Merikare

Merikare was a king of the Tenth Dynasty during the First Intermediate Period, a time when Egypt was divided between competing regional powers. He ruled the northern part of the country from the city of Herakleopolis Magna, while the rival Eleventh Dynasty held sway from Thebes in the south. Merikare reigned about 2045 to 2041 BC, though his dates are uncertain by about 25 years.

He succeeded his father, Wahkare Khety, who is traditionally credited as the author of the Teaching for King Merikare, a celebrated literary text that offered practical and moral counsel on statecraft. Merikare is associated with a pyramid at Saqqara, reflecting continuing northern traditions of royal funerary architecture despite the political fragmentation of the era. He was succeeded by Khety IV as northern power waned.

Scholars know of Merikare primarily through contemporary funerary inscriptions, mentions by regional officials, and the surviving copies of the literary teaching composed in his name.

Monuments

• Pyramid at Saqqara

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