Protodynastic Era

1st Dynasty (3100-2890 BCE)

According to Herodotus Upper and Lower Egypt were united by Menes (who may be representing a number of kings involved in the process of unification), the founding king of the first dynasty who, according to Manetho, came from the Thinite province in Upper Egypt. Whether unification was achieved by military or peaceful means is uncertain. According to tradition, Menes founded Memphis on an island in the Nile, conducted raids against the Nubians and extended his power as far as the first cataract. He sent ambassadors to Canaan and Byblos in Phoenicia to establish peaceful commercial trade links. He founded the city of Crocodilopolis and built the first temple to the god Ptah. Legend has it, that he died at the age of sixty three, killed by wild dogs and crocodiles near Fayum. According to Manetho he was killed by a hippopotamus after a 62 year reign. His was buried at Saqqara, the necropolis of Memphis. His wife Neithotep became regent until their child, Djer, was old enough to reign. Djer, married to Herneith, ruled from Memphis during fifty years, building palaces and conducting military expeditions against Asiatics in the Sinai desert. An inscription with his name south of the first cataract points to the extent of the realm. Of Djet (Wadj), who succeeded him little is known. His limestone stela was found near Abydos where he was buried. Queen Merenith ruled Egypt as regent when Den became king as a child. There are, however, many scholars who think that Merenith was a ruler in her own right. Stone vessels and sealings bearing her name were found at Saqqara, as was a stela with her name written in an archaic form with crossed arrows signifying the name of Neith. Merenith has two burial sites, one at Abydos and one at Saqqara (Mastaba 3503). The Saqqara tomb contains some artifacts that show the the name of a high court official called Seshemka. The Abydos burial complex is amongst those of the kings of her dynasty. During Den's fifty year reign he conducted military campaigns in the Sinai desert in order to gain control of the mineral deposits there. He was buried at Saqqara, even though he built his mortuary complex in Abydos. The cult of Apis was introduced during his reign. Anendjib who was legitimized by his marriage to Betrest of the Memphite royal family, ruled for fourteen years from Memphis. His power over the south was challenged by local tribes and the northern nomes were often rebellious. Semerkhet reigned for only nine years, and is thought by some to have been a usurper. According to Manetho disasters occurred during his reign. He may have caused the unrest during Anendjib's reign. He is responsible for erasing Anendjib's name from stone vases. A little black stela bearing his name is the only direct evidence found. Qa'a is mentioned on jar sealings and two damaged stela. One one of these stela he is shown wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt and being embraced by the GodHorus. According to Manetho he reigned for about 26 years. He was buried at Abydos in the tomb designated Tomb Q. A German archaeological expedition in 1993 re-excavated the tomb and discovered that several alterations had been made in the tomb. Until the reign of Den Egypt seems to have enjoyed stability and prosperity. Order broke down during Anendjib's reign, when conflicting factions caused changes that would end this great dynasty. The practice of subsidiary burial where retainers were killed in order to serve the ruler in the afterlife ceased after the reign of Qa'a.

2nd Dynasty (2890-2686 BCE)

According to Manetho, this dynasty consisted of nine kings of Thinis. The royal names Manetho gives bear little resemblance to those found in contemporary inscriptions. These rulers were buried at Saqqara or Abydos. Hotepsekhemwy has been identified only by some sealings discovered at Saqqara near the Pyramid of Unas. He may have been given his name which translates asPleasing in Powers for having ended the political strife that occurred during the 1st Dynasty. His rule spanned 35 years and may have been ended by a military coup organized by his brother. Raneb followed Hotepsekhemwy to the throne of Egypt, and is thought to have ruled for 39 years. Many sealings found at Saqqara and a stela located at Abydos bear his name. Raneb had, according to Manetho, initiated the worship of the sacred goat of Mendes. Nynetjer ruled according to some accounts for 47 years. The Palermo Stone records a number of events that occurred between the 6th and 26th year of his reign. He had many festivals dedicated to various deities of Egypt. among them the Running of the Apis Bull. The wrecking of the city of Shem-Re is connected with his name [1]. Peribsen (Sekhemib) made sweeping political changes. The serekhs bearing the royal names are not surmounted by Horus anymore but by his religious rival, Seth, who became the primary royal patron deity. A stela bearing Peribsen's name found at Abydos illustrates this change in loyalties. He may have been a usurper or a member of a collateral branch of the ruling family. Peribsen was buried at Abydos. When Khasekhemwy ascended the throne he had to put down a Northern rebellion. The rebels reached as far south as Nekheb and Nekhen, the ancient southern capital. His victory is described on two statues. Both portraits show the king with northerners cringing at his feet wearing the White Crown symbolizing the South. It is recorded that there were more than 47,000 casualties.

Old Kingdom
3rd Dynasty (2686-2613 BCE)
According to Manetho this dynasty comprised nine Memphite kings about most of whom very little is known. They were buried at Saqqara. Djoser (Netjerykhet) ruled for almost two decades (2668-2649 BCE) and is credited with building the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. Imhotep was the architect of that great tomb, and of the magnificent royal funerary complex at Saqqara. King Djoser led several campaigns against Asiatic peoples in Canaan and extended his influence over the Sinai desert with its copper mines where some graffiti and his serekh were found at Waddi Maghara.

4th Dynasty (2613-2494 BCE)

Manetho claims that eight kings belonged to this dynasty. They ruled at Memphis and built pyramids at Dahshur (Snefru) and Giza. Snofru, 2575-2551 BCE., was an active military leader. His campaigns against the Nubians are recorded on the Palermo Stone. He conquered the Sinai desert, important for its copper and turquoise mines, initiated a series of construction projects throughout Egypt and began trade with the other Mediterranean nations. To supply Egypt with timber, he sent a fleet of forty ships to Phoenicia. While there, he erected monuments to commemorate the event. He built his mortuary complex at Dahshur, the Bent Pyramid, the Red Pyramid, and the Meidum Pyramid near Crocodilopolis. The bent pyramid is thought to be an architectural link between the Step Pyramid and the true pyramids. Snofru was deified [1] by the kings of the 12th Dynasty. Many of the rulers of that time built their own mortuary complexes beside his.

Khufu (Cheops)(2585-2566 BCE), Khafre (Chefren) and Menkaure (Mycerinos) are best known for the pyramids they built at Giza. Shepseskaf, who followed them (2514-2494 BCE), had to assert his power against various priests and southern tribes. His tomb is at South Saqqara.

