Editing Unas (section)

{{short description|Egyptian pharaoh}}
{{About|the king of ancient Egypt}}
{{featured article}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| Name= Unas
| alt_name=Oenas, Onnos, Unis, Wenis
| Image= King unas of egypt being suckled by a unknown goddess.jpg
| caption= Unas being suckled by an unknown goddess, [[Egyptian Museum]]
| NomenHiero=
| Nomen={{center|Unas{{sfn|Barsanti|1901|p=254}}{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=482}}<br />''[[wikt:wnjs|wnjs]]''<br />Translation uncertain:<br />''Behold the being''{{sfn|Petrie|1917|loc=p. 18 & p. 63}} <small>(if Unas is read ''As-un'')</small><br /> ''[[Unut|The swift one]]'' <small>(name of the goddess Wenet)</small><br />''The one who truly exists''{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=41|loc=footnote 65}}<br /><hiero><-G39-N5-E34:N35-M17-S29-></hiero><br />Hieroglyphic variant:<br /><hiero><-E34:N35-M17-S29-></hiero>}}
| PrenomenHiero=
| Prenomen={{center|[[hare (hieroglyph)|Un]]as{{sfn|Barsanti|1901|p=254}} <br />''Wnjs''<br />Translation uncertain:<br />''Behold the being''{{sfn|Petrie|1917|loc=p. 18 & p. 63}} <small>(if Unas is read ''As-un'')</small><br /> ''[[Unut|The swift one]]'' <small>(name of the goddess Wenet)</small><br />''The one who truly exists''{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=41|loc=footnote 65}}<br /><hiero>M23:t-L2:t-<-G39-N5-E34:N35-M17-S29-></hiero>}}
| Golden={{center|Bik-nebw-[[papyrus stem (hieroglyph)|Wadj]]{{sfn|Barsanti|1901|p=254}}{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=482}} <br />''Bjk-nb.w-w3ḏ''<br />''The golden falcon who flourishes''<br /><hiero>M13*G5:S12</hiero>}}
| GoldenHiero=
| Nebty={{center|Wadjemnebty{{sfn|Barsanti|1901|p=254}}{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=482}} <br />''W3ḏ-m-nb.tj''<br />''He who flourishes through the Two Ladies''}}
| NebtyHiero= <hiero>M13-G17</hiero>
| Horus={{center|Wadjtawy{{sfn|Barsanti|1901|p=254}}{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=482}} <br />''W3ḏ-t3.w(j)''<br />''Flourishing of the Two Lands''<br />Alternative translation:<br />''The sturdy one of the Two Lands''{{sfn|Leprohon|2013|p=40}}}}
| HorusHiero= <hiero>M13-N19</hiero>
| Reign= Around 30 years, c. 2375 - c. 2345 BC<ref>Turin King List</ref>{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Proposed dates for Unas' reign: 2404&ndash;2374 BC,{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}}{{sfn|Hawass|Senussi|2008|p=10}} 2375&ndash;2345 BC,{{sfn|Clayton|1994|p=60}}{{sfn|Rice|1999|p=213}}{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=102}}{{sfn|Lloyd|2010|p=xxxiv}} 2367&ndash;2347 BC,{{sfn|Strudwick|2005|p=xxx}} 2353&ndash;2323 BC,{{sfn|Arnold|1999}} 2342&ndash;2322 BC,{{sfn|von Beckerath|1999|p=283}} 2321&ndash;2306 BC{{sfn|Hornung|2012|p=491}} 2312&ndash;2282 BC.{{sfn|Dodson|Hilton|2004|p=288}}}}
| Predecessor= [[Djedkare Isesi]]
| Successor=[[Teti]]
| Spouse= [[Nebet (queen)|Nebet]], [[Khenut]]
| Children= Hemetre Hemi<small> ♀</small>, Khentkaues<small> ♀</small>, Neferut<small> ♀</small>, Nefertkaues Iku<small> ♀</small>, Sesheshet Idut<small> ♀</small>.<br />Uncertain: Unas-ankh<small> ♂</small>, [[Iput]]<small> ♀</small>.<br />Conjectured: Nebkauhor<small> ♂</small>, Shepsespuptah<small> ♂</small>.
| Father= Possibly [[Djedkare Isesi]]
| Mother= Possibly Setibhor
| Dynasty=[[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt|Fifth Dynasty]]
| Burial= [[Pyramid of Unas]]
|death_date=c. 2345 BC}}

'''Unas''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|j|uː|n|ə|s}} or '''Wenis''', also spelled '''Unis''' ({{langx|egy|[[wikt:wnjs|wnjs]]}}, [[Hellenization|hellenized]] form '''Oenas''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|iː|n|ə|s}} or '''Onnos'''; died {{Circa}} 2345), was a [[pharaoh|king]], the ninth and last ruler of the [[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt]] during the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]]. Unas reigned for 15 to 30 years in the mid-[[24th century BC]] (c. 2345–2315 BC), succeeding [[Djedkare Isesi]], who might have been his father.

Little is known of Unas' activities during his reign, which was a time of economic decline. Egypt maintained trade relations with the [[Levant]]ine coast and [[Nubia]], and military action may have taken place in southern [[Canaan]]. The growth and decentralization of the administration in conjunction with the lessening of the king's power continued under Unas, ultimately contributing to the collapse of the Old Kingdom some 200 years later.

Unas built a [[Pyramid of Unas|pyramid]] in [[Saqqara]], the smallest of the royal [[Egyptian pyramids|pyramids]] completed during the Old Kingdom. The accompanying mortuary complex with its high and valley temples linked by a {{convert|750|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} causeway was lavishly decorated with painted reliefs, whose quality and variety surpass the usual royal iconography.{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=102}} Furthermore, Unas was the first pharaoh to have the ''[[Pyramid Texts]]'' carved and painted on the walls of the chambers of his pyramid, a major innovation that was followed by his successors until the [[First Intermediate Period of Egypt|First Intermediate Period]] ({{Circa|2160|2050 BC}}). These texts identify the king with [[Ra]] and with [[Osiris]], whose cult was on the rise in Unas' time, and were meant to help the king reach the [[afterlife]].

Unas had several daughters and possibly one or two sons who are believed to have predeceased him. [[Manetho]], a third-century BC Egyptian priest of the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]] and author of the first history of Egypt, claims that with Unas' death the Fifth Dynasty came to an end. Unas was succeeded by [[Teti]], the first pharaoh of the [[Sixth Dynasty of Egypt|Sixth Dynasty]], possibly after a short crisis. However, the archaeological evidence suggests that the Egyptians at the time made no conscious break with the preceding dynasty and the distinction between the Fifth and Sixth dynasties might be illusory.

The [[funerary cult]] of Unas established at his death continued until the end of the Old Kingdom and may have survived during the chaotic First Intermediate Period. The cult was still in existence or revived during the later [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] (c. 2050 – c. 1650 BC). This did not prevent [[Amenemhat I]] and [[Senusret I]] (c. 1990 – c. 1930 BC) from partially dismantling the mortuary complex of Unas for its materials.

In parallel to the official cult, Unas may have received popular veneration as a local god of Saqqara until as late as the [[Late Period of ancient Egypt|Late Period]] (664–332 BC), nearly 2,000 years after his death.