Editing Unas (section)

==Reign==

===Family===
Unas assumed the throne at the death of his predecessor Djedkare Isesi. Djedkare is thought to have been Unas' father,{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}} in spite of the complete lack of evidence bearing on the question.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}} The succession from Djedkare Isesi to Unas seems to have been smooth.{{sfn|Baud|1999|p=563}}

Unas had at least two queens, [[Nebet (queen)|Nebet]]{{sfn|Baud|1999|p=489}} and [[Khenut]],{{sfn|Baud|1999|p=545}} who were buried in a large double [[mastaba]] adjacent to their husband's pyramid. Unas and Nebet possibly had a son, the "king's son", "royal chamberlain", "priest of [[Maat]]" and "[[overseer of Upper Egypt]]" Unas-Ankh,{{sfn|Williams|1981|p=31}} who died about 10 years into Unas' reign.{{sfn|Onderka|2009|p=166}} The filiation of Unas-Ankh is indirectly hinted at by his name and titles and by the presence of his tomb near those of Nebet and Unas{{sfn|Baud|1999|p=422}} but is not universally accepted.{{sfn|Schmitz|1976|p=31 & 89}}{{sfn|Onderka|2009|p=150 & pp. 167&ndash;170}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|In particular the title of "king's son" was given to both actual royal sons and non-royal high officials.{{sfn|Onderka|2009|pp=149&ndash;150}}}} Two other sons have been proposed, Nebkauhor{{sfn|Munro|1993|pp=20&ndash;33}} and Shepsespuptah,{{sfn|Baud|1999|pp=580&ndash;582}} but these filiations are conjectural and contested.{{sfn|Onderka|2009|p=170}} Unas likely died without a male heir.{{sfn|Onderka|2009|p=170}}
[[File:Unas stelae.jpg|thumb|196x196px|Unas stelae]]
Unas had at least five daughters named Hemetre Hemi,{{sfn|Baud|1999|p=519}} Khentkaues,{{sfn|Dodson|Hilton|2004|p=64}} Neferut,{{sfn|Baud|1999|p=499}} Nefertkaues Iku,{{sfn|Baud|1999|pp=496&ndash;497}} and Sesheshet Idut.{{sfn|Baud|1999|pp=564&ndash;565}} The status of another possible daughter, [[Iput]], is uncertain.{{sfn|Baud|1999|pp=410&ndash;411}}
[[File:Abydos KL 05-08 n33.jpg|thumb|Cartouche of king Unas]]

===Duration===
[[File:Sahure Sed.png|thumb|right|250px|Relief of [[Sahure]] wearing the tunic of the [[Sed festival]],{{sfn|Borchardt|1913|loc=Blatt 45}} similar to the relief depicting Unas' Sed festival from his mortuary complex{{sfn|Labrousse|Lauer|Leclant|1977|p=86|loc=fig. 57}}|alt=A seated man in a tight fitting robe, with a false beard and a crown.]]
The duration of Unas' reign is uncertain. As indicated above, historical sources credit him with 30 and 33 years on the throne, figures that have been adopted by many Egyptologists, including [[Flinders Petrie]],{{sfn|Petrie|1907|p=82}} [[William C. Hayes]],{{sfn|Hayes|1978|p=58}} Darrell Baker,{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=482}} Peter Munro,{{sfn|Munro|1993|p=8ff}} and Jaromir Malek.{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=102}} In favor of such a long reign are scenes{{sfn|Labrousse|Lauer|Leclant|1977|p=85|loc=fig. 56 & p. 86 fig. 57}} of a [[Sed festival]] found in Unas' mortuary temple.{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=483}}{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}} This festival was normally celebrated only after 30 years of reign and was meant to rejuvenate the pharaoh's strength and power. Mere depictions of the festival do not necessarily imply a long reign, however. For example, a relief showing pharaoh [[Sahure]] in the tunic of the Sed festival has been found in his mortuary temple,{{sfn|Borchardt|1913|loc=Blatt 45}}{{sfn|Richter|2013}} although both historical sources and archeological evidence agree that he ruled Egypt for less than 14 full years.{{sfn|Rice|1999|p=173}}{{sfn|von Beckerath|1999|p=283}}{{sfn|Hornung|2012|p=491}}
[[File:Flickr - Gaspa - Saqqara, geroglifici (1).jpg|thumb|212x212px|Saqqara mastabas. Unas cartouches.]]
Other Egyptologists suspect a reign of less than 30 years for Unas, owing to the scarcity of artefacts datable to his reign as well as the lack of documents dated to beyond his eighth year on the throne.{{sfn|Verner|2001a|p=411}} Hence, [[Jürgen von Beckerath]] believes that Unas ruled Egypt for 20 years{{sfn|von Beckerath|1999|p=283}} while Rolf Krauss, David Warburton and [[Erik Hornung]] shortened this number to 15 years in their 2012 study of [[Egyptian chronology]].{{sfn|Hornung|2012|p=491}} Krauss and [[Miroslav Verner]] further question the credibility of the Turin Canon concerning the [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt|Fourth]] and Fifth Dynasties, so that the 30-year figure credited to Unas by the canon might not be reliable.{{sfn|Verner|2001a|p=416}}

