ANCIENT
EGYPT
34th Century - 30 BC :
Ancient
Egypt was formed essentially of a narrow valley that was bordered
on either side by extensive deserts. With the River Nile running
through it like a ribbon, it depended on these waters for its very
life and also for its transportation. The annual floods would ensure
another year of food stocks, and occasional dry spells could spell
famine and death. The river also connected the Mediterranean to
the lands beyond Egypt, lands which were barely understood at first
but which crystallised over time into Nubia and Ethiopia.
One
of the oldest known civilisations in human history, the rulers of
Egypt were known as pharaohs (meaning 'Great House'). They left
their mark in countless records, including royal inscriptions, and
in pyramids and tombs. Many early records from outside of Egypt
are Greek in origin, so in many cases the Greek version of names
are shown in parenthesis.
From
around 9000 BC, the North African hunter-gatherer inhabitants of
the fertile Nile Valley enjoyed the milder post-glacial conditions,
domesticating animals and increasing in number. In the late sixth
millennium BC farming villages appeared, as did rock art in some
of the region's caves, and the following two millennia saw the gradual
formation of small states.
After
4000 BC, thanks to the sudden desiccation of the grass plains of
the Sahara and an influx of people towards the Nile, there was a
substantial increase in population, and villages sizes increased
accordingly. From around 3500 to 3000 BC there were great and very
sudden advances in craftsmanship and technology, which culminated
in the working of copper, stone mace heads, and ceramics. The first
walled towns appeared at Naqada and Heirakonpolis (circa 3300 BC),
and were associated with rich tombs, probably the resting places
of the rulers of Upper Egypt (to the south). One of these rulers
was the first to unite the whole valley, from the first cataract
near the Nubian Desert to the Mediterranean, as a single kingdom
around 3400 or 3100 BC.
There
are two main schools of thought regarding the dating of Egyptian
dynasties. The earlier one was long used here as it was generally
accepted, but a more recent (and increasingly accepted) version
is now replacing that. There are also other, far more radical theories
being proposed which either dramatically length or shorten the timescale
shown here. None of them are entirely conclusive or are at all widely
accepted.
Egypt's
Archaic Period :
The
archaic period includes the Early Dynastic Period, when Lower Egypt
and Upper Egypt were ruled as separate kingdoms, and the First and
Second Dynasties.
Highly
interesting new research that was published in the Proceedings of
the Royal Society in 2013 established what was possibly the most
accurate timeline for early Egypt. Previous records had suggested
that the pre-Dynastic period, a time in which early groups began
to settle along the Nile and farm the land, began in 4000 BC. But
the new analysis revealed this process to have started later, between
3700 or 3600 BC. By the thirty-second century, Egypt had transformed
into two kingdoms, north and south, and these were quickly merged
into one.
Around
3600 BC there was known to be a kingdom centred around Hierakonpolis
in Upper Egypt. Archaeologists discovered one of Egypt's largest
funerary complexes in the Kom al-Ahmar region, to the south of Luxor,
which probably belonged to this kingdom. According to the experts,
the city probably extended its influence northwards, defeating rival
entities along the way, especially the smaller but still powerful
rival centre in Lower Egypt. This was the process which eventually
united the two early dynastic kingdoms in Egypt.
Early
Dynastic (Lower Egypt) :
Lower
Egypt, the area nearest the Mediterranean, was known as the Black
Land, and consisted of the northern Nile and the Nile Delta. The
following list is probably incomplete.
Tiu
Thesh
Hsekiu
New
Dating c.3150 BC? :
Waznerc.
New
Dating 3250 - 3125 BC :
Early
Dynastic (Upper Egypt)
Upper
Egypt was known as the Red Land, and consisted of the southern Nile
and the deserts. An early centre of power was at Hierakonpolis,
which may have produced the strongest kingdom in the Archaic Period.
No names of rulers are known, unfortunately, but the kings here
established a large necropolis to the south of Luxor. The following
list is probably incomplete, as there are many more names which
are of uncertain existence.
FeatureUpper
Egypt was also the site of archaeological discoveries of some of
the earliest-known purpose-built boats. These boats, buried for
five millennia, are believed to date between the Archaic Period
and the 3rd Dynasty. They are probably intended for the pharaoh
in the afterlife, and all point towards the nearby Nile. These early
boats are the ancestor of the later, grander solar boats which were
designed for the same purpose.
New
Dating c.3250 BC? :
Serket
I : Oldest tomb at Umm el-Qa'ab had scorpion insignia.
New
Dating c.3200 BC? :
Iry-Hor
: Kingship uncertain.