5th Dynasty (2494-2345 BCE)

Eight kings made up the fifth dynasty, according to Manetho, though he gives nine names, all of which are also found in the archaeological records. They ruled at Elefantine and built pyramids at Abusir and Saqqara. Userkaf (c.2494-2487 BCE), grandson of Djedefre, founded the fifth dynasty. He built a sun temple at Abusir and erected his pyramid at Saqqara. Sahure (c. 2487-2475 BCE) established the Egyptian navy and sent a fleet to Punt and traded with Canaan. His pyramid has colonnaded courts and reliefs of his naval fleet, but his military career consisted mostly of campaigns against the Libyans in the western desert. Niuserre ruled Ancient Egypt from 2416 till 2392 BC, and is famous for both his solar temple at Abu Gorab and his pyramid at Abusir. The reliefs in the burial chamber of his pyramid describe his military campaigns in the Western Desert and in the Sinai. Unas (Wenis) ruled Egypt from 2356 till 2323 BC. Successful trading expeditions were conducted to neighbouring nations. An inscription at Elephantine shows a giraffe that was brought to Egypt with other exotic animals. Another drawing found on a vase shows battle scenes. There was a major famine during this time. His pyramid was the first one to be decorated with the magical spells which are referred to as Pyramid Texts.

6th Dynasty
The kings list of Manetho states that six kings of Memphis belonged to this dynasty. They were buried in pyramids at Saqqara. Egypt being fairly cut off from the more warlike middle-eastern nations by the Sinai desert, did not have a standing army. Whenever necessary, forces would be called up by local noblemen and sometimes Bedouins and Nubians would serve as well. Teti, the first pharaoh of the 6th dynasty reigned from 2346 to 2313 BCE. He sent his army several times into southern Canaan under Weni, a long lived official who served also under Pepi I and Merenre. After a conspiracy in the royal household, Weni was appointed to try the case. The embattled vizier Fefi (Meref-nebef), whose grave has been discovered not long ago, held power over the finances as head of the administration. Pepi I (2289-2255 B.C.) had to enlist the support of noblemen from Upper Egypt in order to defeat a usurper and Upper Egyptians came to play an important part in his administration: He married two of his vizier's sisters, and Weni, a close advisor, led Nubian troops against the Bedouins in Sinai and southern Canaan. Pepi campaigned in Nubia and established garrisons and trading posts. Trade relations with Byblos were flourishing and Punt in the Horn of Africa was frequently reached. His pyramid was so impressive that its name, Mennefermare, was given to the area. The capital, originally named Hiku-Ptah, was renamed Mennefer, then Menfi. The Greeks later transliterated it as Memphis. Pepi built temples at Tanis, Bubastis, Abydos, Dendera and Coptos. Merenre followed Pepi I, but died at a young age. He was succeeded by Pepi II, his half brother, who was still underage. His mother, Queen Ankhesenpepi II, widow of Pepi I, became regent. She was buried in her own pyramid in the mortuary compound of her husband. According to the kings list Pepi II reigned for 94 years[2], during which time the power of the pharaoh decayed, as too

much wealth was expended on burials and the more talented and vigourous officials left Memphis for the regional capitals. Foreign campaigns into Nubia under Harkhuf and trade expeditions to Punt met with little success.

First Intermediate Period

There was a breakdown of centralized government, with kings belonging to different dynasties having overlapping reigns and vying for supremacy. For some time the kings of Heracleopolis, supported by the nomarchs of Siut, succeeded in preventing a southern coalition led by the nomarchs of Thebes from conquering northern Egypt, but finallyMentuhotep established order from his capital at Thebes. According to Manetho the 7th dynasty counted 70 kings ruling at Memphis for seventy days, but none of these has been identified and the whole dynasty may be a fiction. The 8th dynasty was given 27 kings by Manetho, who ruled at Memphis during 146 years, some of whom feature in king lists. Manetho accords nineteen kings to the 9th dynasty, who resisded at Herakleopolis during 146 years. Doubts have been cast on the accuracy of these numbers, as of those of the 10th dynasty, who, according to Manetho comprised of nineteen kings, ruling from Herakleopolis for 185 years. The Turin Canon assigns a total of eighteen kings to both dynasties, while other king lists do not mention them. The Theban Mentuhotep II of the 11th dynasty made an end to the rule of the Herakleopolites.

11th Dynasty
Manetho accords this Theban dynasty 16 kings and a reign of 43 years. Its members before Mentuhotep II who united the country under his rule, are not considered to have been pharaohs. The later kings were buried at Deir el Bahri. Inyotef I (ca.2133-2123) took Thebes as the capital of Egypt and ruled from 2074 till 2064 BC. He was the son of Mentuhotep I, the "elder". The king took over a divided Egypt and tried to reunite the north and the south. Inyotef II (ca.2123-2074) led an army against his Herakleoplitan allies in Sauty (Assyut). His enemies sacked the city of Tjeni (Thinis) and desecrated its tombs. Inyotef captured the entire tribe but ceased hostilities. He decided to trade with them and maintain the integrity of the Southern Kingdom peacefully. He was followed by Inyotef III who ruled from 2074 until 2066. Mentuhotep I (2066-2040 B.C.) took the city of Herakleopolis which was the capital of the kings of the rival 10th Dynasty. This victory established his rule from Thebes. He fought against the Libyans in the Delta and the nomads in the Sinai. He built his mortuary complex at Deir el Bahri. He is not generally accepted as a pharaoh. Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre (c.2040-2010) conquered the north and rebuilt a centralized monarchy, inaugurating the Middle Kingdom. The intensity and causes of these disruptive events are uncertain. Later Egyptian writers, appalled by the deviation from accepted norms, exaggerated the revolutionary aspects; they also described an imaginary environmental deterioration, actually a poetic cosmological counterpart to social disorder. More significant were external pressure and internal political instability that long endured; even the 11th dynasty may have been ended by a coup, and the victor, Amenemhet I was himself later assassinated. Middle Kingdom 12th Dynasty, c.1991-1786 BCE The 12th dynasty which, according to Manetho had seven kings, was founded by Amenemhet I, Mentuhotep IV's vizier, (1991 BCE), and worked hard to restore royal prestige, seriously damaged by civil war and periodic famine. Its kings, moving their capital to Itjtawy, reduced the power of the provincial rulers and fostered the growth of a loyal central elite, using propagandistic literature to encourage recruitment of able civil servants and their unconditional allegiance, and transform the royal image from that of an insecure war leader to that of a confident, semidivine ruler.

