Dynasties of ancient Egypt

Last updated

In ancient Egyptian history, dynasties are a series of rulers sharing a common origin. They are usually, but not always, traditionally divided into 33 pharaonic dynasties; these dynasties are commonly grouped by modern scholars into "kingdoms" and "intermediate periods".

Contents

The 31 dynastic divisions come from the 3rd century BC Egyptian priest Manetho, whose history Aegyptiaca was probably written for a Greek-speaking Ptolemaic ruler but survives only in fragments and summaries. While widely used and useful, the system does have its shortcomings. Some dynasties only ruled part of Egypt and existed concurrently with other dynasties based in other cities. Some dynasties like the Abydos Dynasty weren't counted; the 7th might not have existed at all, the 10th seems to be a continuation of the 9th, and there might have been one or several Egyptian dynasties before what is termed the 1st Dynasty.

List of dynasties in ancient Egyptian history

Late Period of ancient EgyptThird Intermediate Period of EgyptNew Kingdom of EgyptSecond Intermediate Period of EgyptMiddle Kingdom of EgyptFirst Intermediate Period of EgyptOld Kingdom of EgyptEarly Dynastic Period (Egypt)Dynasties of ancient Egypt

Dates follow the timeline given by the University of Memphis, which is itself based on the work of Rolf Krauss. Figures have been deliberately rounded in order to avoid a misleading appearance of precision. [1] See also the chronologies in Beckerath 1999 , pp. 283–289, Bunson 2002 , pp. 105–108, Shaw 2003 , pp. 481–488, and Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006 , pp. 490–495.


