Hi everyone, this is Scott. If you want to learn about the world's oldest

civilizations, find out how they were rediscovered. Follow the story of

Mark Antony and Cleopatra's descendants over 10 generations or take a deep dive into the Iron Age or the Hellenistic era,

then check out the Ancient World Podcast.

Available on all podcasting platforms or go to ancientworld Podcast.com.

That's the Ancient World Podcast. the king of Egypt was a man named Neferkara, Pepi the second.

He is a famous ruler simply because he is one of the longest reigning kings in all of Egyptian history.

Pepi the second reined for approximately 65 years or slightly more.

And some ancient historians, like the Greek Manatho,

gave him a reign of 94 years, with a life lasting 100 years in total.

Modern historians do not accept that long figure as an accurate one, but based on the archaeological material, it does seem like

peppy reined at least 60 years or slightly longer. And his reign is significant

because it probably marks the last flourishing of the Royal

household before it began a slow withering in terms of resources and political

influence. There are many facets to this that I have covered previously in my old

episodes, numbers 20 to 23. But broadly speaking, it does seem like the six-plus decades of Pepi the second's rule,

marked the last flourishing of the Egyptian royal household.

In his reign, the king and his court

were still able to marshal resources for impressive monuments,

like pyramids for the King and his wives. They could also organize expeditions

to distant lands both in Sub-Saharan Africa and the East and North.

The wealth of the King and his government seems to have been relatively stable,

...