The Children of Adam and Eve

Djedkare Isesi was a pharaoh of Egypt in the 5th Dynasty (2498-2345 BC), third of four dynasties in the Old Kingdom Period.

It is not known who Djedkare's Parents were. Djedkare could be Menkauhor's son, or Niuserre's son. He may have been either a son, brother or cousin of his predecessor Menkauhor. Similarly the identity of his mother is unknown.

The name of Djedkare Isesi's principal wife is not known. An important queen consort was very likely the owner of the pyramid complex located to the northeast of Djedkare's pyramid in Saqqara. The queen's pyramid had an associated Temple and ithad its own satellite pyramid. It is possible that this queen was the mother of Unas, but no conclusive evidence exists to support this theory.

Queen Meresankh IV has been suggested as a possible wife of Djedkare, but she is More commonly thought to be a wife of Menkauhor.

Djedkare Isesi did not, as was customary for his dynasty, build his own sun Temple, but did build his pyramid at Saqqara instead of Abusir. This is believed to be a sign that Osiris had now replaced the sun-god Ra as the most popular god. Titleswere now thought to hold magical power; their growing importance believed to be a sign of a gradual decentralization of power.

Inscriptions in the Sinai (in Wadi Maghareh) show a continued presence during the reign of Djedkare Isesi. Expeditions were sent to find and bring back semi-precious Stones such as turqoise.

Djedkare is known to have had expeditions to Byblos and Punt, the expedition to punt being referred to in a letter from Pepi II to Harkuf some 100 years later. Harkuf had reported that he would bring back a dwarf of the god's dancers from theland of the horizon dwellers. Pepi mentions that the god's sealbearer Werdjededkhnum had returned from Punt with a dwarf during the reign of Djedkare Isesi and had been Richly reWarded.

Djedkare moved from Abusir to South Saqqara to construct his pyramid complex. It was constructed with six steps that were then covered with white limeStone. The top three levels of the pyramid are now missing and most of the limeStone casing hasbeen removed.

In the interior of the pyramid three rooms would have contained Djedkare's burial. The burial chamber contained the dark Grey basalt sarcophagus which held the body of the king. The canopic jars were buried in the floor of the burial chamber, tothe north-east of the sarcophagus. An antechamber and a storage chamber completed the set of interior rooms. Djedkare's almost complete mummy, along with a badly broken basalt sarcophagus and a niche for the canopic chest, was discovered in thepyramid.

To the east of the pyramid Djedkare's mortuary Temple was laid out. The east facade of the mortuary Temple featured two massive Stone structures which resemble the later pylons. The motruary Temple is connected via a causeway to a valley Temple.The Pyramid of the Unknown Queen complex lies at the south-east corner of Djedkare's complex.