3433 Usen-en-Ra.—First Pharaoh to adopt a second cartouche with his private name, An. He holds the rule over the peninsula of Sinai.
Monuments.—The pyramid Menasu; a victory tablet at Wady Magharah; two statues, etc.
3366 Tat-ka-Ra (Assa).—He continues to wage war with even greater activity in the peninsula of Sinai.
Monuments.—The oldest papyri of authentic date belong to this reign. They are: “The Papyrus of Accounts” found at Saqqarah and the “Proverbs of Ptah-hotep.”
Ptah-hotep was probably the uncle and tutor of the king, under whose patronage the work was given to the world.
3333 Close of dynasty and first period of Egyptian history with King Unas.
Monument.—Pyramid Nefer-asu, at Saqqarah.
No great monuments in this dynasty. An age of decline. The art of building shows a great falling off from that of the IVth Dynasty. Methods are careless; decoration becomes formal, coarse, and flat.
Monument of Vth Dynasty.—The Palermo stele, containing, among others, names of some of the pre-dynastic kings of Lower Egypt.