Pepi II became king as a young boy and ruled for more than six decades — Manetho credits him with 94 years. His letter to the explorer Harkhuf, preserved on the walls of Harkhuf’s tomb at Aswan, is one of the most human documents of the Old Kingdom.
Over his long reign, provincial governors grew wealthy and independent. When he died, the centralised pyramid state he had inherited did not long survive him.
Key achievements
- Came to the throne as a child; his reign is among the longest recorded for any monarch.
- His letter to the expedition leader Harkhuf, excitedly asking him to bring back a dancing pygmy, survives on Harkhuf's tomb.
- The weakening of royal power by the end of his reign led into the First Intermediate Period.
