372 ShepseskaréShepseskaré (Ini)(d. 2419 B.C.E.)Fourth ruler of the
Fifth Dynasty
He reigned from 2426 B.C.E. until his death. He is also
listed as Ini. Shepseskaré was the successor of KAKAI
(Neferirkaré). He is not well known and his reign was
brief. Seal impressions bearing his name were found in
ABUSIR, where he started but did not complete a pyrami-
dal tomb.
Shepseskhaf(d. 2467 B.C.E.) Last ruler of the Fourth
Dynasty
He reigned from 2472 B.C.E. until his death, the son of
MENKAURÉ. Shepseskhaf completed his father’s monu-
ments and reportedly feuded with the priests of various
temples over doctrines. He also married BUNEFERand had
a son, Djedefptah, who is sometimes listed as Thamptis.
His sister was Khentakawes. Khama’at was his daughter,
who married Ptahshepses, the high priest of Memphis.
Shepseskhaf erected a tomb in southern SAQQARA, called
MASTABAT EL-FARA’UN, “the Pharaoh’s Bench.” Rectangular
in design, this mastaba was unfinished and was never
used.
Sherden Pirates They were a group of sea-roving
marauders on the Mediterranean coast during the New
Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.). In the Nineteenth Dynasty,
they began raiding the Egyptian Delta. A stela from TANIS
stated: “none were able to stand before them.” RAMESSES
III(r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.) defeated the Sherden Pirates and
incorporated them into his military forces. Carrying
round shields and large swords, some of these buccaneers
became Ramesses III’s personal guards. They received
land grants in repayment. Rameses II (r. 1290–1224
B.C.E.) also fought the Sherden Pirates.
See also SEA PEOPLES.
Shere (fl. 25th century B.C.E.) Mortuary complex official
of the Fourth Dynasty
He served as a mortuary priest for the tombs of SENDJI
and PERIBSENof the Second Dynasty (2700–2649 B.C.E.),
whose royal mortuary cults were still active. A slab from
Shere’s tomb was reportedly recovered and taken to Eng-
land in the reign of King Charles II.
Sheshi (1) (Mayebré)(d. c. 1600 B.C.E.) Second ruler
of the Asiatic Fifteenth Dynasty, the Great Hyksos
He ruled from the capital of AVARISin the Delta region, a
contemporary of the Seventeenth Dynasty of Thebes.
His throne name was translated as “Just is the Heart of
RÉ.” Sheshi’s seals were found throughout Lower Egypt
as far south as the third cataract of the Nile in Nubia
(modern Sudan). He was a successor of SALITIS, the
founder of the dynasty, and he was listed in the TURIN
CANON.
Sheshi (2) See ANKH-MA-HOR.Shesmetet She was a lioness goddess dating to the
Early Dynastic Period (2920–2575 B.C.E.), a form of the
deity BASTET. She was popular especially in the reign of
DJOSER(2630–2611 B.C.E.), and her girdle served as a
powerful talisman.Sheshmu An ancient Egyptian deity associated with
the olive and grape presses, he played a singular role in
the inscription of the pyramidal tombs of UNIS (r.
2356–2323 B.C.E.) at SAQQARA. Sheshmu is recorded in
the CANNIBAL HYMNdiscovered in that tomb, as pressing
the gods of Egypt, cooking them along with ancestors of
the pharaoh, and then presenting them to Unis. No
shrine or cultic monuments to Sheshmu have survived.sheta This was the ancient Egyptian word for a mystery
or a hidden secret. All matter was supposed to contain
shetau akhet,truly hidden powers. A shetaiwas a hidden
god, or something completely incomprehensible. The ISIS
cult was particularly shetai,noted for its mysteries. The
hieroglyphs describing such enigmatic spiritual matters
can be translated only by using phonetic values as clari-
fiers.Shipwrecked Sailor See TALE OF THE SHIPWRECKED
SAILOR.shomu (shemu) A season of the Egyptian calendar, it
was celebrated following akhet and proyet each year.
Shomuwas the time of harvests, comprising four months
of 30 days each.Shoshenq I (Hedjkheperre’setepenré)(d. 924 B.C.E.)
Founder of the Libyan Twenty-second Dynasty
He ruled from 945 B.C.E. until his death. Shoshenq I was
the son of the Libyan leader Nimlot, and the nephew
of OSORKOR (r. 984–978 B.C.E.), and was based in
BUBASTIS. Called “the Great Chief of the MESHWESH,” the
Libyans residing in Egypt’s Delta, he served PSUSENNES II
(r. 959–945 B.C.E.) and married the ruler’s daughter,
MA’ATKARÉ(2).
Having served as the commander of Egypt’s military
forces, Shoshenq I united THEBESand TANIS, the capital.
He fought in Canaan and took the city of Jerusalem. At
Ar-Megiddo he erected a stela and renewed ties with
Babylon. In Egypt, he built in KARNAKand reopened the
quarries at GEBEL EL-SILSILEH. The BUBASTITE PORTALat
Karnak records his military exploits. He also erected a
cenotaph for his father at ABYDOS. He is probably the
Shishas of the Old Testament.
Having three sons, IUPUT,NIMLOT, and Djedptahau-
fankh, Shoshenq I used them politically. He made Iuput