The Children of Adam and Eve

Shepseskaf was a son of Menkaure who succeeded his father on the throne. He was therefore a grandson of Khafra, but his mother's name is not known. His mother can be either Khamerernebty II or Rekhetre. It's possible that Shepseskaf's wife wasKhentkaus I, but this is far from certain.

Queen Bunefer has been suggested as a possible wife of Shepseskaf based on the titles as a Priestess of Shepseskhaf. She may However have been a daughter who served as a Priestess in the cult for her father instead. Khamaat, the wife of anobleman named Ptahshepses, may be a daughter of Shepseskhaf or Userkaf.

He was likely the last Egyptian Pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty if he was not succeeded by a certain unknown ruler named Djedefptah, as recorded in some Egyptian literature and, indirectly, by the Turin Canon. No ruler named Djedefptah is recordedin contemporary documents such as royal monuments or private tombs in the Old Kingdom cemeteries of Giza and Saqqara, which date to this period. Palace officials who served in the interval between the 4th and 5th dynasties of Egypt such as theLong-lived palace courtier Netry-nesut-pu explicitly lists this sequence of Old Kingdom Kings under whom he served under in his tomb: Radjedef, Khafre, Menkaure, Shepseskaf and the first three 5th dynasty Kings, namely Userkaf, Sahure andNeferirkare.

Shepseskaf broke with the Fourth Dynasty tradition of constructing large pyramid tombs by choosing to construct his tomb as a great mastaba at Saqqara, now known as Mastabat Fara'un. In contrast, his three immediate predecessors built 2 pyramidsof Giza and one in Abu-Rawash, while Sneferu, the founder of the fourth dynasty, alone constructed three pyramids in his reign, most notably, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Shepseskaf may have designed a smaller tomb for himself since hewas faced with the arduous task of completing his father's pyramid at Giza while simultaneously building his own tomb - all this within his short reign.

Bunefer was an Ancient Egyptian queen from the 4th or 5th dynasty and it is not known which king she was married to. Bunefer was buried in tomb G 8408 in the Central Field of the Giza Necropolis.

Bunefer's titles as a Priestess of Shepseskaf have led to the theory that Bunefer may have been a wife or daughter of Shepseskaf. Her tomb is located near the complex of Khentkaus I which further suggests she lived toWards the end of the 4th orbeginning of the 5th dynasty. It has also been suggested she was the wife of enigmatic king Thamphthis.

Janosi has pointed out that the construction of Bunefer's tomb dates to some time after the tomb of Khentkaus was constructed. But the precise date of that monument is similarly not clear. It seems that Bunefer's tomb is More likely to date tothe 5th dynasty However.

Bunefer's rock-cut tomb is located to the north of the funerary complex of Queen Khentkaus I in the central field. The facade of the tomb opens to the south and a large doorway leads to a large chapel. Off to the east another doorway allows oneto enter the tomb. Bunefer's name and titles appear on the walls and the pillars of the room. A son is mentioned in one of the scenes, but he has the simple titles of judge and inspector of the scribes. The burial chamber of Bunefer contained awhile limeStone sarcophagus. Inside the sarcophagus a female skull was found of a woman estimated to be in her mid thirties. It is possible this is Queen Bunefer's skull.