He dispatched detailed instructions on the care of the
small creature, promising a reward to his official if the
dwarf arrived safe and healthy. Pepi II also notified the
various governors of the cities en route to offer all possi-
ble assistance to Harkhuf on his journey. The letter
stresses the importance of 24 hour care, lest the dwarf be
drowned or injured.
Pepi I’s pyramidal complex in southern SAQQARA
has a large PYRAMIDand three smaller ones. A MORTUARY
TEMPLE, a causeway, and a VALLEY TEMPLEare also part of
the complex design. The valley temple has rectangular
columns, decorated and covered with carved limestone.
The causeway, partially destroyed, has two granite door-
ways. The mortuary temple has passages and a vesti-
bule. A central court has an 18-pillar colonnade, and the
sanctuary is reached through a narrow antechamber that
is decorated with scenes of sacrifices. A wall surrounds
the complex that is dominated by the pyramid called
“Pepi Is Established and Alive.” Constructed out of
limestone blocks, the pyramid has an entrance at
ground level on the north side. A small offering chapel
leads to a rock-cut burial chapel and a star-decorated
vestibule with PYRAMID TEXTreliefs. The extensive mor-
tuary complex drained Egypt’s treasury and set in
motion a series of weaknesses that brought the Old
Kingdom to an end.
Pepi-Nakht(fl. 23rd century B.C.E.)Noble official of the
Sixth Dynasty
He served in the reign of PEPI II (2246–2152 B.C.E.).
Pepi-Nakht was the Old Kingdom equivalent of the
VICEROYof Nubia (modern Sudan), serving as the gover-
nor of the lands below the first cataract. He was origi-
nally from the ELEPHANTINE. His cliff tomb at Aswan
gives detailed information about his expeditions into
Nubia to put down a rebellion of local tribes there. He
slew princes and nobles of the Nubian tribes and
brought other chiefs back to MEMPHISto pay homage to
the pharaoh.
Pepi-Nakht also traveled to the Red Sea to bring back
the body of an official slain in the coastal establishment
(possibly KUSER), where the Egyptians had ships built for
expeditions to PUNT. Kuser was the port used by the
Egyptians in most eras. Pepi-Nakht bore the title of “Gov-
ernor of Foreign Places.” He was deified locally after his
death and had a shrine at ASWAN.
See also DEIFICATION.
Per-Ankh An educational institution throughout
Egypt, called “the House of Life,” the Per-Ankh was
erected in many districts and cities and was a depository
for learned texts on a variety of subjects, particularly
MEDICINE. The first reference to the Per-Ankh dates to the
Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.). The institution contin-
ued in other historical periods, flourishing in the Nine-
teenth Dynasty (1307–1196 B.C.E.) and later eras. Report-
edly, two of the officials condemned in the harem plot
against RAMESSES III(r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.) were from the
Per-Ankh.
These institutions contained training services and
resources in the various sciences. Most incorporated a
Per-Medjat, a House of Books, as well. Clinics and sana-
toria were attached to the Per-Ankh in ABYDOS, AKHMIN,
’AMARNA, EDFU, ESNA, KOPTOS, MEMPHIS, and THEBES.
Priests in these institutions studied art, MAGIC, medicine,
funerary rituals, sculpture, painting, the writing of sacred
books, theological texts, mathematics, embalming,
ASTRONOMY, and MAGICAL DREAM INTERPRETATION.
Major scholarly documents were maintained in these
institutions and copied by scribes. The Per-Ankh also
served as a workshop where sacred books were composed
and written by the ranking scribes of the various periods.
It is possible that many of the texts were not kept in the
Per-Ankh but discussed there and debated. The members
of the institution’s staff, all scribes, were considered the
learned men of their age. Many were ranking priests in
the various temples or noted physicians and served the
different rulers in many administrative capacities. The
Per-Ankh probably existed only in important cities. Ruins
of the House of Life were found at ’Amarna, and one was
discovered at Abydos. Magical texts were part of the out-
put of the institutions, as were the copies of the Book of
the Dead.Perdiccas (d. 321 B.C.E.) Greek contemporary of Alexan-
der the Great who tried to invade Egypt
Perdiccas was the keeper of the royal seal and a trusted
military companion of ALEXANDER[III]THE GREAT. He also
aided Roxana, Alexander’s widow, after the death of
Alexander in 323 B.C.E. Perdiccas then established his
own empire and led a Greek force into Egypt, hoping to
take possession of the Nile Valley. PTOLEMY I SOTER(r.
304–284 B.C.E.) was satrap of the Nile at the time. The
troops of Perdiccas were not committed to the necessary
campaigns and feared such a rash move because of the
inundation of the Nile River. As a consequence, Perdiccas
was forced to withdraw and was subsequently murdered
by his own mutinous officers.perfume Lavish scents were used by the Egyptians and
contained in beautiful bottles or vials. A perfume vial
recovered in Egypt dates to 1000 B.C.E. Perfumes were
part of religious rites, and the Egyptians invented a form
of glass to hold the precious substance. Cones made of
perfumed wax were also placed on the heads of guests at
celebrations. As the warmth of the gathering melted the
wax, the perfumes dripped down the head and provided
lush scents. In the temples the idols of the gods were per-
fumed in daily rituals.
See also MYRRH.300 Pepi-Nakht