Shoshenq VI

Shoshenq VI reigned from about 804 to 798 BC, with dates uncertain by about eight years. He succeeded Iuput I as a local pharaoh at Thebes, belonging to the fragmented Twenty-third Dynasty. His brief six-year rule formed part of the prolonged phase of political division that characterised the Third Intermediate Period.

Historical records from this short period are exceptionally sparse. Shoshenq VI governed a constrained sphere of influence in Upper Egypt, coexisting with rival dynastic claimants elsewhere in the country. Following his death, the prominent Prince Osorkon took the throne as Osorkon III, consolidating power at Thebes and bringing this particular succession line to a close.

Scholars know this king almost exclusively from an administrative river inscription known as Nile Level Text number 25, preserved on the temple quay at Karnak. Outside this single official record, no major buildings, statues, or historical narratives of his reign survive. His burial site is unknown, and no physical remains have been found.

Monuments

• Nile level text 25 at Karnak

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Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.