Teti

Teti was the founding pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. His reign is conventionally placed between 2345 BC and 2323 BC, with dates subject to an uncertainty of around 25 years. He took the throne after the death of Unas, establishing his court at Memphis and cementing royal authority through marriage to Princess Iput I, alongside his other consort Khuit.

Teti sought to ensure continuity following the transition between dynasties. He established his burial monument at Saqqara, following the precedent set by Unas by carving religious Pyramid Texts onto the walls of his subterranean chambers. Around his pyramid grew an extensive necropolis of large mastaba tombs built for powerful viziers and nobles, reflecting an increasingly wealthy court elite. Scholars know Teti through these private tombs, his pyramid complex, and royal inscriptions, as well as later king lists. Later classical traditions claimed he was murdered by his own bodyguards, though contemporary evidence neither confirms nor refutes this story. No royal mummy survives from his tomb. He was succeeded by Userkare.

Monuments

• Pyramid of Teti at Saqqara

Explore further

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