Excavations{{sfn|Kanawati|ʻAbd-ar-Rāziq|2000}} of the tomb of Nikau-Isesi under the direction of [[Naguib Kanawati]] at Saqqara have yielded evidence in support of a shorter reign.{{sfn|Verner|2001a|p=412}} Nikau-Isesi was an official who started his career during the reign of Djedkare Isesi. He lived through that of Unas and died as overseer of Upper-Egypt under Unas' successor Teti.{{sfn|Kanawati|2001|pp=1&ndash;2}} Nikau-Isesi is known to have died on the year of the eleventh [[cattle count]] during Teti's reign, an event consisting of counting the livestock throughout the country to evaluate the amount of taxes to be levied. It is traditionally believed that such counts occurred every two years during the Old Kingdom and every year during the later [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] ({{Circa|2055|1650 BC}}).{{sfn|Kanawati|2001|pp=1&ndash;2}} Thus, Nikau-Isesi would have lived for 22 years after Teti took the throne and together with the 30 years of reign credited to Unas, would have died past 70 years old.{{sfn|Kanawati|2001|pp=1&ndash;2}} However, forensic examination of his mummy yielded an age at death of no more than 45 years old. This suggests that the cattle count occurred more than once every two years during Unas and Teti's time, possibly irregularly. If so, Unas' 30-year figure on the Turin canon, understood to mean 15 cattle counts, could translate into as little as 15 years, which together with just 11 years during Teti's reign would account for Nikau-Isesi's death at around 40 to 45 years of age.{{sfn|Kanawati|2001|pp=1&ndash;2}}

===Activities===
[[File:Unas Elephantine.png|thumb|Drawing{{sfn|Petrie|1907|p=82}} of the rock inscription of Unas on [[Elephantine]]{{efn|group=lower-alpha|The text of the inscription reads "Horus Wadjtawy, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Unas, lord of the foreign lands, given life and dominion for ever, beloved of Khnum, given life for ever".{{sfn|Strudwick|2005|p=133|loc=num. 48}}{{sfn|Sethe|1903|loc=entry 69}}}}|alt=A man standing surrounded by columns of hieroglyphs.]]
; Trade and warfare
Owing to the scarcity of evidence dating to Unas' reign, we know very little about his activities.{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=482}} Existing trade relations with foreign countries and cities, in particular Byblos,{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=106}} seem to have continued during Unas' time on the throne. Reliefs from the causeway of his pyramid complex show two large seagoing ships coming back from an expedition to the [[Levant]]ine coast with Syro-Canaanite men, who were either the boat crews or slaves.{{sfn|Hayes|1978|p=67}}{{sfn|Wachsmann|1998|loc=p. 12 & p. 18}} Another relief depicts a military campaign,{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=105}} Egyptians armed with bows and daggers attacking Canaanite nomads called the [[Shasu]].{{sfn|Stevenson Smith|1971|p=189}} Similar reliefs have been found in preceding pyramid complexes, such as [[Pyramid of Sahure|that of Sahure]], and they may thus be standard themes rather than depictions of actual events.{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=105}} Other sources tend to confirm the accuracy of these depictions; for example, the [[autobiography of Weni]] relates many punitive raids against Canaanite nomads in the early Sixth Dynasty.{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=105}}{{sfn|Lichtheim|1973|pp=18–23}}

To the South of Egypt, inscriptions of Unas on Elephantine record a visit of the king to Lower Nubia, possibly to receive tribute from local chieftains{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=483}} or because of growing unrest in the region.{{sfn|Verner|2001b|p=590}} In addition, a relief from the causeway of Unas leading to his pyramid shows a giraffe, suggesting trade relations with Nubia.{{sfn|Stevenson Smith|1971|p=188}}

; Domestic
[[File:Bedouins starving in the desert-E 17381-IMG 9845-gradient.jpg|thumb|Relief showing starving nomads from Unas' causeway at Saqqara|alt=Prostrated people, their ribs showing, look wearily to the ground.]]
Unas' reign was a time of economic decline{{sfn|Verner|2001b|p=590}} although, as the French Egyptologist [[Nicolas Grimal]] writes, it was "by no means a time of decadence".{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}} Indeed, the Egyptian state was still capable of mounting important expeditions to provide building stones for the king's pyramid complex.{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}} These expeditions are depicted on unique reliefs found in Unas' causeway{{sfn|Landström|1970|p=62|loc=fig. 185}}{{sfn|Lehner|1997|p=202}}{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}} and are also referred to in the autobiographical stela of an administration official.{{sfn|Fischer|1975}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Stela CG 1433, [[Egyptian Museum]], Cairo.{{sfn|Fischer|1975}}}} This official reports the transport of {{convert|10.40|m|ft|-tall|abbr=off|adj=mid}} palmiform{{efn|group=lower-alpha|A palmiform column is a column whose [[Capital (architecture)|capital]] has the form of [[Arecaceae|palm leaves]]. This style is for example present in the mortuary complex of king Sahure.{{sfn|Lehner|1997|pp=142&ndash;144}}}} columns of red granite from Elephantine to Saqqara in only four days, a feat for which he was praised by the king.{{sfn|Fischer|1975}} In addition to the important construction works undertaken in Saqqara for the construction of his pyramid complex, building activities also took place on Elephantine.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}}

