Weni
Weni
Flourished Circa 2350-2288 b.c.e.
Bureaucrat
Three Kings. Weni served as a governor of Upper Egypt during Dynasty 6 (circa 2350-2170 b.c.e.). His autobiography traces his government service from his youth under King Teti to his maturity under both King Pepy I and King Merenre. Weni’s career illustrates the life of a bureaucrat in the Old Kingdom (circa 2675-2130 b.c.e.).
Faithful Servant. Weni served the monarchy in civil, religious, and military functions. He began his career as custodian of the storehouse in the reign of Teti. In Pepy I’s reign Weni was promoted to Overseer of the Robing Room, a position which must have brought him into direct contact with the king. This position led to increased rank as a Companion and the prestigious position of Inspector of Priests of the pyramid town. He was also entrusted with investigating a crime committed in the royal harem, but kept so secret that Weni’s autobiography alludes to it in vague terms. Weni was so successful in these offices that Pepy I rewarded him with a limestone sarcophagus, doorposts and lintels for his tomb, and an offering table from Tura, the best quarry in Egypt.
Governorship. Weni’s military career included five campaigns against the Sinai Bedouin and an additional campaign against Gazelle’s-Head, an unidentified country. In the reign of Merenre, Weni was appointed Governor of Upper Egypt. In this position he was responsible for a census, expeditions to quarries, canal construction, and shipbuilding.
Significance. Weni’s varied career demonstrates the ideal for a bureaucrat in ancient Egypt. He was primarily an organizer and expediter whom the king entrusted with a multitude of tasks. His remaining great asset was loyalty to the king.
Sources
Lionel Casson, The Pharaohs (Chicago: Stonehenge, 1981).
Peter A. Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1994).
Jaromir Malek, “The Old Kingdom (c.2686-2125 BC),” in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, edited by Ian Shaw (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 89–117.