They continued the tradition of pyramid building and were buried in the Fayum region and at Dahshur. The external situation remained dangerous. The northern Nubian and Sinai buffer zones were reoccupied and, for the first time, heavily fortified. Foreign trade expanded and diplomatic contacts were established, but Egyptian activity was more confined than during the Old Kingdom. Social change was considerable. People had become more conscious of their rights, and royal policies had to both satisfy and temper this tendency. Religion was affected: funerary beliefs and rituals once largely restricted to kings, their immediate family and close followers, spread throughout all classes. During the First Intermediate Period Egyptians had been less dependent on the state which had virtually disintegrated, stressing their economic self-sufficiency. Under the 12th dynasty royal policies encouraged the growth of a middle class, whose members were buried in well-furnished tombs and active at cult centers such as Abydos. Osiris, formerly a royal funerary god, became accessible to all. Architectural remains become more varied. At Kahun, a large town was divided up into zones of better and poorer housing, reflecting significant socio-economic stratification; superbly designed fortresses were built in Nubia; and the ground plans of several temples have survived. Some kings built cenotaphs at Abydos, where many private memorial chapels of unique type have also been discovered recently. Funerary remains continue to be the best source of art forms. At Thebes a new type of royal tomb developed, culminating in the unique terraced monument of Nebhepetretopped, not by a pyramid, but by a cubical version of the primeval mound. The pharaohs of the 12th dynasty, anxious to be identified with the autocratic Old Kingdom, revised the classic complex pyramid but included unusual subterranean elements evoking the mythical tomb of Osiris. Royal statues were often idealized, but some depicted a care-worn and more realistic figure. The elite continued to be buried in mastabas and rock-cut tombs, decorated first in awkward but striking styles reflecting the breakdown of the ancient stylistic norms, but later returning to more sophisticated, traditional modes. Amenemhet I, (Ammenemes I) , murdered in 1962 BCE, overthrew the Theban rulers of Egypt to found the 12th Dynasty about 1991 BCE. He campaigned against the Libyans and the nomads in the Sinai. There he erected the Wall of the Prince to guard the eastern borders. He also built a trading post in Nubia at Kerma. He moved his capital from Thebes to central Egypt (on the border of Upper and Lower Egypt) and named it Itj-Tawy, "Seizer of Two Lands." Among his many wives was Nefrutotenen, mother of Senusret I. Amenemhet made Senusret I co-ruler in 1971 BCE. Amenemhet's line, from non-royal origin, began a golden age for Egypt. The 'Testament of Amenemhet', included in the Milligan Papyrus and the Papyrus Sallier II, was written as a commemorative following Amenemhet's death. The 'Testament' defines royal obligations and the needs of the people. It states that there are perils awaiting a king who is not wary of those around him. It also states that loneliness and personal sacrifice make for a good king. The teachings of Amenemhet The inscription of Khnumhotep I Senusret I (Sesostris), (1971-1928 BCE) who had not been appointed successor yet, secured the throne for himself after Amenemhet's assassination, by executing the plotters and publicizing his father's testament, The Teachings of Amenemhet, which became an Egyptian literary classic. He conquered Lower Nubia (Wawat) and controlled it by building a number of fortresses, among them Buhen. The economic importance of the region lay in its mines and quarries - gold in the Wadi Allaqi, amethyst in the Wadi el Hudi and gneiss at Toshka. To the east in the Red Sea region, expeditions were led to Wadi Hammamat, Gawasis and Gasus. Senusret I was succeeded by his son Amenemhet II. Amenemhet II was co-ruler with his father Senusret I for three years. Upon his father's death, Amenemhet II became the third king of the 12th Dynasty. His only campaign was in Nubia. Instead of military expeditions he directed his attention toward internal affairs and the nomarchs. These nomarchs were nobles of Egyptian provinces, or nomes, and served as the kings representatives. Raising their own armies, they defended their own borders. The inscription of Khnumhotep II, description of four generations of Middle Kingdom noblemen. The inscription of Thuthotep, the nomarch of the Hare nome.

Senusret III, 1878-1843 BCE, fixed Egypt's southern border above the second cataract of the Nile. He also waged campaigns aimed at combating the Libyans of the Western Desert and retaining Egyptian influence and trade ties with Syria and Canaan. He supervised the design and construction of numerous public works and curbed the power of the nobility. These efforts led to an ever greater centralisation of the administration and concentration of power in the capital, with an accompanying growth of well-being, and a decline of the provinces. The Semna Stelae of Senusret III Earliest mention of a campaign in Canaan (Stela of Khusobek) Amenemhet III (Nimaatre) (1817-1772 BCE) completed the building of the great waterwheels of the Fayum, thus diverting the flood waters of the Nile into Lake Moeris. The irrigation system and an overflow canal, was used to drain the marshes. An estimated 153,600 acres of fertile land was reclaimed from the water. Amenemhet raised two colossal statues of himself nearby to celebrate this feat. Among his many achievements was the famous Labyrinth, also known as the Pyramid of Hawara, one of the great wonders of the ancient world. The central burial chamber of the pyramid, carved from a single block of granite, is estimated to have weighed 110 tons. His pyramidal tomb was built at Dashur, which he abandoned in favor of the Hawara Pyramid. While most kings were forgotten by the population a short while after their deaths, Amenemhet III was still remembered in the region in Ptolemaic times, and children were named after him.[1] Under Amenemhet copper was mined in the Sinai and local mines, often under dreadful conditions for the miners. According to two missives Amenemhet prevented a migration of starving Nubians into Upper Egypt by providing food aid, sending bread and beer to the drought stricken region.

Second Intermediate Period

13th Dynasty, 1786-1633 BCE
Manetho assigns sixty kings to this dynasty, and a reign of 453 years, numbers which are certainly inaccurate. With the decline of the 13th Dynasty, Egypt lost much of its power and cohesion. The military leaders and soldiers stationed in Nubia became more and more independent. Some of them may even have permanently settled in Nubia. The fortresses built along the Eastern border were either abandoned, or control over who passed the borders was not as strict as it used to be. Canaanite nomads entered the country freely. Most of these Canaanites settled and became traders, farmers or craftsmen, but at least one of them, Khendjer, became a king. By the end of the 13th Dynasty, the Eastern Delta was populated mostly by Asiatics.

14th Dynasty, c. 1786-1603 BCE

According to Manetho the 14th dynasty was from Xois and comprised seventy-six kings who ruled for 184 years. The dynasty is very obscure.

15th and 16th Dynasties: the Hyksos, c. 1684-1567 BC

Weakened by internal problems, Lower Egypt was taken over seemingly with little fighting by the invading or perhaps just immigrant Hyksos, who set up two contemporaneous dynasties. The 15th dynasty (1674-1567) of the great Hyksos kings, which according to Manetho consisted of six kings, dominated the, according to Manetho, 32 Hyksos vassal chiefs of the 16th dynasty (1684-1567). Alternatively this was a dynasty of five kings ruling at Thebes. Greek writers, beginning with Manetho, called them "Hyksos," which was mistranslated as "shepherd kings." Egyptians seem to have called these kings heqa-khasut, rulers of foreign lands, but they generally referred to invading foreigners as amu, asiatics orshamu, sand-dwellers. The Hyksos were a Semitic (Canaanite or Amorite) people and may have come from southern Canaan or Syria. Evidence seems to point to their having had a nomadic life style. The dating and naming of the Hyksos kings is still quite uncertain. The foundation of their capital Avaris, which

