What Made King Unas a Pivotal Figure Between Egypt’s Fifth and Sixth Dynasties?
The last king of the Fifth Dynasty is King Unas (or Wenis), who some historians tend to consider as the first king of the Sixth Dynasty; because his reign was associated with some fundamental changes, in addition to what we know about King Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty, honoring him and completing his unfinished monuments.
But this is not enough to change the old division reported by Manetho, and if Teti I completed the temple of Unas, the name of Unas himself was found in the temple of Djedkare Isesi's wife, and we also know that Sneferu, the founder of the Fourth Dynasty, completed the pyramid of the last king of the Third Dynasty.
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| Pyramid of the Unas in Sakkara |
Why Are the Pyramid Texts of King Unas So Important?
Unas's fame is due to the innovation he brought about, as the famous set of religious texts known as the Pyramid Texts were not written on the walls of the inner chambers of the pyramids before the age of Unas, and since his reign they have been written inside the pyramids of kings and even some queens, and have provided us with a lot of important information about the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians.
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| Pyramid Texts of King Unas |
How Was the Processional Road to King Unas’s Pyramid Decorated?
The name Unas and his pyramid are associated with something else. We have referred more than once to those roads or passages that connected the two pyramid temples or between the valley and the funerary temple built on the eastern side of the pyramid, and we said that these roads were open to the sky in their early days and may have become roofed since the reign of Khufu and engraved their inner walls.
Some of the scenes that were once on the walls of the roads of Khufu and other kings were used in the construction of the Pyramid of Amenemhat I in Lisht and some scenes of those roads were also found in the area of Abusir, but never before has a large part of that road been preserved and painted as it appeared in the Unas road in 1938. This road was roofed with stones, and its roof was colored like a blue sky decorated with stars, and light enters it from openings in the roof.
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| Unas road its roof was colored like a blue sky decorated with stars |
What Do the Wall Scenes in Unas's Processional Way Reveal?
The inscriptions on its walls combine different themes. There are scenes of Unas performing religious rituals, while others show him eliminating his enemies. Among them are scenes of farming and harvesting in different seasons, including scenes of hunting in the desert, on the water or in the fields, as well as scenes of some of the temple's granite columns and lintels being transported on ships on the Nile.
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| Part of Wall Scenes in Unas's Processional Way |
Who Were the Foreigners Depicted in the Scenes of Unas’s Tomb?
These scenes were not limited to that, but some of them represent some of the foreigners who came to Egypt, and some of those who were affected by famine and almost starved to death, and in the details of the scenes a lot of information that added a lot to what we know about Egypt in that era, and although we know a lot about the reign of Djedkare Isesi, and Unas, which amounted to thirty years, and we also know a lot about the rule of King Teti I, we do not find in the history of that era what we can say that it was a reason for changing the family.
Was King Unas the Last Pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty or the First of the Sixth?
Some archaeologists have argued that Unas was not the last king of the Fifth Dynasty but the founder of the Sixth Dynasty and the first king. He was not the last king of the Fifth Dynasty but the founder and first king of the Sixth Dynasty. There is no doubt that Unas' reign was characterized by many changes in more than one aspect, but this is not enough to prove that he was the founder of the Sixth Dynasty, and it is better to consider him from the Fifth Dynasty.
What Role Did the Priests of Ra Play in the Rise of the Fifth Dynasty?
The Fifth Dynasty took the throne after a period of turmoil and conflict between the members of the royal house of the Fourth Dynasty on the one hand, and between the kings of this dynasty in the second half of its rule and the priests of Ra on the other hand, whose influence was increasing and became a threat to the king's authority.
This conflict ended with the establishment of a new royal family closely related to the priests of the sun, so they built various temples for Ra and the gods related to him, and lavished gifts, gifts and privileges on the temples and their priests What was the result? The priests increased in power and strength, and the king no longer had the power and influence he had, and the senior officials began to become wealthy The answer to this is clear, the king's influence weakened, although the sun worship remained the same, that is, the official religion of the royal house, but we note that another doctrine began to appear on it, namely the doctrine of Osiris, which was close to the people's perception.