DynastySeatPeriod of ruleTermFirst to ruleLast to ruleNumber of rulers List / Family tree
Early Dynastic Period (3000–2700 BC)
Dynasty I Thinis c. 3000–2800 BCc. 170–300 years [a] Narmer Qa'a 8(list) (tree)
Dynasty II Thinis c. 2800–2675 BCc. 100–200 years [b] Hotepsekhemwy Khasekhemwy 9 (?)(list)
Old Kingdom (2700–2200 BC)
Dynasty III Memphis c. 2675–2625 BCc. 60 years [c] Djoser Huni 5(list)
Dynasty IV Memphis c. 2625–2500 BCc. 110 years [d] Sneferu Shepseskaf [e] 6(list) (tree)
Dynasty V Memphis c. 2500–2350 BCc. 120–160 years [f] Userkaf Unas 9(list)
Dynasty VI Memphis c. 2350–2170 BCc. 160 years [g] Teti Nemtyemsaf II 6(list)
First Intermediate Period (2200–2000 BC)
Dynasty VII / VIII [h] Memphis [16] : 396 c. 2170–2130 BCc. 30 years [i] Netjerkare Siptah [j] Neferirkare II 17(list)
Dynasty IX / X [k] Heracleopolis c. 2130–1970 BCc. 100 years [l] Meryibre Khety I [m] Unknown18(list)
Middle Kingdom (2000–1800 BC)
Dynasty XI [n] Thebes c. 2080–1940 BCc. 143 years [o] Intef the Elder Mentuhotep IV 7(list) (tree)
Dynasty XII Itjtawy [p] c. 1940–1760 BCc. 180 years [q] Amenemhat I Sobekneferu 8(list) (tree)
Second Intermediate Period (1800–1550 BC)
Dynasty XIII [r] Itjtawy [s] c. 1760–1600 BCc. 150 years [t] Sobekhotep I Unknown57(list
Dynasty XIV Avaris [u] uncertainc. 150 years [v] Yakbim [w] Unknown56(list)
Dynasty XV (Hyksos) Avaris c. 1630–1520 BCc. 140 years [x] Salitis Khamudi 6(list)
Dynasty XVI Thebes [y] uncertainc. 70 years [z] UnknownUnknown15(list)
Abydos dynasty [aa] Abydos uncertainuncertainUnknownUnknown16(list)
Dynasty XVII Thebes c. 1630–1540 BCc. 90/30 years [ab] Rahotep Kamose 9(list)
New Kingdom (1550–1075 BC)
Dynasty XVIII Thebes [ac] c. 1540–1292 BCc. 250 years [ad] Ahmose I Horemheb 15 [ae] (list) (tree)
Dynasty XIX Thebes [af] c. 1292–1190 BCc. 102 years Ramesses I Twosret 8(list) (tree)
Dynasty XX Pi-Ramesses c. 1190–1075 BCc. 115 years Setnakhte Ramesses XI 10(list) (tree)
Third Intermediate Period (1075–664 BC)
Dynasty XXI Tanis c. 1075–945 BCc. 130 years Smendes Psusennes II 7(list) (tree)
Dynasty XXII Tanis/Bubastis c. 945–712 BCc. 230 years Shoshenq I Osorkon IV 11(list) (tree)
Dynasty XXIII Various [ag] c. 838–712 BCc. 120 years Harsiese/Takelot II Rudamun 19(list) (tree)
Dynasty XXIV Sais c. 727–712 BCc. 10 years Tefnakht Bakenranef 2(list) (tree)
Dynasty XXV (Nubian) Memphis/Napata c. 760–656c. 100 years Piye Tantamani 5(list) (tree)
Late Period (664–342 BC)
Dynasty XXVI Sais c. 664–525 BCc. 139 years Psamtik I Psamtik III 6(list) (tree)
Dynasty XXVII (Persian) Babylon c. 525–404 BCc. 121 years Cambyses II [ah] Darius II [ai] 8(list) (tree)
Dynasty XXVIII Sais c. 404–399 BCc. 6 years Amyrtaeus Amyrtaeus 1(list)
Dynasty XXIX Mendes c. 399–380 BCc. 19 years Nepherites I Nepherites II 4(list)
Dynasty XXX Sebennytos c. 380–342 BCc. 38 years Nectanebo I Nectanebo II 3(list)
Dynasty XXXI (Persian) Babylon c. 342–332 BCc. 10 years Artaxerxes III [aj] Darius III [ak] 3(list) (tree)
Hellenistic period (342–30 BC)
Argead (Greek) Pella [al] c. 332–305 BCc. 27 years Alexander III Alexander IV 3(list) (tree)
Ptolemaic (Greek) Alexandria c. 305–30 BCc. 275 years Ptolemy I Cleopatra VII (de facto)
Caesarion (de iure)		23 [am] (list) (tree)
Egypt was incorporated into the Roman Republic on 31 August 30 BC.
(see Roman Egypt, Roman pharaoh and List of Roman dynasties)