New
Dating c.3150 BC? :
Ka
New
Dating c.3150 BC? :
Serqet
II (King Scorpion) : Very uncertain. May be same as Menes
or Narmer.
New
Dating c.3125 - 2890 BC :
First
(Thinite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
3400 - 3200 BC
FeatureThe
Old Kingdom was a theocratic state dominated by a divine king. Belief
in life after death was a fundamental religious tenet, and both
kings and courtiers built increasingly elaborate tombs to reflect
this belief. Mummification was already being practised, from perhaps
5000 BC in its most basic sense.
Egypt
was governed by ministers who were answerable to the pharaoh and
headed by the vizier, responsible for administration, justice and
taxation. The country was divided into provinces (nomes), each ruled
by a provincial governor, who became increasingly independent of
central control. (Many early records from outside of Egypt are Greek
in origin, so in many cases the Greek version of names are shown
in parenthesis.)
New
research that was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society
in 2013 established what was possibly the most accurate timeline
for early Egypt, placing the accession of its first unified ruler
at about 3100 BC. The formation of Egypt was unique in the ancient
world in that it was a territorial state of the modern type which
straight away formed borders. Until now, the chronology of Egypt's
earliest days had been based on rough estimates, but with no written
records from this very early period, the timeline was based on the
evolving styles of ceramics unearthed from human burial sites. The
2013 research used radiocarbon dating of excavated hair, bones and
plants alongside established archaeological evidence and computer
models to pinpoint when the ancient state came into existence.
New
Dating c.3125 BC and Old Dating c.3400 BC :
Menes
/ Meni (Min) : United North & South kingdoms.
New
Dating c.3125 BC :
According
to Herodotus, Memphis is founded as the capital of Egypt by Menes.
According to other sources the capital is at the city of 'This'
near Abydos, which itself dates back to prehistory. Perhaps the
confusion arises from the fact that Menes has tombs at both Saqqara,
close to Memphis in Lower Egypt, and at Abydos in Upper Egypt.
![](Mummies09_DynastyI_full.jpg)
Coffins
started to be used in Egyptian graves from about 3000 BC, and could
be made of wood, basketry or pottery. This First Dynasty basketwork
coffin comes from Tarkhan
Old
Dating c.3300 BC :
Narmer
: Important in the unification of Egypt.
The
Narmer Palette shows the pharaoh Narmer wielding the unified symbols
of both Upper and Lower Egypt. Some theorise that Narmer and Menes
are in fact the same person; others that Menes had inherited an
already-unified kingdom from Narmer; while others suggest that Menes
had completed a process of unification which Narmer had begun. The
view that Narmer actually succeeded Menes seems to be an older one,
and is used here.
New
Dating c.3100 BC :
Aha
/ Hor-Aka : Son.
In
2013, a new timeline for the origin of ancient Egypt is established
by scientists. A British team finds that the transformation from
a land of disparate farmers into a state ruled by a king had been
more rapid than was previously thought. Using radiocarbon dating
and computer models, they believe the civilisation's first ruler
- King Aha - comes to power around 3100 BC.
New
Dating c.3000 BC :
The
first evidence of Egyptian hieroglyphics - already very advanced
in form - appears at this time.
Djer
: Ruled a united Egypt. Reigned for 41 years.
Djer's
reign of forty-one years is perhaps unfeasibly long for this time
period, raising the possibility that he dies much sooner and the
kingdom collapses, if only briefly. The king rules in name simply
because no one else has replaced him, leading later generations
to assume that he is alive for this entire period.
Djet
/ Wadj/Zet/Uadji (Uenephes)
Den
(Dewen) : First to use the title 'King of Upper and Lower
Egypt'.
Merneith
: Female regent or queen.
Anedjib
/ Enezib / Andjyeb : Reigned for 10 years.
Semerkhet
: Possible usurper. Reigned for 9 years.
New
Dating 2916 - 2890 BC and Old Dating c.3200 BC :
Qa'a
/ Ka'a : Reigned for 26 years.
New
Dating 2890 - 2686 BC :
Second
(Thinite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
3200 - 2980 BC
Little
is known about the start of the Second Dynasty. It is possible that
Hotepsekhemwy reached office by marriage to a princess, so it isn't
known if he was related to the old Thinite line of rulers or not.
He is not thought to be the son of Qa'a, but could possibly be his
son-in-law. He made offerings in memory of the man and was possibly
responsible for Qa'a's funeral. Seals with the name of 'Hotepsekhemwy'
have been found outside the tomb of Qa'a at Abydos. His tomb has
been identified in Saqqara; the substructure has survived but there
are no remains of a superstructure.