used to be referred to as Tanis, and the beginning of their domination of the Delta took place in about 1720, according to the 400 year stela of Ramses II found there, which describes the arrival of his father Seti, then Vizier of Horemheb at Tanis to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the adoration of Seth at Tanis. The Bible mentions the foundation of Tanis Their rule over Lower Egypt lasted from the conquest of Memphis by Salitis (Sheshi) in 1674, till their expulsion in 1567 BCE and was mainly a time of peace and prosperity. Major Hyksos cities or camps were at Tell el-Yahudiyeh, Heliopolis, Tell el-Maskhuta and Tell ed-Dab'a (Avaris). Egyptian religion was respected; Egyptian was the language of government; and many Egyptians served in the administration. Their most important contributions to Egyptian culture were perhaps the introduction of Canaanite deities such as the Storm God whom they identified with Seth, and Asian artifacts, which were instrumental in abrogating the despotism and isolationism of the Old and Middle kingdoms. Foreign culture became established at a few eastern Delta sites, and the Egyptians acquired new military techniques, such as the use of the horse-drawn chariot and the composite bow during this period. Their conquests were strengthened by a type of rectangular fortification of beaten earth used as a fortress; archaeologists have uncovered examples of these mounds in Canaan at Jericho, Sihem, and Lahish. The Hyksos seem to have behaved in accordance with Egyptian manners, laws, and theories of monarchy since the times of Khyan (Iannas, last third of the 17th century). It was also during his reign that Hyksos influence, political and economical, over Egypt and Canaan became more marked. They maintained tribute or trade relations with the Minoans and Babylonians and Egyptian artifacts bearing Khyan's name were found as far as Babylon, Knossos and Hatti. As so often happened in the ancient world, the foreign conquerors gradually adopted the ways of the conquered. But the Hyksos dream of being integrated into Egyptian society died within a century. The ruling family of Upper Egypt which originated from Thebes, waged war against the Hyksos kings. Apepi I (Auserre, c.1600 to 1560) tried unsuccessfully to counter the threat posed by Tao II (Sekenenre) and Kamose (Wadjkheperre) by entering into an alliance with the Kushites who had conquered Nubia. He killed Tao II in battle (though some think that Tao was assassinated), but had to retreat northward before Kamose to the vicinity of Avaris in the delta. In the end the Thebans forced Khamudi (Apepi II), the last king of the 15th (Hyksos) Dynasty to negotiate the withdrawal of the Hyksos army from Avaris and most of the Delta. The southern Pharaohs did not keep the agreement and Amosis (Ahmose I), the great general, drove the Hyksos out of Egypt by 1550 BCE after a decisive victory at Tanis.

17th Dynasty, c.1650-1567 BCE

The surviving records of Manetho concerning this dynasty are confusing. It sometimes seems to be identified with the 15th dynasty, alternatively 43 kings are given ruling at Thebes. Among them were Tao I Seakhtenre, Tao II Sekenenre, and Kamose who conducted the military campaign against the Hyksos. After their expulsion the Theban kings of the 18th Dynasty kept on raiding the Hyksos cities of the Middle East for many years to come. The role played by the queens of this epoch was at times crucial to the success of the Thebans and attested to in the tombs of the 18th dynasty. They didn't just provide legal continuity, but often led their armies after the demise of their husbands. The tomb of Queen Ahhotep, wife of Kamose, contained much weaponry and three golden flies, the Egyptian award for bravery.

New Kingdom
18th Dynasty

Most pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty acceded while still very young and no reference is made to brothers of the king although in a number of cases certainly more princes were alive at the time of death of their father. These young rulers did not possess much power over the military, the officialdom and the priesthood of Amen. The queen's palace also played an important role. All these parties tried to manipulate the king, who often only served to legitimise the government controlled by one faction or another. Ahmose I (r. c.1570-1546 BCE), was the founder of the 18th dynasty, one of the most outstanding kings in the history of ancient Egypt. His principal achievement was to weaken the Hyksos, who had dominated Lower Egypt for some 300 years, by taking Avaris, their citadel in the north. He pursued them into southern Canaan and laid siege to Sharuhen for three years. On his campaign in Upper Egypt against rebels great slaughter was recorded in all the battles. Ahmose continued Kamose's expansion into Nubia as far as Buhen (near the second cataract) in an attempt to prevent a recurrence of the incursions of the Kushites, which Upper Egypt had suffered from during the 17th Dynasty. The overseer over these conquered lands became one of the most important people in Egypt and was later given the title of "Son of the King". Amenhotep I (Amenophis) was the son of Ahmose I, and ruled from c. 1546 to 1526. He undertook military campaigns in Libya and in Nubia (up to the 3rd cataract) using boats on the Nile to transport his army, and extended the boundaries of his empire by establishing a vice-royalty in Nubia. Thutmose I, (r. c. 1525-1512), husband of the princess Ahmose, continued the expansive policy of his predecessors, appointed Turi vice-roy of Nubia and extended the empire southward deeper into Nubia. At the third cataract he erected a stela on an island proclaiming: His sword touches both ends of the earth. Later, while pursuing the retreating Hyksos during his Asian campaigns, he reached the Euphrates and crossed over into Nahrin, the land of the Two Rivers, which belonged to the Mitanni. In his third year he re-excavated the canals bypassing the first cataract, put down a rebellion and returned with his fleet, with He added walls and obelisks to the temple of Amen at Thebes and the axial temple he created was often copied. He was the first king to be buried in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Thutmose II (r. c.1512-c.1504 BCE) married his half sister Hatshepsut and succeeded his father, Thutmose I. During his reign Thutmose put down Kushite rebellions in Nubia and revolts by bedouins in Canaan and continued temple construction, albeit on a small scale only, at Karnak. Hatshepsut (Hatshepsowe), (died c.1482 BCE) was one of the few women to rule Egypt as a pharaoh. After the death (c.1504) of her husband, Thutmose II, she assumed power, first as regent for his son Thutmose III, and then (c.1503) as pharaoh. She encouraged commercial expansion, sent a trading expedition to Punt and sponsored a major building program overseen by Senenmut; the monuments of her reign include the temple at Deir el-Bahri. Toward the end of her reign she lost influence to Thutmose III who came to be depicted as her equal. Thutmose III (c.1504-1450 BCE) was very young when his father, Thutmose II, died and was until 1482 the co-regent of his aunt, Hatshepsut. Some time after he became sole monarch,he tried, for unknown reasons, to erase the memory of Hatshepsut by destroying many of the monuments which bore her name or effigy. From 1482 onwards, he devoted himself to the expansion of the Egyptian empire, leading many campaigns into Canaan, Phoenicia and Syria. At Megiddo (c.1480) he destroyed a Syrian-Canaanite coalition employing mercenary armies and chariots. On the east bank of the river Euphrates in Nahrin, he defeated the forces of the kingdom of Mitanni, which had been extending its power in the Middle East. Thutmose expanded his navy and used it to transport his armies swiftly to the Phoenician coast, while in Setet