Reigning times of the 31 Egyptian Dynasties.png
The 31 pre-Ptolemaic dynasties by the length of their rule (in 25-year bins), [an] each dynasty being a coloured box. The early dynasties and the three Kingdoms are blue, with darker colours meaning older. Intermediate periods are red, orange, and yellow. Note that multiple dynasties could reign from different cities simultaneously in intermediate periods and at the end of the Middle Kingdom. Dynastic reigning times are often very approximate; the above uses the dates of the Egyptian dynasty list template.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ It is impossible to establish the exact chronology of the early dynasties. According to the most recent reconstruction of the Palermo Stone, the First Dynasty lasted a minimum of 150 years. Only the reigns of Aha and Narmer remain unspecified. [2] While most authors give c. 3000 BC as the beginning of Dynastyc Egypt, radiocarbon dating studies yield earlier dates, possibly as early as c. 3200 BC. [3] Following these studies, the First Dynasty may have lasted between 170 and 350 years. [3] The Turin King List implies a start date c. 3100 BC.(± 150 years). [4] Proposed dates: c. 3007–2828 (179 years), [5] c. 2920–2770 (150 years), [6] c. 3000–2750 (250 years), [7] c. 3000–2890 (110 years), [8] c. 2900–2730 (170 years) [9]
  2. ↑ The chronology of the Second Dynasty is even more uncertain because Egypt was divided during most of its duration. The Turin King List does not acknowledge co-regencies for the Twelfth Dynasty, [10] and thus likely did not for the Second Dynasty either. This must have resulted in an inflated total of years, meaning that the "955 years" given for the duration of the first eight dynasties [11] must also be inflated. Proposed dates: c. 2828–2682 (146 years), [5] c. 2770–2649 BC (121 years), [6] c. 2750–2650 BC (100 years), [7] c. 2890–2686 (204 years), [8] c. 2730–2590 BC (140 years) [9]
  3. ↑ According to radiocarbon dating, the Old Kingdom began sometime around the mid-27th century BC, possibly between 2676 and 2643 BC, but with more certainty between 2691 and 2625 BC. [12] The dynasty ruled 74 years according to the Turin Canon, although the actual number could be as low as 50. [13] Proposed dates: c. 2682–2614 BC (68 years), [5] c. 2649–2575 BC (74 years), [6] c. 2686–2600 BC (86 years), [7] c. 2686–2613 BC (73 years), [8] c. 2592–2544 BC (48 years) [9]
  4. ↑ The exact chronology of the Fourth Dynasty is heavily disputed, as scholars disagree whether cattle counts were made annually or biennially at this time. Proposed dates: c. 2614–2479 BC (135 years), [5] c. 2575–2465 BC (110 years), [6] c. 2600–2450 BC (150 years), [7] c. 2613–2494 BC (119 years), [8] c. 2543–2436 BC (107 years) [9]
  5. ↑ The existence of Thamphthis is not archaeologically attested.
  6. ↑ Radiocarbon dating provides the accession of Userkaf in the range of 2548–2468 BC. Proposed dates: c. 2479–2322 BC (157 years), [5] c. 2465–2323 BC (142 years), [6] c. 2450–2300 BC (150 years), [7] c. 2494–2345 BC (149 years), [8] c. 2435–2306 BC (129 years) [14]
  7. ↑ Radiocarbon dating provides the accession of Teti in the range of 2423–2335 BC. Proposed dates: c. 2322–2191 BC (131 years), [5] c. 2323–2150 BC (173 years), [15] c. 2300–2181 BC (150 years), [7] c. 2345–2181 BC (164 years), [8] c. 2305–2118 BC (187 years) [14]
  8. ↑ The only historical account of Dynasty VII was found in Aegyptiaca by Manetho. Some historians consider Dynasty VII to be fictitious. [16] : 393  [17] : xiii 
  9. ↑ The Turin King List records a lacuna of 6 years in the sumation of the Seventh Dynasty. This likely corresponds to the 10 additional rulers recorded only in the Abydos King List. [18] This entire line of king is thought to have ruled for only one generation, or roughly 30 years. [19]
  10. ↑ Netjerkare Siptah is sometimes listed as the last monarch of Dynasty VI, but only because some scholars equate him with the fictitious Queen Nitocris recorded by Manetho at the end of that dynasty.
  11. ↑ Manetho records two Heracleopolitan dynasties of 19 kings each, which is almost certainly a copyist mistake. All evidence points to a single dynasty of 18 kings. [20] [21] [22]
