Merefnebef Explained

Style:Vizier
Merefnebef also called Unisankh and Fefi
Pharaoh:Pepi I, Userkare
Wife:Sesheshet
Burial:North Saqqara

Merefnebef, also called Unisankh and Fefi, was a vizier from the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. He first served at the court of Teti, possibly became vizier during the reign of Userkare, and was dismissed during the reign of Pepi I.[1]

Biography

Merefnebef was a hereditary prince and count. He served as a treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt, and held positions which placed him close to the king. He was a keeper of the head ornaments, and was privy to the secrets of the House of the Morning. Some of his titles say he was a guard and priest of Teti's pyramid. He may have become a vizier late in his career and those titles are recorded on the façade of his tomb.

Tomb

The mastaba of Merefnebef is located to the west of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. It is relatively small, but fully decorated. The burial chamber contained a sarcophagus with a lid. The scenes in the tomb show deliberate destruction. At least one of Merefnebef's sons had his images chiselled out throughout the tomb.[1]

Literature

K. Myśliwiec et al.ː The Tomb of Merefnebef, Parts 1–2, Warsaw 2004. (the full publication of the vizier's tomb)

Notes and References

  1. Naguib Kanawati, Conspiracies in the Egyptian Palace: Unis to Pepy I, (Routledge, 2002). .