(Nubia) and Kush he extended his rule beyond the fourth cataract. He set up an efficient administration, both civil and military, and extorted large amounts of tribute from the defeated kings and chiefs. Much of this tribute Thutmose used to build temples at Karnak (the Festival Hall of the temple of Amen), Heliopolis and Abydos. Amenhotep II, the 7th king of the 18th dynasty, son of Thutmose III, ruled Egypt from c.1450 to 1425 BCE. He continued the military exploits of his father, particularly in Syria, where he crushed an uprising and demanded oaths of loyalty from local rulers. His mummy was discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Thutmose IV campaigned in Nubia and Retenu. He concluded a treaty with the Babylonians and entered into an alliance with the Mitanni by marrying Artatama's daughter. Amenhotep III ruled (c.1417-1379 BCE) Egypt at the height of its power. His extensive diplomatic contacts with other Near Eastern states, especially Mitanni and Babylonia, are revealed in the Amarna tablets. Of the great temple he built near Thebes, only two statues, the so-called colossi of Memnon, remain. Amenhotep's wife Tiye, a woman of non-royal birth, was prominently associated with him during his long and peaceful reign. Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) (c. 1379-1361), was invested as king not in the Amen temple at Karnak as custom dictated, but at Hermonthis, where his uncle Inen was High Priest of Re and immediately began building a roofless temple to the Aten, the disk of the rising sun. He soon forbade the worship of other gods, especially of the state god Amen of Thebes. In the 6th year he changed his name from Amenhotep ("Amen is satisfied") to Akhenaten ("beneficial to Aten") and left Thebes for a new capital at Akhetaten (El Amarna). Living there with his queen Nefertiti, six daughters, and possibly several sons, he fostered new styles in art and literature. The confiscation of the wealth of the Amen temples wreaked havoc upon its priesthood. Akhenaten used these riches to strengthen the royal control over the army and his officialdom. His concentration on internal affairs brought about the loss of some of the Egyptian possessions in Canaan and Retenu (Syria) and of the Egyptian naval dominance, when Aziru defected to the Hittites with his fleet. His religious reforms did not survive his reign and monotheism [2] in its pure form was forgotten in Egypt, even though it found a new expression in the trinity of Re, Ptah and Amen. The Aten temples were demolished, and Akhenaten came to be called "the Enemy" or the "criminal of Akhetaten." The subsequent events are unclear, but it is possible that on the death of Akhenaten, Meritaten, who had become his wife as well as co-regent, married Smenkhkare. (Some think that Meritaten may have been Smenkhkare) An attempt by Kiya to usurp the throne was suppressed and the remains of Akhenaten and Tiye were transferred to another site in the Valley of the Kings; Akhenaten was buried in Kiya's coffin. In Tutankhamen's reign, both mummies were moved to the tomb of Amenhotep III. Tutankhamen (c. 1361-1352 BCE), the son in law of Akhenaten, succeeded his brother Smenkhkare when he was only nine years old. His vizier Ay restored the traditional polytheistic religion, abandoning the monotheistic cult of Aten of Akhenaten, its religious centre at el Amarna and returning to the capital Thebes. By reviving the cult of the state god Amen he strengthened the position of Amen's priesthood. The pharaoh changed his name Tutankhaten, (living image of Aten), to Tutankhamen, (living image of Amen). During his reign, the general Horemheb sought to 'pacify' Canaan and fought against the Hittites in northern Syria allied to the Assyrians. Tutankhamen died at the age of 18, some claim that he was murdered, but there is no real evidence to support this. As there were apparently no legal heirs, a plea by the King's Wife for a suitable prince consort seems to have reached the Hittite king Suppiliuma. Tutankhamen was succeeded by Ay (c. 1352-1348), who married his widow, Ankhesenamen, and furnished the former king's tomb [1]. Ay acceded to the throne despite Horemheb's claim to be the designated successor. His

accession to the throne may have been an attempt on the part of the Egyptians to appease the Hittites, by whom they had just been defeated. Horemheb (c.1321-1293) who followed Ay, pursued a more hawkish policy vis--vis the Hittites, rebuilding his army devastated by the pestilence, which had affected much of the Near East killing the Hittite king Suppiluliuma who was followed by Mursili.

19th Dynasty
Ramses I, founder of the 19th dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs, reigned for little more than a year, between 1293 and 1291 BC. Apparently chosen for succession by the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, Horemheb, in whose army he had been a commander, Ramses planned and started to build the colonnaded hall in the temple at Karnak. Seti I succeeded his father, Ramses I and ruled from about 1291 till 1278 BCE. He reoccupied the forts in Sinai which had been taken over by the Shasu and conducted several campaigns in Syria and Canaan fighting local kings, the Hittites and nomadic tribes like the Hebrews. He is remembered for his work on the temples at Karnak and for his magnificent tomb at Thebes. He was succeeded by Ramses II. Ramses II (c. 1278-1237 BCE) is remembered for his military campaigns and his extensive building program [3], the remains of which are still conspicuous. Ramses, like his father Seti I, pursued a vigorous foreign policy by attacking the Hittites, the chief opponents of the Egyptian empire in the East. His first campaigns against them in the fifth year of his reign ended in an Egyptian retreat after a violent battle at Kadesh in Syria, during which Ramses himself narrowly escaped capture mainly thanks to the intervention of a troop contingent arriving from Amurru. The consequent loss of prestige sparked revolts within the empire, and Ramses could not resume direct hostilities against the Hittites until the tenth year of his reign; the conflicts were finally concluded by a peace treaty in his 21st year. He also fought in Trans-Jordan and Nubia and secured the western coast road of Egypt against Libyan invaders by building fortresses along the Mediterranean coast as far as 300 km west of the Delta. Ramses was responsible for building many large temples, most notably that at Abu Simbel in Nubia. He also founded a new royal capital at Per-Ramesse ("the house of Ramses") in the eastern Nile delta. During his long reign, Ramses had more than 100 children, and by his death he had outlived his 11 eldest sons. Ramses was succeeded by his 12th, surviving son, Merneptah (c.1212-1202 BCE). Under Merneptah an army of the Sea Peoples attacked Egypt which consisted for the most part of the Akhaivasa (perhaps Achaeans), and has been chronologically related to the migratory wave that put an end to Troy VII a. The time following his reign was chaotic, Seti II who was probably a legitimate heir, reigned for some six years, while coming from Nubia, a usurper, Amenmes controlled Upper Egypt and was followed by Ramses Siptah (later called Merneptah Siptah). Queen Twosret, widow of Seti II, tried to expunge the memory of her predecessor. According to the Harris Papyrus Yarsu, perhaps identical with the Syrian chancellor of Siptah, usurped the throne during this period.

