Neferirkare Kakai (known in Greek as Nefercherês, Νεφερχέρ&
Neferirkare Kakai (known in Greek as Nefercherês, Νεφερχέρης) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the third king of the Fifth Dynasty, c. mid-25th-century B.C.E. “Neferirkara seems to have been a surprisingly humane individual who cared for those who cared for him. When the priest Rawer accidentally made contact with the royal sceptre, a potentially fatal breach of protocol for those without permission, the king dealt with it kindly. As the priest’s biographical inscription explains, ‘Rawer was following the steps of the king, when the sceptre in the king’s hand struck the priest Rawer’s foot. The king said “You are safe”, and then “it is the king’s wish that he be perfectly safe, since I have not struck at him. For he is more worthy before the king than any man”.’Then when Neferirkara’s prime minister Weshptah suffered a fatal stroke and died, despite all efforts of the royal physicians and priests, ‘the heart of his majesty was exceedingly sad beyond everything… and he returned to his private chambers and prayed to Ra’, ordering that Weshptah’s body was anointed in his presence as part of mummification rites, and placed in a tomb that the king provided.” - The Rule of Ra: c. 2494 - 2375 B.C., The Story of Egypt, Joann Fletcher, 2015. -- source link
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