How Did the Rise of Osiris Beliefs Challenge the Old Solar Religion?
The happy future in the afterlife, according to the Sun's doctrine, depended on wealth and influence. The deceased king was buried in a magnificent tomb and built temples, and he rode his ship to follow the sun's ship day and night and enjoy the light and light. He had to memorize many spells that he needed if he wanted safety and guidance in the next world.
The people around the king hoped that they would be with him and serve him in the afterlife as they had served him in this world. They built lavish tombs and reserved land for spending on him and making offerings, but what was the fate of the common people and the poor people - the vast majority of the people - who did not have a direct relationship with the king, his courtiers and the wealthy rulers?
Why Did Common People Embrace the Osiris Doctrine?
The rich were confident of their happy ending, because they were wealthy and in the company of the king and could also agree with the priests to pray for their souls and make offerings to them at certain times, but what do the poor do? People needed a religion that says to reward the good-hearted benefactor who does not do bad without regard to his poverty or wealth, and they found this in that ancient doctrine that the Egyptians knew since the days of the First Dynasty and even before that, but it did not have victory and spread only in the days of the Fifth Dynasty.
How Did Osiris Become the Ruler of the Afterlife in Ancient Egyptian Beliefs?
Osiris represented the just ruler who was struck by the factors of evil and envy represented by his brother Set, but the loyalty of his wife Isis, who went out to search for his body at times and collect his body parts at other times, and her crying for him and appealing to the sympathy of the gods made him the king of the dead. Isis again demanded the right of her son, Horus, whom she conceived from Osiris' spirit after his death, and a conflict occurred between her and Set, and his accusation of her, then the gods acquitted her who knew the truth, however, the war between Set and Horus took place until Osiris' son was victorious and sat on his father's throne, thus the right triumphed over the wrong.
Osiris, a just and merciful king in the realm of the dead, cared only for truth and justice, and only those who purified their hearts, improved their secrets and intentions, and turned away from people, making no distinction between rich and poor, would enjoy his paradise.
Paradise was for those who did good deeds and did not oppress people, and torment and hell was for those who did bad deeds and were not helped by their money, the prayers of a priest, or the offerings of their families.
Did the Cult of Osiris Diminish the Power of the Sun God Ra?
People found in this doctrine an echo of what is in the human soul and accepted it, and even the kings themselves since the days of the Fifth Dynasty called themselves Osiris, and then the use of the name Osiris became general for everyone before long, but this victory for Osiris did not affect much the doctrine of the sun in the appearance of the state, as the title Son of the Sun, which was used by some kings of the Fourth Dynasty and became general since the Fifth Dynasty, remained a basic title until the last days of Egyptian history.
They also continued to view the one sitting on the throne of Egypt as a god in the person of Horus. The Egyptian priests, as usual, were clever, and if they saw a god whose star was rising for some reason, they were quick to develop stories and legends in which they linked that god with different gods, especially the main gods, and that is why we are not surprised if we see them developing stories linking Ra, Horus, Osiris and other gods.
How Did the Fifth Dynasty Transform Egypt’s Religion and Society?
The Fifth Dynasty was one of the crucial days in Egyptian history. It witnessed a great development in religion, as well as a change in the status of the monarchy, and the influence of the country's notables began to increase, until they no longer feared the person sitting on the throne. We saw the rise of the Osiris doctrine, in which people were equal and did not differentiate between them by wealth or social differences.
What Do Tomb Scenes Reveal About Daily Life in the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties?
On the walls of the tombs of that dynasty and the early sixth dynasty, we can see many scenes that represent the life of the people, in which we see the owner of the tomb sometimes supervising his fields in which his men work, and once we see him sitting among his family and friends listening to music and singing singers and enjoying the dancing of dancers, and we see the artisans working in various crafts, here the carpenters and there the jewelers and near them the pot makers, and at a close distance we see shipbuilders, and others.
Written by H. Moses
All rights reserved ©Mythology and History
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