20th Dynasty
Succeeding his father Sethnakhte who reigned for three years, Ramses III (c.1182-1151 BCE) saved Egypt from foreign invasion but failed to solve internal problems (political conspiracies and weakened social structures) that led to the disintegration of the Egyptian state 80 years after his death. Ramses fought off Libyan invasions in his fifth and

eleventh year. He also claimed to have held back a horde of invading Sea Peoples who were sweeping down the eastern Mediterranean coast towards Egypt. Despite these external successes, royal power declined and Egypt lost its Asiatic colonies which were conquered by the Sea Peoples, even if in the Medinet Habu texts describing the battle of Ramses III the Egyptians claim that they settled them as vassals in Southern Canaan. During the reigns of Ramses III or IV most centres of Egyptian power in Canaan were destroyed and Ramses VI withdrew from Serabit el Khadim, the copper mines of Timna and possibly Megiddo. During this time the temples became richer at the expense of the pharaohs; Ramses III for instance attempted building only one major structure. Government was corrupt and inefficient, and Ramses himself was the target of an assassination plot before being succeeded by his son Ramses IV in 1151 BCE. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings. Until the end of the 20th dynasty the empire shrank and ambitious royal building programs failed. Government was impeded by the independence of officialdom, as offices became hereditary, and corruption and inefficiency increased. Its influence in the Middle East declined. The New Kingdom ended in turmoil under Ramses XI. Third Intermediate Period 21st Dynasty , c.1070-945 BCE Funeral mask of Psusennes (21st dynasty) Source: Akhet website Some time after 1080 BCE - the Tanite Nesbanebded (c.1070 - 1043) still had some control over Upper Egypt - Egypt split between a northern 21st dynasty claiming national recognition reigning from Tanis, and a line of Theban generals and high priests of Amen, who actually controlled the south from Thebes. Relations between the two authorities were peaceful. The Tanites were driven from power by Libyan warriors who established their own Twenty-Second Dynasty. There was a tradition of representing the high priest as the king's representative: Herihor did not claim royal dignity. During this period they called Renaissance (whm msw.t) Herihor and his successors Pinedjem, Masaharta, and Menkheperre, with the exception of Piankh, all used the title of High Priest of Amen as their principal title. The titles gradually diminished in number, reflecting not so much a reduction in power but an emphasis on their role as the highest authority in the Thebaid and Upper Egypt. The title of High Priest of Amen gave the bearers control over the domains of Amen and at the same time emphasized the fact that they derived their power from Amen. In the peculiar combinations of royal titles and that of High Priest, it becomes clear that the rulers of Tanis and Thebes only represented an ideal kingship. 22nd Dynasty , c.945-730 BCE The 22d dynasty (945-730 BCE) was founded by Sheshonq I, probably descended from long-settled Libyan mercenaries, the Meshwesh. He supported Jeroboam against King Solomon's son, Rehoboam and campaigned later in Palestine (ca.930) laying tribute upon the king of Judah. He instituted a decentralized system, with kings based in the north and their sons ruling key centers elsewhere. Rivalries and sporadic civil wars followed, and by the 8th century BCE Egypt had been divided into eleven autonomous states, whose inhabitants depended on congested, walled towns for security. Their increased anxiety found expression in their worship of local rather than national gods. 23rd Dynasty , c.818-715 BCE

The 23rd dynasty was of Libyan origin possibly residing at Tanis, with, according to the various sources based on Manetho, either three kings reigning for 44 years or four kings in power for 89 years. Their sphere of influence was local. There are archaeological remains which can be assigned to the first king, Pedubast I and his successorOsorkon III. Their authority was recognized by the rulers of Thebes. 24th Dynasty , c.727-715 BCE Another somewhat obscure dynasty, which according to Manetho consisted of Bakenenref who ruled at Sais for 44 or more probably six years. Tefnakhte, his predecessor, is sometimes included as well. 25th Dynasty , 747-656 BCE

Upper Egypt held out long against Ethiopian invaders until being overrun by the armies of Piye (Piankhi), son of Kashta, all the way to Memphis. During this period there was an artistic and cultural revival, such as the restoration of the supremacy of the god Amen. Piye moved north against the coalition of four Egyptian Kings in year 21 of his Nubian reign. Shabaka succeeded his brother Piye in about 716 BCE, moved his capital from Napata to Thebes and reunited Upper and Lower Egypt, by defeating King Bochchoris (Wahkare Bakenrenef) of Sais and removing all the other kings. He completely subdued the foreign invaders who had settled in the Delta. His was the Golden Age of the Nubian domination of Egypt. He fought against the Assyrian Empire in Palestine and Syria and was followed by Shebitku and then by Taharka who recognized in 665 BCE his cousin Tanutamun, as his heir and co-regent. In 674, the first Assyrian attack under Asarhaddon on Egypt foundered at a border fortification, probably Migdol, on the eastern rim of the Delta. On his second campaign (671), Asarhaddon skirted the fortress, and conquered Memphis in just a few days, expelled King Taharka and occupied Lower Egypt. The third campaign was prematurely ended by Asarhaddon's death in 669, and Taharka used the momentary Assyrian weakness to try and reconquer Lower Egypt. He occupied his former capital Memphis, but was defeated by an army hastily sent by Ashurbanipal and retreated to Thebes. Reinforced by Levantine nobles, an unsuccessful attempt was made to conquer Upper Egypt. On their return a conspiracy against the Assyrian occupiers was uncovered; two of the involved noblemen, Necho and Sharruludari were captured and exiled to Nineveh. Necho received a pardon and was reinstalled at Sais, probably because the Assyrians depended on his support. His son, the later Psammetic I, was given an official position at the same time, stressing the importance the Assyrians attributed to Necho's family. After Taharka's death in 664, Tanutamun, Taharka's nephew, became ruler of Kush. With his accession he attempted to reconquer Lower Egypt and attacked Memphis, but he did not receive the hoped-for support of the noblemen of the Delta. Ashurbanibal's troops counterattacked, expelled the Kushites from Thebes and plundered the city and the great Amen temple at Karnak, thus ending the 25th Dynasty.

Late Period
26th Dynasty , 664-525 BCE
Egypt regained its independence in 656 BCE under Psammetic I (656-609 BCE) of Libyan origin, founder of the 26th dynasty. Under him the country experienced another golden age. Towards the end of his reign he aided the crumbling Assyrian empire in a vain attempt to contain the rising Babylonians.

Necho II (609-594 BCE) began and later abandoned the re-excavation of the canal connecting the Nile to the Red Sea, rebuilt the fleet, conquered Syria , continued his predecessor's policy of supporting Assyria with an unsuccessful siege of Haran during his first campaign in 609, but was defeated by the king of Babylon, Nebukadrezzar II , (605 BCE, at Karkamesh on the Euphrates), lost Syria and was pursued by the Babylonians to the traditional Egyptian border in Sinai. Wahibre (Apries) supported unsuccessful Syrian revolts against the Babylonians. In North Africa, Adicran, a Libyan chieftain in Cyrene, turned to Egypt for protection against the Greek colonists. An Egyptian expeditionary army was crushed and in the ensuing revolt Wahibre was toppled in 569. The last great African Pharaoh, Ahmose II (Amasis, 569-526), was of Libyan ancestry. He came to power with the help of mercenary soldiers, overthrowing King Apries who had been blamed for a military catastrophe in Libya. Under him Egypt enjoyed its last brilliant period. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Ahmose II's reign was prosperous and mainly peaceful: he left many architectural monuments, developed relations with Greece, and married the Greek Ladice of Cyrene. The Babylonians tried twice to invade Egypt and were repulsed. After a first failed attempt in 601, Nebukadrezzar attacked the Delta in 568 and Ahmose hired Ionian mercenaries who thanks to Marduk were put to flight; but the defense of Egypt was successful. In an attempt to counterbalance the rising Persian empire Ahmose conquered Cyprus in 560 which Egypt held until its conquest by the Persians in 525. Many of the best soldiers of Egypt's army deserted to the Ethiopian king at Meroe, and Ahmose was forced to use Libyan and Greek mercenaries against foreign invaders. In spite of being a Philhellene, he restricted the activities of the Greeks to the great city of Naukratis in the Delta southwest of Sais, thus achieving a political equilibrium between Greeks and Egyptians. A few months after his death, however, his son Psammetic III was deposed when the Persians under King Cambyses II conquered Egypt.