  12. ↑ It's impossible to determine the exact duration of the Heracleopolitan dynasty. Hornung simply rounds it to 100 years.
  13. ↑ Most historians consider Meryibre Khety to be the founder of Dynasty IX, [23] [24] [25] [26] while others believe that Meryibre Khety reigned during Dynasty X [27]
  14. ↑ Dynasty XI before the reign of Mentuhotep II is typically classified as part of the First Intermediate Period of Egypt.
  15. ↑ The Turin King List gives the total as 143 years, but it includes Mentuhotep I, who was likely not a pharaoh but rather a local ruler. [28]
  16. ↑ Originally based at Thebes but move to Itjtawy during the 20th year of the reign of Amenemhat I
  17. ↑ The Turin Canon records the duration of the dynasty as 213 years, but this is the sum of all reigns without taking co-regencies into account. The correct number must be roughly 180. [10]
  18. ↑ Some historians classify the earlier part of Dynasty XIII as part of the Middle Kingdom.
  19. ↑ Eventually moved to Thebes in 1677 BC
  20. ↑ Proposed dates: c. 1794/3–1648/5 (146/8 years), [29] c. 1793/73–after 1650/40+ (120+ years), [15] [30] c. 1760–1630 BC (130 years), [31] c. 1803–1649 BC (154 years) [32]
  21. ↑ according to Manetho the Fourteenth Dynasty was based at Xois however many modern scholars now believed that it was more likely based at Avaris
  22. ↑ Shaw and Ryholt give the duration of Dynasty XIV as 123 years and 156 years, respectively. [33] [32] However, it is virtually impossible to establish correct dates given the lack of sources. The surviving content of the Turin King List shows that most rulers had brief reigns. [34]
  23. ↑ Some historians consider Yakbim Sekhaenre to be the founder of Dynasty XIV, [35] while others believe Yakbim Sekhaenre reigned during Dynasty XVI. [36]
  24. ↑ The Turin King List gives a number that is often read as "108", but may also be "140". [37]
  25. ↑ some scholars believe that the Sixteenth Dynasty were vassals of the Fifteenth Dynasty based at Avaris
  26. ↑ This is the figure established by Shaw and Ryholt. [33] [38] Establishing a correct chronology is impossible because the 16th dynasty ruled alongside the 15th, which is itself difficult to date because it the date of their conquest of Lower Egypt is unknown.
  27. ↑ The existence of the Abydos dynasty is debated. Ryholt postulates that the last kings in the Turin King List must belong to an obscure dynasty that ruled before the 17th.
  28. ↑ There is much uncertainty about the identity and correct placement of the rulers of Dynasty XVII. While older studies favour a duration of roughly 90 years, Ryholt and Hornung argue for a shorter period of 30 years.
  29. ↑ Briefly in Akhetaten.
  30. ↑ The break between the 17th and 18th dynasties is only a convention. The Thutmoside dynasty thus lasted roughly 300 years if the obscure kings of the 17th dynasty are to be included.
  31. ↑ There is debate wheter Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten are one person or two distinct individuals. [39]
  32. ↑ Later Memphis and Pi-Ramesses.
  33. ↑ The term "Dynasty XXIII" is used to group a series of rival lines that ruled contemporarily to Dynasty XXII.
  34. ↑ Cambyses II was the second monarch of the Achaemenid Empire and the first Achaemenid ruler to establish control over Egypt.
  35. ↑ Darius II was the ninth monarch of the Achaemenid Empire and the eighth Achaemenid ruler to rule over Egypt.
  36. ↑ Artaxerxes III was the eleventh monarch of the Achaemenid Empire and the first Achaemenid ruler to restore control over Egypt following a 61-year hiatus.
  37. ↑ Darius III was the thirteenth monarch of the Achaemenid Empire and the last Achaemenid ruler to rule over Egypt.
  38. ↑ The capital of Macedonia during its rule over Egypt was Pella. The Egyptian administrative center during this period was Alexandria.
  39. ↑ The Ptolemaic dynasty may have had an additional ruler, Cleopatra VI, although she is most likely the same person as Cleopatra V. [40]
  40. ↑ Starting on the far right of this chart, only one dynasty lasted over 250 years (18th dynasty). Two dynasties lasted between 200 and 225 years (two boxes). One dynasty lasted between 175 and 200 years (one box), etc.

