The Egyptians controlled the Nile down to the third
cataract during Merenré I’s reign. He cut five canals at the
cataracts of the Nile and commissioned the local Nubians
(modern Sudanese) to build ships for him out of timbers.
A copper statue of Merenré I and Pepi I was found in
HIERAKONPOLIS. A mummified body was discovered at
Saqqara, but it was probably not his remains but evidence
of a later burial. He was succeeded by his half brother,
Pepi II.
Merenré (II) (Antiemdjaf)(fl. 22nd century B.C.E.)
Shadowy ruler of the Sixth Dynasty
He was reportedly the son of PEPI II(r. 2246–2152 B.C.E.)
and Queen NEITH(2). Merenré II was devoted to a local
deity, ANTI. He ruled only one year at the close of the
dynasty with his consort, Queen NITOCRIS (1), as the
dynasty was threatened by general unrest and the ambi-
tions of powerful nomarchs who sought independence
for their clans. When he died, Nitocris ruled alone. She
is mentioned in the TURIN CANON. Her successor was pos-
sibly NEFERKURÉ, the son of Queen ANKHNES-PEPIand
Pepi II.
Mereruka(fl. 23rd century B.C.E.)Chief justice and
vizier of the Sixth Dynasty
He served TETI(r. 2323–2291 B.C.E.) as VIZIER, chief jus-
tice, and the supervisor of Teti’s cult personnel. The son
of the noble Nedjetempet, Mereruka married Princess
SESHESHET, also called Idut. She was Teti’s daughter. His
son was Meryteti. Mereruka constructed the royal tomb
of Teti as part of his duties as vizier.
Mereruka’s own tomb in SAQQARAis a magnificent
monument, shared by his royal wife and son. The tomb
contains more than 30 chambers and was designed as a
vast mastaba. A FALSE DOORand a chapel with six pillars,
including a statue of Mereruka, are part of the splendid
architectural elements of the mastaba. There are painted
scenes in corridors and in three of the chambers. A
SERDABwas also part of the design. Scenes of gardening,
fishing, fowling, hunting, harp playing, scribes, banquets,
pets, and dwarves provide historical data of the period.
Meresger (1) (Meretseger) A cobra goddess of an-
cient Egypt’s Theban necropolis, also called Meretseger,
she was worshiped as “the Lady of Heaven” and the
“Peak of the West” in Egyptian religious texts. Meresger
was noted as a goddess who chastised the evildoer. The
Egyptians depicted her as a “Savage Lion” to all who per-
formed sinful acts until they called upon her name for
forgiveness. The goddess lived on the rocky spur of
SHEIKH ABD’ EL-QURNA, at the necropolis site of THEBES,
where she was called “the Lover of Silence,” an allusion
to her mortuary role. She was popular throughout many
eras of Egyptian history but declined in the Twenty-first
Dynasty (1070–945 B.C.E.).
Meresger (2)(fl. 19th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of
the Twelfth Dynasty
She was a lesser ranked consort of SENWOSRET III (r.
1878–1841 B.C.E.), a ruler noted for his extensive HAREM.
Meresger was not the mother of the heir.Meri(fl. 20th century B.C.E.)Royal pyramid complex
official of the Twelfth Dynasty at el-Lisht
He served SENWOSRET I(r. 1971–1926 B.C.E.). Meri was
the supervisor of the ruler’s pyramid in el-LISHT, oversee-
ing the construction of the mortuary complex. He also
governed the pyramid territory. His funerary STELA, now
in the Louvre in Paris, gives an account of his career and
honors. The pyramidal complexes of the rulers
demanded considerable attention and personnel. Small
cities were erected at these sites to provide residences for
priests and other attendants involved in the mortuary
cults of the dead rulers, such cults lasting for decades,
even centuries.Merikaré(fl. 22nd century B.C.E.)Ruler of the Herak-
leopolitan Ninth Dynasty (2134–? B.C.E.)
He was probably the son of KHETY III. The INSTRUCTIONS
FOR MERIKARÉ,a didactic document attributed by scholars
to his father, was written for him reportedly, although
the authorship has not been proven. The text concerns
the events of Khety III’s reign, a period in which the Iny-
otefs were beginning their assaults on the Herakleopoli-
tans. Khety III regrets many events that took place, and
he speaks of the ideals and the spirit that the rulers
and subjects should adopt in order to attain spiritual
maturity.
Merikaré appears to have been middle-aged when
Khety bequeathed him the Herakleopolitan throne. He
faced growing tensions with THEBESin an uncertain polit-
ical era of change, but he died before the armies of MON-
TUHOTEP II advanced upon his capital. ITY was his
successor. Merikaré’s mortuary pyramid was constructed
near MEMPHIS.Merimda Beni Salama This is a predynastic site in
the western Delta of Egypt, dating to c. 4750 B.C.E., the
first known settlement in the Nile Valley. Located 15
miles northwest of modern Cairo, Merimda had an esti-
mated population of 16,000 in some historical periods,
although the average was probably smaller. Graves found
in the site contained mostly children, possibly the victims
of a famine or an epidemic. Houses at Merimda were
mostly windbreaks, or pole-framed structures with
pitched roofs. Granaries and grid street patterns are evi-
dent. The Faiyum A culture pottery was discovered there,
as well as stone MACEHEADS, polished black pottery, and
fishing tools. The Merimda phase was contemporaneous
with Upper Egypt’s Badarian and Amratian phases.
See also EGYPT.Merimda Beni Salama 239