Userkare

Userkare
Woserkare, Weserkare
Userkare's cartouche on the Abydos king list.
Pharaoh
Reign	1 to 5 years in the late 24th to early 23rd century BC[note 1]
Predecessor	Teti
Successor	Pepi I Meryre
Royal titulary Golden Horus Conjectural:[11] Bikwy-nub Bjk.wj-nb.w The Two Golden Falcons Nomen Userkare Wsr-k3-Rˁ Powerful is the Ka of Ra[12]
Father	uncertain, possibly Teti
Mother	uncertain, possibly Khuit
Dynasty	Sixth Dynasty

Userkare (also Woserkare, meaning "Powerful is the soul of Ra") was the second pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, reigning briefly, 1 to 5 years, in the late 24th to early 23rd century BC. Userkare's relation to his predecessor Teti and successor Pepi I is unknown and his reign remains enigmatic.

Although he is attested in some historical sources, Userkare is completely absent from the tomb of the Egyptian officials who lived during his reign and usually report the names of the kings whom they served. Furthermore the figures of some high officials of the period have been deliberately chiselled out in their tombs and their titles altered, for instance the word "king" being replaced by that of "desert". Egyptologists thus suspect a possible Damnatio memoriae on Pepi I's behalf against Userkare. In addition, the Egyptian priest Manetho who wrote an history of Egypt in the 3rd century BC states that Userkare's predecessor Teti was murdered but is otherwise silent concerning Userkare. Consequently, Userkare is often considered to have been a short-lived usurper to the throne, possibly a descendant of a cadet branch of the preceding Fifth Dynasty. Alternatively, he may have been a legitimate short-lived ruler or a regent who ruled during Teti's son Pepi I's childhood before his accession to the throne.

The tomb of Userkare has not yet been identified, either because it was never finished or because Pepi I erased traces of his predecessor's rule. If the tomb was indeed started, Egyptologists conjecture that it should be located in South Saqqara.

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