27th Dynasty: The Persians , 525-404 BCE

Libya and the Greeks of Cyrene surrendered to Cambyses, but his attempts to enlarge his African possessions were largely unsuccessful. The conquest of the Greek colony at the Siwa oasis failed, when his army died on the march through the desert and his Nubian campaign led only to the establishment of a Persian garrison at Elephantine. His successor, Darius I, re-excavated the canal connecting the Nile, and thus the Mediterranean, with the Red Sea, promoting trade. The Persians ruled Egypt as a satrapy from 525 to 404 BCE, and again from 341 to 333 BCE (31st Dynasty). Much of their reign over Egypt was uneventful, but there were occasionally revolts, such as the rebellion of 486 following a rise in the level of taxation, which was put down by Xerxes.

28th Dynasty, 404-399 BCE

Amyrtaeus of Sais led a revolt against the Persians in 404. Amyrtaeus ruled in the midst of unrest and conspiracy for five years. In 400 he united the country by conquering Upper Egypt.

29th Dynasty, 399-380 BCE

According to Manetho this Mendesian line consisted of four kings, among them Nefaarud and Hakor who are also known from contemporary records. The weakness of the Persian empire prevented it from taking advantage of the

unstable political situation in Egypt. Hakor (Achoris, 393-380) employed native Greek mercenaries and rebuilt the Egyptian navy. He formed alliances with other kings threatened by the Persians and repelled a Persian invasion.

30th Dynasty, 380-343 BCE

This line from Sebennytos consisted, according to Manetho, of three kings and ruled for either twenty or thirtyeight years. The founder of the dynasty, the generalNakhtnebef (Nectanebo I, 380-362) ousted the legal heir Nepherites II and withstood a Persian attack on the Delta, suffering heavy casualties. His son Djedhor (Tachos or Teos, 365-360), allied to Chabros and the Spartan Agesilaus, invaded Palestine. But in order to pay his mercenaries he had raised taxes. His cousin Nakhthorheb(Nectanebo II) took advantage of the Egyptian resentment of the taxes and the confiscation of temple property and replaced Djedhor with the support of the priesthood.

31st Dynasty: The second Persian conquest, 343-332 BCE

Another Persian attack was repulsed in 350, but in 343 Artaxerxes III led his army against Pelusium and defeated the Egyptian forces. After the conquest of Egypt Nakhthorheb fled to Nubia. Artaxerxes plundered the country and destroyed fortifications and city walls. The Nubian Khabbash gained control over Egypt after the murder of Artaxerxes (338), but Darius III retook the country in 335.

Predynastic Period Early Dynastic Period 'Scorpion' Narmer 1st Dynasty Menes (Hor-Aha) Djer Wadj (Djet) Den Anendjib Semerkhet Qa'a 2nd Dynasty Hotepsekhemwy Raneb Nynetjer Seth-Peribsen Khasekhemwy Old Kingdom 3rd Dynasty Sanakhte (Nebka) (c.2688-2668) Djoser (Netjerikhet) (c.2668-2649) Sekhemkhet (Djoser Teti) (c.2649-2641) Khaba (c.2641-2637) Huni (c.2637-2613) 4th Dynasty Snofru (c.2613-2589) Khufu (Cheops) (c.2585-2566) Djedefre (c.2566-2558) Khafre (Rekhaf) (c.2558-2532) Menkaure (Mykerinos) (c.2532-2514) Shepseskaf (c.2514-2494) 5th Dynasty Userkaf (c.2494-2487) Sahure (c.2487-2475) Neferirkare Userkhau (c.2475-2455)

c.3500-3100 BCE c.3100-2686 BCE

c.3100-2890 BCE

c.2890-2686 BCE

c.2686-2181 BCE c.2686-2613 BCE

c.2613-2494 BCE

c.2494-2345 BCE

Shepseskare (c.2455-2448) Raneferef (c.2448-2445) Niuserre (c.2445-2421) Menkauhor (c.2421-2413) Djedkare (c.2413-2381) Unas (Wenis) (c.2381-2345) 6th Dynasty Teti (c.2345-2313) Pepi I Meryre (c.2313-2279) Merenre (c.2279-2270) Pepi II Neferkare (c.2279-2181) First Intermediate Period 7/8th Dynasty Wadjkare Qakare Iby 9/10th Dynasty Meryibre Kheti (Akhtoy) I Merykare Kanrferre Nebkaure Kheti (Akhtoy) II Wahkare Kheti (Akhtoy) III Merikare 11th Dynasty Intef I (Inyotef I) Sehertawy (c.2133-2123) Intef II (Inyotef II) Wahankh (c.2123-2074) Intef III (Inyotef III) Nakhtnebtepnefer (c.2074-2066) Mentuhotep I ? (c.2066-2040) Middle Kingdom 11th Dynasty Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre (c.2040-2010) Mentuhotep III Sankhkare (c.2010-1998) Mentuhotep IV Nebtawyre (c.1998-1991) 12th Dynasty Amenemhet I Sehetepibre (c.1991-1962) Senusret I Kheperkare(c.1962-1917) c.1991-1786 BCE c.2040-1786 BCE c.2133-1991 BCE c.2160-2040 BCE c.2181-2040 BCE c.2181-2173 BCE c.2345-2181 BCE

Amenemhet II Nubkaure (c.1917-1882) Senusret II Khakhperre (c.1882-1878) Senusret III Khakaure (c.1878-1841) Amenemhet III Nimaatre (c.1841-1796) Amenemhet IV Maakherure (c.1796-1790) Queen Sobeknerfu Neferusobek (c.1790-1786) Second Intermediate Period 13th Dynasty (about 70 kings) Wegaf Khawitawire (c.1783 - 1779) Amenemhet V Sekhemkare Harnedjheriotef Hetepibre Sobekhotep I Khaankhre (ca.1750) Hor Amenemhet VII Sedjefakare Sobekhotep II Sekhemre-Khutawy (ca.1745) Khendjer Sobekhotep III Neferhotep I Khasekhemre (c.1723-1713) Sobekhotep IV Merihotepre Khaneferre (c.1713) Iaib (c.1713-1703) Ay Merneferre (c.1703-1680) Neferhotep II and eight more kings 14th Dynasty Nehesy 15th Dynasty Hyksos kings Semqen ? Aper-Anati ? Sakir-Har Khyan (Apachnan) Apepi I (Apophis) Apepi II (Khamudi?) (c.1542-1532) 16th Dynasty Hyksos kings ? ? 17th Dynasty Sobekemsaf I Sekhemre Wadjkhau Sobekemsaf II c.1650-1567 c.1684-1567 BCE c.1674-1567 BCE c.1786-1603 BCE c.1786-1567 BCE c.1786-1633 BCE

