Ouserkaf

Ouserkaf is the sovereign first of (Ancient Empire). It succeeded Chepseskaf and preceded Sahourê. It reigns of -2465 with -2458.

Ouserkaf is especially known to have built for the first time a solar temple with Abousir, site located at the north of Saqqarah inaugurating a series of sanctuaries thus dedicated to the god Re whom one believes conceived on the model of the large temple of the god in Héliopolis. It is this same site of Abousir which will be chosen by its successors like necropolis royal.

Ouserkaf, made him build its complex funerary with Saqqarah in the east of the funerary Complexe of Djéser. Few representations of the king are known to date. One will quote in particular a head of a colossus, carrying the Némès, which was formerly set up in the ceremonial court of funerary sound complex like another head of a statue of the king, this time carrying the red crown, discovered in his solar temple in Abousir.

Genealogy

Several theories exist as for filiation of Ouserkaf, and more generally concerning its descent. The most known assumption remains that of the German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt according to which he would have been the son of a priest of Héliopolis, Néferhétep and of the princess Néferhétepès.

He would then have married Khentkaous {{Ire}}, girl of Mykérinos and widow of Chepseskaf, thus legitimating his accession with the throne. On this assumption it would have given him two wire, Sahourê and Néferirkarê, which both will reign with its continuation.

However the recent studies made on the funerary complexes of the end of like those carried out on the site of its proper pyramid, tend to prove that Ouserkaf would have married Néferhétepès, girl of Djédefrê with which it designed the heir to the throne Sahourê. One conjectures as he would be rather the son of Khentkaous {{Ire}} and of Chepseskaf.

Titulature

Reign

The reign of Ouserkaf is little known because of the rare vestiges of its reign found until now. The duration even of its reign varies according to the sources and if Manéthon grants twenty-eight years of reign to him, the Egyptologists agree for the moment to reduce this duration of more than half fault of elements convainquant allowing to follow the assertion of the historian of Ptolémée thus bringing this duration closer to the seven years mentioned in the Papyrus of Turin. The Pierre of Palermo which preserves part of annals of the dynasty still preserves the detail of part of the first six years of reign giving the indication of the third great census of the cattle, event organized at that time every approximately two years. The continuation of the reign is lacking and missing space can hardly include/understand more of the double of years of reign, the following column devoted to the following reign starting with the fifth year of reign of the successor of Ouserkaf, Sahourê.

Under its reign in any case the trade between the Egypt and the Mediterranean world seems to start thanks to true naval forwardings which it will make appear in its funerary temple of Saqqarah.

The divine worships favoured are even developed for this period, Ouserkaf inaugurating a religious policy that its successors will continue. It makes build the solar first temple of the dynasty. However thanks to the study of the Archives of Abousir we know from now on that the solar temples of the kings of were closely related to the worships returned in the temples of the royal pyramids. The sanctuary is in addition quoted at the fifth year of reign in royal annals what could correspond to the date of its foundation or more probably of its inauguration. On this occasion Ouserkaf will make the gift of twenty-four royal fields for its maintenance. The solar temple of Ouserkaf was found and excavated with Abousir, site undoubtedly close to a locality often quoted by the sources, of which the Papyrus Westcar, Sakhébou where the god Re received a worship. The fact has its importance because it is perhaps about the first temple in divine matter and not only funerary of which we have more than one simple trace for the Ancient Empire. Its general plan would have been inspired by that of the large temple of Re to Héliopolis, which bears invaluable witness to us on the aspect of the solar sanctuaries of the Ancient Empire.

One knows by a decree, that Nikaânkh, dignitary of the court of Ouserkaf, will make appear in its mastaba, that the king granted new goods to the worship of Hathor of Tenneh in Average-Egypt, at the same time reforming the operation of the fields which were allotted to him. The king was also interested in the worship of the god Montou with Tôd, where elements with its name were found. They are the oldest known vestiges of the site.

At the level of arts the rare elements going back to its reign show a control of the techniques pushing with refinement. One will quote in particular the statues out of wooden of the Kaaper dignitary and his wife who are preserved at the museum of Cairo. Famous the Scribe squatted Louvre is also dated from the reign of Ouserkaf because of the proximity of the place of its discovery with the funerary complex of the king and of bringings together stylistics.

Finally it is advisable to mention two portraits of the king found one with Saqqarah in the funerary temple of its pyramid, colossal red granite head of Assouan capped Némès , and the other in its solar Temple of Abousir, head in Grauwacke appearing the king capped of the Hedjet the red crown of Low-Egypt. These two exceptional portraits are preserved today at the museum of Cairo

Ouserkaf marries the princess Néferhétepès, girl of Djédefrê, with which it will have a son Sahourê who succeeds to him on the throne. They will receive a funerary worship remained in activity at least until the medium of the dynasty which one knows several priests attached to their service:

Tepemânkh, priest of the worship of Ouserkaf and Sahourê.
Senouânkh, priest of the worship of Ouserkaf and Sahourê.
Pehnouikaï, priest of the worship of Ouserkaf and vizier under the reigns of Sahourê and Néferirkarê Kakaï.

The fact will be noted that the two royal worships of the first two kings are often associated in the loads of these dignitaries, index militant once more in favor of family ties direct between these two sovereigns.

Like its predecessor Chepseskaf, Ouserkaf is made arrange its complex funerary with Saqqarah. On the other hand it regains the pyramidal shape for its tomb and chooses to build it not far from the funerary Complexe of Djéser. The fact that it had time to complete it seems to indicate one duration of reign higher than the half-dozen of year which is generally allotted to him.

Burial

The funerary complex of Ouserkaf remains incompletely known because until now no trace of a temple of the valley was found and only the indications of Perring make it possible to suppose the existence of a roadway connecting the two traditional parts of a pyramidal complex . However preserving the principal elements of the pyramidal complex established at the preceding dynasty, its architects innovate in the plan and the articulation even of the temple of the pyramid. Indeed, if the orientation of the unit is singular the pyramidal complex of Ouserkaf in fact a harmonious synthesis which will inspire the architects of its successors.

The excavations of this complex moreover revealed a quality up to that point unequalled in the iconographic program of the reliefs which covered its walls, and in the diversity of materials employed for its construction. Calcareous of quality for the walls, Granite for the doors and pillars of the temple, Basalt for the paving of the courses, Calcite for the ground of the covered parts, the deployed means concentrate from now on on the whole of the complex.

In fact the architecture of the pyramid seems contrary being impoverished even if the infrastructure sheltering the royal vault remains the object of all the care, with in particular the use of an enormous device of cover of the funerary apartments, made up of colossal blocks laid out in Chevron S. the superstructure it, consists of a masonry of more modest proportion, made of a local limestone. Made of successive steps being used as formwork in which is accumulated a stone blocking the pyramid low-size is compared with that of. The limestone of Tourah, finer and of better quality will remain reserved with the facing of the monument giving him its aspect of Pyramide to smooth faces.

Very early the pyramidal complex will be the object of a plundering of its materials of choice, ruining the funerary temple and its appendices and stripping the pyramid of its regular and looked after limestone bases, so much and so that today it resembles a stone monticule piled up in the middle of sands of Saqqarah.

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