- History -

Pepi II was the son of Pepi I and Ankhenesmerire I. He was the half-brother of his predecessor, Merenre I. He was married to Neith, his half-sister and to Iput II, a daughter of his brother. He was also married to a woman named Udjbeten. His successor, Merenre II, is perhaps the son Pepi II had with Neith.

When his half-brother died, apparently without any male heirs, Pepi II was still a child. According to the Turin King-list, he ruled for over 90 years, which appears to be confirmed by Manetho, who recorded 94 years. This would make Pepi II the longest ruling king of Ancient Egypt. Some doubt has however been shed on this high number, and some researchers believe that it was the result of a miss-reading of 64.

The actual  power in the beginning of his reign was held by his mother and her brother, Djau. An alabaster statue shows Ankhenesmerire I with the young but regal Pepi II on her lap, somewhat reminiscent of Isis with the young Horus. Another statue, shows Pepi II as a naked child.

Pepi II's long reign is marked by a gradual decline of the central government. His predecessors' policy to try and consolidate the position of the king was starting to fail, and this would become more obvious after Pepi II's death. It is often believed that the cause of this was the long reign of Pepi II: the ageing king was no longer able to rule himself, which would have increased the power of his central administration and of the provincial governors. On the other hand, it must be noted that Pepi's funerary monument was built and decorated in a much poorer way than his predecessors', which may indicate a decline in welfare in general during his reign. This decline is likely to have been the result of the lower annual inundation of the Nile: with a lower annual inundation, harvests and crops were no longer abundant and agriculture, the backbone of Egyptian economy, began to decline.

Pepi II's foreign policy too is marked by some problems. In the beginning of his reign, a pygmy brought by the governor of Elephantine, could delight the young king. Later, several expedition leaders would find their deaths while campaigning in Nubia. The commercial relationship with Byblos appear to have continued, but many other commercial relationships with foreign countries were broken off.

Pepi II built his funerary complex in Saqqara South, near the monument of Shepseskaf of the 4th Dynasty, at a kilometre distance from his father's and brother's. His three wives were buried in smaller pyramids next to his own.

Titulary

• Horus-name

Hr nTr xa.w

Horus, divine of apparition

• Nebti-name

nb.tj nTr xa.w

The Two Ladies, divine of apparition

• Golden name

sxm bik nbw

The Golden Falcon is powerful

• Prenomen

nfr kA ra

Neferkare ("The Ka of Re is beautiful")

• Nomen

	ppj	Pepi
	sA ra, ppj	The son of Re, Pepi
	ppj, nfr kA ra	Pepi, Neferkare

• Manetho

Africanus: Phiôps

Eusebius: Phiôps

• Alternative names in modern-day literature

Pepy II, Pépi II, Pépy II, Phiops II, Fiops II

- Statues -

• Alabaster statue of Pepi II and his mother

This lovely statue, made of "Egyptian alabaster" (actually calcite), is tell-tale of the beginning of the long reign of Pepi II. The king, identified by the inscription on the support below his feet, is seated on the lap of his mother, queen Ankhenesmerire I. He is significantly smaller than the queen, as one would expect from a child, but nevertheless, he is wearing the royal head-cloth known as nemes, with a uraeus on his brow. His right-hand is firmly closed, while his left-hand rests on his mother's hand.

The queen, herself wears a long, narrow dress. The hole in the forehead of the queen's statue indicates that an object of another material was once inserted here. Her head is covered by the vulture head-dress, which is typically associated with goddesses and queens who are mothers. The missing object on the queen's brow may thus have been the head of a vulture.

This statue thus confirms that Pepi II came to power as a young boy, still under the protection of his mother, who acted as queen-regent. There may perhaps also have been a religious connotation to this statue: it is strongly reminiscent, although still somewhat different, from statues and amulets showing the goddess Isis with the young Horus on her lap. The main difference, however, is that in the Isis-statues, the goddess normally holds one hand to her breast, an indication that she is breast-feeding her child.

The origin of this statue,  measuring 38.9 by 17.8 by 25.2 cm., is unknown. It is now one of the many exhibits in the Brooklyn Museum of Art.