Intef VII Tao I Seakhtenre Tao II Sekenenre Kamose Wadjkheperre New Kingdom 18th Dynasty c.1570-1070 BCE c.1570-1293 BCE

Ahmose I Nebpehtyre (c.1570-1546) Amenhotep I Djeserkare (c.1546-1527) Thutmose I Akheperkare (c.1527-1515) Thutmose II Akheperenre (c.1515-1498) Queen Hatshepsut Maatkare (c.1498-1483) Thutmose III Menkhepere (c.1504-1450) Amenhotep II Akheperure (c.1450-1412) Thutmose IV Men-khepru-Re (1412-1402) Amenhotep III Nebmaatre (c.1402-1364) Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten Neferkheperure (c.1350-1334) Smenkhkare Ankhheperure (c.1334) Tutankhamen Nebkheperoure (c.1334-1325) Ay Kheperkheperure (c.1325-1321) Horemheb Djeserkheperure (c.1321-1293) 19th Dynasty Ramses I Menpehtyre (c.1293-1291) Seti I Merienptah Menmaatre (c.1291-1278) Ramses II Meriamen Usermaatre Setepenre (c.1279-1212) Merneptah Hetephermaat Baenre Meriamen (c.1212-1202) Amenmes Heqawaset Menmire Setepenre (c.1202-1199) Seti II Merenptah Userkheperure Setepenre (c.1199-1193) Merneptah Siptah Sekhaenre/Akhenre (c.1193-1187) Queen Twosret Setepenmut Sitre Meriamen (c.1187-1185) 20th Dynasty Sethnakhte Userkhaure Setepenre (c.1185-1182) Ramses III Usermaatre Meriamen (c.1182-1151) Ramses IV Usermaatre/Heqamaatre-Setepenamen (c.1151-1145) Ramses V Usermaatre Sekheperenre (c.1145-1141) Ramses VI Nebmaatre Meriamen (c.1141-1133) Ramses VII Usermaatre Setepenre Meriamen (c.1133-1128) Ramses VIII Usermaatre Akhenamen (c.1128-1126) Ramses IX Neferkare Setepenre (c.1126-1108) Ramses X Khepermaatre Setepenptah (c.1108-1098) Ramses XI Menmaatre Setepenptah (c.1098-1070) c.1185-1070 BCE c.1293-1185 BCE

Third Intermediate Period High Priests (Thebes) Contemporaries of the 21st dynasty at Tanis Herihor Siamun Hemnetjertepyenamun (c.1080-1074) Piankh (c.1074-1070) Pinedjem I Meriamen Khakheperre Setepenamun (c.1070-1032) Masaherta (c.1054-1046) Djedkhonsefankh (c.1046-1045) Menkheperre (c.1045-992) Smendes II (c.992-990) Pinedjem II (c.990-969) Psusennes (c.969-959) 21st Dynasty Tanite Nesbanebded Hedjkheperre Setepenre (Smendes I) (c.1070-1043) Nephercheres (Neferkare-hekawise Amenemnisu Meramun (c.1043-1039) Psusennes I Akheperre Setepenamun (c.1039-1000) Amenemope Usimare Setepenamun (c.1000-991) Osorkon the elder (Osochor) (c.991-985) Psinaches (c.985-976) Psusennes II Titkheprure (c.976-962) Siamun Nutekheperre Setepenamun Siamun Meramun (c.962-945) 22nd Dynasty Bubastite Sheshonq I Hedjkheperre Setepenre (c.945-924) Osorkon I Sekhemkheperre Setepenre (c.924889) Sheshonq II Hekakheperre Setepenre (ca. 890) Takelot I Usimare (c.889874) Osorkon II Usimare Setepenamun (c.874850) Harsiese (ca. 865) Takelot II Hedjkheperre Setepenre (c.850825) Sheshonq III Usimare Setepenamun (c.825773) Pamai (c.773767) Sheshonq V Akheperre (c.767730) Osorkon IV (c.730712) 23rd Dynasty Tanite Pedibastet Meriamen Usermaatre Setepenre(c.818793) Iuput I (ca. 800) Sheshonq IV Usermaatre Meriamen (c.793787) Osorkon III Usermaatre Setepenamen (c.787759) Takelot III Usermaatre (c.764757)

c.1070-664 BCE

c.1070-945 BCE

c.945-730 BCE

c.817-730 BCE

Rudamon Usermaatre Setepenamen (c.757754) Iuput II Meriamen sibastet Usermaatre (c.754712) Nimlot (ca. 740) Peftjauabastet Nefer-ka-re (c.740725) Thutemhat (ca. 720) Pedinemti (ca. 700)

24th Dynasty Shepsesre Tefnakht (c.724-717) Wahkare Bakenrenef (c.717-712) 25th Dynasty Piye Usimare Sneferre (Piankhi) (747-716) Shabaka Neferkare Wahibre (716-702) Shebitku Djedkaure Menkheperre (702-689) Taharka Khunefertemr (689-663) Tanutamun Bakare (663-656) Late Dynastic Period 26th Dynasty Necho I (664-656) Psammetic I Wahemibre Psamtek (656-609) Necho II Wahemibre Neko (609-594) Psammetic II Neferibre Psamtek (594-587) Wahibre (Haaibre) (Apries) (587-569) Ahmose II Khnemibre (Amasis) (569-526) Psammetic III Ankhkaenre (526) 27th Dynasty Cambyses II (525-522) Darius I (521-486) Xerxes (486-465) Artaxerxes I (465-424) Darius II (423-405) Artaxerxes II (405-359) 28th Dynasty Amenirdis (Amyrtaeus) (404-399) 29th Dynasty Nefaarud I (Nepherites I) (399-393) Psammuthis Userre Setepenptah Pasherienmut (ca. 392)

c.720-714 BCE

747-656 BCE

664-332 BCE 664-525 BCE

525-404 BCE

404-399 BCE

399-380 BCE

Hakor Khnemmaere Setpenkhnum (Achoris) (392-380) Nefaarud II (Nepherites II) (380) 30th Dynasty Nakhtnebef Kheperkare (Nectanebo I) (380-362) Djedhor (362-360) Nekhtharehbe Snedjemibre Setpenanhur (Nectanebo II) (360-343) 31st Dynasty Artaxerxes III (343-338) Arses (338-336) Darius III (336-332) 343-332 BCE 380-343 BCE