Until 1996, the domestic situation during Unas' reign was thought to have been disastrous, based on reliefs from the causeway of his pyramid complex showing emaciated people and thus suggesting times of famine.{{sfn|Rice|1999|p=213}}{{sfn|Dodson|1995|pp=38&ndash;39}} This changed when excavations at Abusir in 1996 yielded similar reliefs in the mortuary complex of Sahure, who reigned at a prosperous time in the early Fifth Dynasty.{{sfn|Hawass|Verner|1996|pp=184&ndash;185}} In addition, research showed that the starving people are likely to be desert dwellers, nomads distinguished by their specific hair-style, rather than Egyptians.{{sfn|Ziegler in Allen ''et al.''|1999|pp=360|loc="122. Starving bedouin"}} Thus, these reliefs are now understood to be standard representations of the generosity of the king towards the destitute and of the hardships of life in the desert regions bordering Egypt{{sfn|Coulon|2008|p=2}} rather than referring to actual events.{{sfn|Ziegler in Allen ''et al.''|1999|pp=360|loc="122. Starving bedouin"}}

===Death and end of a dynasty===
In his history of Egypt, Manetho states that with the death of Unas the Fifth Dynasty came to an end.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}} This may be because Unas died without a male heir,{{sfn|Verner|2001b|p=590}} his probable son Unas-Ankh having predeceased him. This might have caused a succession crisis{{sfn|Verner|2001b|p=590}} hinted at by the personal name chosen by Teti upon his accession to the throne: "Seheteptawy" meaning "He who reconciles/pacifies the two lands".{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}}{{sfn|Verner|2001b|p=590}} Teti's claim to the throne could have relied on his marriage to Iput, who may have been a daughter of Unas.{{sfn|Stevenson Smith|1971|p=190}}{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=103}}{{sfn|Baker|2008|p=461}} This possibility is heavily debated, as the interpretation of Iput's titles that would indicate that she was the daughter of a king is uncertain.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Iput held the title of ''z3t nswt-bjtj'', which literally means "Daughter of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt". However, this title could equally well be a variant of ''z3t-ntjr'', meaning that she was the mother of a king ([[Pepi I]]){{sfn|Baud|1999|pp=410&ndash;411}}}}{{sfn|Baud|1999|pp=410&ndash;411}} Furthermore, the idea that Teti could legitimate his claim by marrying into the royal family is rejected by many Egyptologists, including Munro, Dobrev, [[Michel Baud|Baud]], Mertz, Pirenne, and Robin, who do not think that the right to the pharaonic throne passed through the female line.{{sfn|Baud|Dobrev|1995|p=58}}

In addition to Manetho's statement, the Turin king list presents a special break point between Unas and his successor Teti.
Although the king list is not organized in dynasties&ndash;which were invented by Manetho&ndash;the Egyptologist Jaromir Malek explains that "the criterion for such divisions in the Turin Canon invariably was the change of location of the capital and royal residence."{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=103}} Malek thus suggests that the capital of Egypt, then known as Inbu-Hedj,{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Inbu-Hedj means "White Walls".{{sfn|Jeffreys|2001|p=373}}}} was indeed supplanted at the time by settlements located to the South, East of South Saqqara, where Unas' palace may have been located. In the second millennium BC these cities finally merged and gave rise to [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]].{{sfn|Malek|2000a|p=104}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|From "Mennefer", meaning "Perfect and enduring", the name of the pyramid of [[Pepi I]] next to which Mennefer was located.{{sfn|Jeffreys|2001|p=373}}}}

Whatever the basis for Manetho's choice to end the Fifth Dynasty with Unas, Egyptians living at the time probably perceived no particular change from one dynasty to the next.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}} The administration of the state shows no evidence of disturbances, with many officials continuing their careers from Unas' onto Teti's reign.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}} These include the viziers [[Mehu]], [[Kagemni]] and Nikau-Isesi and the overseer of the province of [[Edfu]] Isi.{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=602}} Given that the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom might not have conceived of dynasties,{{sfn|Baud|Dobrev|1995|pp=55&ndash;58}} the distinction between the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties might be illusory.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=80}}