UNAS

Unas, also spelled Unis or Wenis, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He ruled in the late third millennium BCE, with dates commonly placed around 2370–2340 BCE, though precise chronology varies among scholars. He is generally regarded as the last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty, with the next pharaoh being Teti of the Sixth Dynasty.

Unas is best known for his pyramid at Saqqara, near Memphis. His mortuary complex is notable for containing the Pyramid Texts, the earliest substantial collection of religious spells and prayers carved into the walls of a royal tomb. The texts were intended to assist the king in the afterlife and reflect an evolving funerary theology and concept of kingship.

Architecturally, the Unas pyramid complex represents a development in late Old Kingdom mortuary construction, including a subterranean burial chamber connected by a network of passages and corridors, and a relatively modest above-ground pyramid compared with some earlier pyramids.

Little is securely known about his family; the names of his wife and children are not firmly attested in contemporary inscriptions. Scholarly views of his reign emphasize its role as a transitional period between the late Fifth Dynasty and the rise of the Sixth Dynasty, continuing royal cults and pyramid-building while signaling changing administrative and religious currents of the era.

The discovery and study of his pyramid texts have significantly shaped understanding of ancient Egyptian religion and funerary practice, making Unas one of the better-documented rulers of the late Old Kingdom.