Many
early records from outside of Egypt are Greek in origin, so in many
cases the Greek version of names are shown in parenthesis.
New
Dating 2890 - ? BC and Old Dating c.2915 BC :
Hotepsekhemwy
(Boethos)
Raneb
(Nebra) : Possibly reigned for 39 years.
Nynetjer
: Reigned for 40 years.
Wneg
: Reigned for 8 years.
Senedj
: Reigned for 20 years.
Seth-Peribsen
: Reigned 17 years. Possibly only ruled Upper Egypt.
While Sekhemi-Perenmaat seems to be fairly securely
recognised as the predecessor of the final second dynasty pharaoh,
Khasekhemui, Seth-Perinsen is much harder to pin down. It is likely
that he ruled the southern half of Egypt only, while Perenmaat rules
the northern half and succeeds to the rest upon Peribsen's death.
![](DynastyII_Pottery01_full.jpg)
The
vase on the left is of sedimentary stone and dates from the Second
Dynasty, while the other two are stone vases with gold-covered handles,
First or Second Dynasty
Sekhemib-Perenmaat
: Possibly only ruled Lower Egypt.
New
Dating 2704 - 2686 BC :
Khasekhemui
(Khasekhemwy) : Reigned for 18 years.
Egypt's
Old Kingdom :
Egypt
attained its first continuous peak of complexity in its civilisation
and achievements with its administration centralised at Memphis,
where Zoser established his court. The Old Kingdom is perhaps best
known for the large number of pyramids which were constructed at
this time as pharaonic burial places. For this reason, the Old Kingdom
is frequently referred to as 'the Age of the Pyramids', and for
much of its existence, it achieved a remarkable level of stability,
not only for its ruling elite but for Egyptians in general.
FeatureThat
pyramid culture, according to Dr Robert Lomas of the University
of Bradford, could have developed as far away as Orkney to the north
of the British Isles. He developed the theory that complex pyramid
construction techniques were developed there more than a thousand
years years before the Egyptians used similar ideas. He said skills
used on the islands from 3800 BC were extremely sophisticated, perhaps
spreading from there through Europe until they could be picked up
by the Egyptians. To offset this theory, the Neolithic farmer migrations
into the British Isles from around 4000 BC would have seen the arrival
of people with an Anatolian heritage who had spent two thousand
years in Iberia following their journey along the northern edge
of the Mediterranean. It is much more likely that they brought with
them some form of shared knowledge that eventually led to pyramid
building both in Egypt and the Orkneys.
New
Dating 2686 - 2613 BC :
Third
(Memphite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
2980 - 2900 BC
Sanakhte's
name means 'strong protection'. He presumably gained his position
by marriage to a daughter of Khasekhemui, with rule even at this
early period being passed down through the female line. (Many early
records from outside of Egypt are Greek in origin, so in many cases
the Greek version of names are shown in parenthesis.)
Memphis
was the capital of the first province (nome) of Lower Egypt, and
it became the kingdom's capital, strategically situated as it was
at the junction of the Nile Valley and the Delta. Memphis remained
a major administrative centre, if not always the capital, until
it was supplanted by Cairo in the seventh century AD. Its original
Egyptian name was Ineb Hedj (The White Walls), while the name 'Memphis'
was a Greek deformation of the Egyptian name of Pepi I's (Six Dynasty)
pyramid, Men-nefer.
(Additional
information on the incorrect dating of the Old Kingdom by Sean B.)
New
Dating 2686 - 2668 BC :
Sanakhte
/ Nebka (Mesochris) : Egyptian (Greek) versions of same
name.
New
Dating 2668 - 2649 BC :
Zoser
(Djoser) : Heralded the age of pyramids.
New
Dating c.2650 BC :
The
first Egyptian stepped pyramid - the sixty-two metre-high stone-stepped
Pyramid of Zoser - is built at the Saqqara necropolis opposite Memphis.
The chief architect for the project is Imhotep (or variously Immutef,
Ii-em-Hotep, or Imuthes, the latter being a Greek variation). Is
this first stepped pyramid to be aligned to the north-finding stars
in the way of later versions.
![](Pyramids_Zoser01_full.jpg)
The
Zoser pyramid - built during the twenty-seventh century BC for the
burial of Zoser (or Djoser) - shows the development towards the
later Great Pyramid of Khufu
New
Dating 2649 - 2643 BC :
Sekhemkhet
One
school of thought on the dating of the early Egyptians and the Israelites
suggests that evidence proves that the Third Dynasty (and therefore
the rest of the Old Kingdom) is dated too early, with Menes more
accurately being placed about 2300 BC. That would allowSekhemkhet
to be claimed as Joseph of the Israelites, vizier to the pharaoh,
Zoser. However, even this dating places Sekhemkhet about six hundred
years before Abraham exists, let alone his descendant, Moses.
