# Tetiankhkem
Tetiankhkem was a royal prince of ancient Egypt's Sixth Dynasty, a son of the pharaoh Teti and the queen Khuit. His name is preserved by a single monument, a mastaba (flat-roofed rectangular ancient Egyptian tomb with sloping sides) in the necropolis north of Teti's pyramid at Saqqara.[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti) A reference page listing Teti's children also names a crown prince Tetiankhkem who died at about fifteen years old, alongside a separate entry for a prince Tetiankhkem, and it is not settled whether these describe one prince or two.[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/)
| Key facts | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identity | Royal prince of the Sixth Dynasty, son of king Teti and queen Khuit[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti) |
| Monument | A mastaba in the necropolis north of Teti's pyramid at Saqqara[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti) |
| Dynasty | Sixth Dynasty, founded by his father Teti according to the Turin Kings List and Manetho[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) |
| Date of father's reign | Around 12 years, c. 2345-2333 BC, the dating favored by most Egyptologists[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) |
| Sibling on the throne | Pepi I, who succeeded after Userkare[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) |
| Main open question | Whether the crown prince who died at about fifteen is the same individual as the prince of the mastaba[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) |
## The evidence: the mastaba in the Teti cemetery
The only monument that carries Tetiankhkem's name is a mastaba in the necropolis north of Teti's pyramid at Saqqara. A catalog of that necropolis describes its owner as a royal prince, son of Teti and Khuit.[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti)
That part of the necropolis has been excavated in modern times by a joint project of the Australian Centre for Egyptology and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. The expedition began work in 1994 with two seasons, in May-June and November-December, and conducted a third season in November-December 1995.[3](https://archive.org/stream/THETETICEMTRYATSAQQARA1/THE%20TETI%20CEMTRYAT%20SAQQARA_1_djvu.txt)
## Date and chronology
Tetiankhkem is placed early in the Sixth Dynasty because his father Teti was its first king.[4](https://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/2592/full/) The dynasty's king list runs Teti, Userkare, Pepi I, Merenre Nemtyemsaf I, Pepi II, and [Merenre Nemtyemsaf II](https://www.edgepedia.org/merenre-nemtyemsaf-ii), spanning roughly the 24th to 22nd centuries BC.[5](http://www.narmer.pl/dyn/06en.htm)
Two anchors support this framework. The Turin Kings List, a papyrus compiled in the New Kingdom, records Teti as the founder of the Sixth Dynasty, a view supported by the Ptolemaic historian Manetho.[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) Reign lengths are less settled. Manetho assigned Teti 30 or 33 years, while proposals cited in specialist king-list scholarship differ substantially; Vercoutter suggested 44 years, and other scholars including Beckerath, Hornung and Helck gave shorter figures, with the Turin Canon serving as a basis for the dynasty's chronology.[5](http://www.narmer.pl/dyn/06en.htm) Most Egyptologists favor a reign of around 12 years, c. 2345-2333 BC.[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/)
## Place in the royal family
The mastaba's identification gives Tetiankhkem a fixed position in the family: son of the king Teti and the queen Khuit.[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti) Teti's recorded offspring also include Pepi I, who ascended to the throne after Userkare.[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) Tetiankhkem therefore belongs to the generation between the dynasty's founder and the reign of the future Pepi I, both sons of Teti.[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti) • [2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/)
A one-person-or-two problem surrounds this placement. The same reference page that records the crown prince Tetiankhkem who died at about fifteen also lists a separate entry for a prince Tetiankhkem among Teti's children, leaving it unclear whether these are one person or two.[2](https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/) The necropolis catalog treats the owner of the mastaba as a single individual, the son of Teti and Khuit.[1](https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti)
## References
1. Necropolis of Teti, Madain Project. https://www.madainproject.com/necropolis_of_teti
2. Teti, Ancient Egypt Online. https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/teti/
3. The Teti Cemetery at Saqqara I, Australian Centre for Egyptology / Supreme Council of Antiquities joint excavation report. https://archive.org/stream/THETETICEMTRYATSAQQARA1/THE%20TETI%20CEMTRYAT%20SAQQARA_1_djvu.txt
4. Digital Giza: Teti, Harvard Semitic Museum. https://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/2592/full/
5. Ancient Egypt - Dynasty VI, Narmer. http://www.narmer.pl/dyn/06en.htm
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Periods and civilizations › Ancient Near East, Egypt, Nubia, and the Punic world › Ancient Egypt › Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period › Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period: rulers and royal family*
*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 19, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license