Editing Userkaf (section)

===Duration===
The exact duration of Userkaf's reign is unknown. Given the historical and archeological evidence, the consensus among Egyptologists is that he ruled for seven to eight years{{sfn|Helck|1981|p=63}}{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=76}}{{sfn|Malek|2000a|pp=98–99}}{{sfn|Beckerath|1997|p=155}} at the start of Egypt's Fifth Dynasty.{{sfn|Lehner|2008|p=140}} First, an analysis of the nearly contemporaneous [[Palermo stone|Old Kingdom royal annals]] shows that Userkaf's reign was recorded on eight compartments corresponding to at least seven full years but not much more.{{efn|group=note|Older analyses of the document by Breasted and Daressy had already established that Userkaf reigned 12 to 14 years{{sfn|Breasted|1906|pp=68–69|loc=§ 153–160}} or 12 to 13 years{{sfn|Daressy|1912|p=206}} respectively.}}{{sfn|Hornung et al.|2012|p=484}} The latest legible year recorded on the annals for Userkaf is that of his third [[Cattle count (Egypt)|cattle count]], to evaluate the amount of taxes to be levied on the population. This significant event is believed to have been [[wikt:biennial|biennial]] during the Old Kingdom period, meaning that the third cattle count represents the sixth year of his reign. The same count is also attested in a mason's inscription found on a stone of Userkaf's sun temple.{{efn|group=note|Four mentions of the "year of the fifth cattle count" were also discovered on stone tablets from Userkaf's sun temple,{{sfn|Verner|2001a|p=386}} which could indicate that Userkaf reigned for 10 years. However, these inscriptions are incomplete. In particular the name of the king to whose reign they belong is lost, and they might instead refer to Sahure's rule{{sfn|Verner|2001a|pp=388–390}} or to Neferirkare's{{sfn|Kaiser|1956|p=108}} rather than that of Userkaf.{{sfn|Verner|2001a|pp=386–387}}{{sfn|Strudwick|2005|p=158}} The attribution of these inscriptions to either Sahure or Neferirkare is paramount in determining who completed Userkaf's sun temple, which was unfinished at his death.{{sfn|Verner|2001a|pp=386–387}} The tablets detail the division of labour during works on the ''Nekhenre''.{{sfn|Strudwick|2005|p=158|loc=fn. 2}}}}{{sfn|Verner|2001a|p=386}} Second, Userkaf is given a reign of seven years on the third column, row 17, of the [[Turin King List|Turin Royal Canon]],{{sfn|Verner|2001a|p=385}} a document copied during the reign of [[Ramesses II]] from earlier sources.{{sfn|Hornung et al.|2012|p=136}} Third, very few small artefacts bearing Userkaf's name have been found, witnessing a short reign. These include a gold mounted diorite jar,{{sfn|Hayes|1978|pp=71–72}} a five-[[Deben (unit)|deben]] stone weight{{sfn|Weight of Userkaf, MET|2019}} and a stone cylinder seal from Elephantine, now all in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], as well as an ivory cylinder seal in the [[British Museum]]{{sfn|Hall|1913|p=261 seal 2597}} and yet another seal in the Bulaq Museum.{{sfn|Mariette|1889b|p=17 & pl. 54e}}{{sfn|Kozloff|1982|p=219}}

The only historical source favouring a longer reign is the ''Aegyptiaca'' (Αἰγυπτιακά), a history of Egypt written in the 3rd century BC, during the reign of [[Ptolemy II]] (283–246 BC) by [[Manetho]]. No copies of the Aegyptiaca have survived and it is now known only through later writings by [[Sextus Julius Africanus]] and [[Eusebius]]. According to the Byzantine scholar [[George Syncellus]], Africanus wrote that the ''Aegyptiaca'' mentioned the succession "Usercherês → Sephrês → Nefercherês" at the start of the Fifth Dynasty. Usercherês, Sephrês, and Nefercherês are believed to be the [[Hellenization|Hellenized]] forms for Userkaf, Sahure and Neferirkare, respectively.{{sfn|Waddell|1971|p=51}} In particular, Manetho's reconstruction of the early Fifth Dynasty is in agreement with those given on the [[Abydos king list]] and the [[Saqqara Tablet]], two lists of kings written during the reigns of [[Seti I]] and Ramesses II, respectively.{{sfn|Daressy|1912|p=205}} In contrast with the Turin canon, Africanus's report of the ''Aegyptiaca'' estimates that Userkaf reigned for 28 years,{{sfn|Waddell|1971|p=51}} much longer than the modern consensus.{{sfn|Helck|1981|p=63}}{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=76}}{{sfn|Malek|2000a|pp=98–99}}{{sfn|Beckerath|1997|p=155}}