List of Pyramid of Secrets characters

Nebka on the cover of Pyramid of Secrets

All of the characters that appear in Pyramid of Secrets.

Main characters

Nebka

Main article: Nebka

Nebka (born c. 2529 BC) was the son of Merire. His mother died when he was three and his father when he was six. From then on, he lived with his uncle Minkaf and aunt Ipwet. Nebka had a hard time living and working on their farm as he viewed his uncle and aunt as being too strict. In 2517 BC, Minkaf brought Nebka to Giza to work on the pyramids. There he made his friend, Isesi, whom unfortunately passed away in a building accident. Nebka also became embroiled in a plot to free one of the prisoners, Ankhhaf, whom claimed to be the real king of Egypt. Through the experience, Nebka learned a lot about himself and was finally able to see his uncle in a different light.

Supporting characters

Ankhhaf

Ankhhaf (died 2516 BC) was a prisoner working on the pyramids. He claimed to be the son of the late King Khufu and was the rightful king of Egypt. Furthermore, he said that his brothers stripped him of everything since he wanted to help the common people. In 2517 BC, Ankhhaf repeated his story to Nebka. The men Ankhhaf was chained to backed up his claims, saying that they had been apart of his royal guard. Some days after meeting Nebka, Ankhhaf convinced him to help free himself and his comrades. However, when he killed one of the guards, Nebka realized that he was not a good person after all. His escape was thwarted by Nebka's uncle. Ankhhaf was killed a year later in a quarry accident.

Huni

Huni was the father of Isesi. He was a farmer by trade, but worked on the pyramids once a year when the Nile flooded the fields. In 2517 BC, he returned to work on the pyramids with his son. Huni was chosen to lead his gang, called "Friends of Djoser." His weakness was beer, which was safer to drink than water at the time. However, Huni had a tendency to overindulge in beer and had to carefully watch his intake while working. One day, encouraged by Pepi, he drank too much and stumbled. Isesi pushed his father out of the way of the block of stone. Huni was devastated by the death of his son. Ultimately, he was sent away as he was inconsolable. Pepi replaced him as the gang's leader.

Isesi

Isesi (c. 2531 BC – 2517 BC) was the son of Huni. Like Nebka, he normally worked on his family's farm but was less sheltered than him. At thirteen-years-old, his father brought him to work on the pyramids with him. The following year, Isesi met Nebka on the boat heading to the pyramids and they became friends. He and his father were placed in the same gang as Nebka whose uncle asked Isesi to look after him. Isesi and Nebka disagreed on the pyramids and he did not believe Nebka about Ankhhaf, but the two remained good friends. One day, Isesi's father had too much to drink while working. He pushed his father out of the way of a large block of stone. Isesi was crushed instead and likely died instantly.

Minkaf

Minkaf was the husband of Ipwet and uncle of Nebka. Following the death of his brother Merire, Minkaf took in Nebka to live on his farm. He was often too strict or harsh with Nebka, believing that it would make him stronger. In 2517 BC, Minkaf brought Nebka to work on the pyramids. He was chosen to work on the Sphinx, so Minkaf asked Isesi to look after his nephew. Minkaf later became concerned after hearing that Nebka was seen talking to some prisoners near the Mastaba tombs. He found his nephew there two nights later. Thankfully, Minkaf had brought along his friends and the prisoner escape was stopped. He then covered for Nebka to the chief overseer. From then on, Minkaf and Nebka had a better relationship.

Pepi

Pepi was a man in the same gang, "Friends of Djoser," as Nebka. He generally disliked working and took whatever opportunity he could to rest in the shade. One day, Pepi plied his gang's leader, Huni, with beer. He was hoping to have more time of rest and to slow down their working pace. Unfortunately, his actions resulted in Isesi's untimely death. Pepi was chosen to be gang's new leader and the devastated Huni was sent away. In his new role, he continued trying to do as little work as possible. Pepi also butted heads with Nebka, hitting him on one occasion for going to the Mastaba tombs.

Minor characters

• Banefre and Mekhu, two of the prisoners chained to Ankhhaf. They both went along with Ankhhaf's story in order to escape.
• Djedefre was the King of Egypt whose pyramid was built at Abu Rawash. He was succeeded by his brother Khafre.
• Ini, a neighbor of Minkaf. He agreed to open Minkaf's sluice gates while he was away.
• Ipwet was the wife of Minkaf and aunt of Nebka. Her nephew described her a "hard woman" as she showed little emotion and was just as strict as husband.
• Khafre, the King of Egypt after succeeding his brother Djedefre. He came to visit Giza while his pyramid was being built.
• Khufu, the King of Egypt before Djedefre and Khafre. Ankhhaf claimed to be his son.
• Merire (died c. 2523 BC) was Nebka's father. He was killed while working on the pyramid of Djedefre when Nebka was six. Nebka greatly missed his father, particularly as he saw him as being more kind than his uncle Minkaf.
• Nekure was a member of Nebka's gang. He was brought on after Isesi's death and Huni's departure. Nekure was described as a "tall, wide man, built like a bull."
• Sabni was another member of Nebka's gang brought on after Isesi's death and Huni's leaving. It was his first time working on the pyramids. Sabni quickly became attached to Nebka, whom was the only one being nice to him.

Epilogue characters

• Djedefhor was the son of Khaba and grandson of Nebka. In 2484 BC, he was about to twelve and would soon be ready to go work on the pyramids with his father.
• Khaba was one of Nebka's two sons and the father of Djedefhor.
• Menkaure was the son of Khafre whom succeeded him as king. His pyramid was being worked on by Nebka's descendants.
• Neith was the wife of Nebka. Together they had two sons and a daughter. They lived with their family on the farm that Minkaf and Ipwet had handed down to Nebka.