Going through changes: the elite perception of the King in Sixth Dynasty Egypt

The Sixth Dynasty of Egypt (c. 2305-2152BCE) was a period plagued with royal problems. While Teti apparently suffered an attack on his life at the hands of his "bodyguards", Pepy I became the victim of an unsuccessful harem conspiracy, and Pepy II seemingly lost control over the number and power of his officials. The breakdown of the Egyptian state after this tumultuous time has resulted in scholars largely attributing its collapse to the instability of the government; however, the research conducted so far has mainly focused on the role played by the king's growing administration, while largely ignoring the position of the king himself. This thesis seeks to understand how the position of the king changed during the Sixth Dynasty by establishing how he was perceived by his officials and whether there was a marked decline in support for the king during this time. To understand this, elite Sixth Dynasty tomb inscriptions from the capital and selected provinces were analysed and compared to determine if their respect and appreciation for the king changed during the rule of each monarch. The aim of this research was therefore to detect any decline in the pride these officials had in their closeness to the king, and its possible implications on the Old Kingdom.