References

  1. ↑ "Timeline of Ancient Egypt - Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology". preview.memphis.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  2. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 21–25, 94–101, 490.
  3. 1 2 Dee, M.; Wengrow, D.; Shortland, A.; Stevenson, A.; Brock, F.; Girdland Flink, L.; Bronk Ramsey, C. (2013). "An absolute chronology for early Egypt using radiocarbon dating and Bayesian statistical modelling". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 469 (2159) 20130395. Bibcode:2013RSPSA.46930395D. doi:10.1098/rspa.2013.0395. PMC   3780825 . PMID   24204188.
  4. ↑ Gardiner, Alan Henderson (1961). Egypt of the Pharaohs: An Introduction. Clarendon Press. pp. 61–68.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Beckerath 1999, p. 283.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Bunson 2002, p. 105.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 University College London 2000.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shaw 2003, p. 481.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, p. 490.
  10. 1 2 Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 170–175.
  11. ↑ Turin King List: 5
  12. ↑ Ramsey, Christopher Bronk; Dee, Michael W.; Rowland, Joanne M.; Higham, Thomas F. G.; Harris, Stephen A.; Brock, Fiona; Quiles, Anita; Wild, Eva M.; Marcus, Ezra S.; Shortland, Andrew J. (2010). "Radiocarbon-Based Chronology for Dynastic Egypt". Science. New Series. 328 (5985). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 1554–1557. Bibcode:2010Sci...328.1554R. doi:10.1126/science.1189395. JSTOR   40656429. PMID   20558717. S2CID   206526496.
  13. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 116–123.
  14. 1 2 Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, p. 491.
  15. 1 2 Bunson 2002, p. 106.
  16. 1 2 Hratch Papazian (2015). "The State of Egypt in the Eighth Dynasty". In Peter Der Manuelian; Thomas Schneider (eds.). Towards a New History for the Egyptian Old Kingdom: Perspectives on the Pyramid Age. Harvard Egyptological Studies. BRILL.
  17. ↑ Wilkinson, Toby (2010). "Timeline". The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. New York: Random House. p. xiii. ISBN   978-1-4088-1002-6. The system of dynasties devised in the third century B.C. is not without its problems—for example, the Sixth Dynasty is now recognized as being wholly spurious, while several dynasties are known to have ruled concurrently in different parts of Egypt...
  18. ↑ Hratch Papazian (2015). "The State of Egypt in the Eighth Dynasty". In Peter Der Manuelian; Thomas Schneider (eds.). Towards a New History for the Egyptian Old Kingdom: Perspectives on the Pyramid Age. Harvard Egyptological Studies. BRILL.
  19. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 482.
  20. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 63–67.
  21. ↑ Beckerath 1999, p. 72.
  22. ↑ Málek, Jaromír (1982). "The Original Version of the Royal Canon of Turin" . The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 68: 93–106. doi:10.2307/3821628. ISSN   0307-5133.
  23. ↑ Petrie, William M.F. (1897). A History of Egypt from the Earliest Times to the XVIth Dynasty. C. Scribner's Sons. p. 114-115.
  24. ↑ Alan Gardiner, Egypt of the Pharaohs. An introduction, Oxford University Press, 1961, p. 112.
  25. ↑ William C. Hayes, in The Cambridge Ancient History , vol 1, part 2, 1971 (2008), Cambridge University Press, ISBN   0-521-07791-5, p. 464.
  26. ↑ Grimal, Nicolas; Shaw, Ian; Grimal, Nicolas (2001). A history of ancient Egypt. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 140. ISBN   978-0-631-19396-8.
  27. ↑ Beckerath 1999, p. 74.
  28. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 159–163.
  29. ↑ Beckerath 1999, p. 484.
  30. ↑ Shaw 2003, p. 483.
  31. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, p. 492.
  32. 1 2 Ryholt 1997, p. 408.
  33. 1 2 Shaw 2003, p. 484.
  34. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 168–180.
  35. ↑ Ryholt (1997), p. 409
  36. ↑ Sekhaenre Yakbim on Egyphica.net
  37. ↑ Hornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 192–195.
  38. ↑ Ryholt 1997, p. 410.
  39. ↑ Cooney, Kara (2018).When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt. National Geographic. ISBN 978-1-4262-1977-1. pp. 194-197
  40. ↑ Tyldesley, Joyce (2006), Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt , WW Norton, p.  200, ISBN   0-500-05145-3 .

    Works cited

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.