king has been identified, an unusually sparse record even by the standards of other poorly documented Old Kingdom rulers.
Sources for this profile
- Baker, D. D. (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume 1. Stacey International.
- Shaw, I. (Ed.). (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
- Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
- Leprohon, R. J. (2013). The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Society of Biblical Literature.
- University College London. Digital Egypt for Universities.
The complete, APA-formatted reference list is on the Academic Sources & Bibliography page.