New
Dating 2643 - 2637 BC :
Khaba
New
Dating 2637 - 2613 BC :
Huni
New
Dating 2613 - 2498 BC :
Fourth
(Memphite) Dynasty (Egypt)
2900 - 2750 BC
The
fourth dynasty saw the flowering of pyramid construction. Central
administration continued to be based at Memphis. Trading links were
established with the Canaanite trading city of Gebal (if they hadn't
already been established as early as 3000 BC).
Many
early records from outside of Egypt are Greek in origin, so in many
cases the Greek version of names are shown in parenthesis.
New
Dating 2613 - 2589 BC and Old Dating c.2920 BC :
Sneferu
(Snefru)
New
Dating 2589? BC :
Son?
Mentioned by inference: Khufu is 'third to rule'.
New
Dating 2589 - 2566 BC and Old Dating 2900 - 2877 BC :
Khufu
(Cheops) : Brother? One of the earliest
great pharaohs.
c.2550
BC :
Construction
of the one hundred and forty-seven-metre-high Great Pyramid of Khufu
is completed at Giza. However, the pyramid contains several chambers
and shafts, some of which are still reluctant to give up their secrets
even in the twenty-first century AD.
The
Sphinx is generally dated to the same period, intended to guard
the pyramid. However one theory claims that there should be two
sphinxes, while another claims that the single Sphinx is much older,
and only now is its head reshaped to resemble a pharaoh.
At
this time the desiccation of the Sahara region is increasing.
New
Dating 2566 - 2558 BC :
Dedefrê
/ Djedefra (Radjedef) : Son.
New
Dating 2558 - 2532 BC :
Khafrê
(Chephren) : Son of Snefru. Built 2nd Great Pyramid.
New
Dating 2558 - 2532 BC :
Khafrê
(Chephren) : Son of Snefru. Built 2nd Great Pyramid.
Bikheris
: Mentioned
by the historian Manetho.
New
Dating 2532 - 2503 BC and Old Dating 2800 BC :
Menkure
(Mycerinus) :
Built 3rd (Lesser) Great Pyramid.
New
Dating c.2500 BC :
Egyptians
begin to move into Nubia, importing their culture and setting up
trading centres. This would seem to be the same land as that of
the kingdom of Punt or Put. Punt is sometimes described as being
Libya in Greek texts, but 'Libya' could be used to describe a broad
sweep of the North African territories. Instead, Punt appears to
lie to the south-east of Egypt, making either Nubia or the Arabian
peninsula more likely as its location.
New
Dating 2503 - 2498 BC :
Shepseskaf
: Built 3rd (Lesser) Great Pyramid.
Thampthis
: Mentioned by the historian Manetho.
New
Dating 2498 - 2345 BC :
Fifth
(Memphite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
2750 - 2625 BC
FeatureThe
circumstances behind the founding of this dynasty seem to be completely
unknown at present, but considering Userkaf's grandfather, he was
probably from a secondary line of the pharaonic royal family. Userkaf
started the tradition of building sun temples at Abu Sir, just south
of Cairo. The resultant complex there is very popular during the
dynasty's existence but falls into disrepair afterwards, only to
be revived again under the Twenty-Sixth dynasty.
New
Dating 2498 - 2491 BC :
Userkaf
/ Shepseskaf (Weserkef) : Grandson of Khafrê.
New
Dating 2491 - 2477 BC :
Sahure : Probable son.
New
Dating 2477 - 2467 BC :
Nefererkere
Kakai : Probable brother.
New
Dating 2467 - 2460 BC :
Shepseskare
Isi
New
Dating 2460 - 2453 BC :
Neferefre
New
Dating 2453 - 2422 BC :
Nyuserre
Ini
New
Dating 2422 - 2414 BC :
Menkauhor
Kaiu
New
Dating 2414 - 2375 BC :
Djedkare
Isesi
New
Dating 2400 BC :
Royal
power is in decline and the size of the pyramids decreases accordingly.
Regional governors have become so powerful that they treat their
provinces as petty kingdoms, and are buried in impressive rock-cut
tombs at provincial centres up and down the Nile Valley.
New
Dating 2375 - 2345 BC :
Unas
New
Dating 2345 - 2181 BC :
Sixth
(Memphite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
2625 - 2475 BC
This
dynasty was founded by Teti, who married Iput, commonly believed
to be the daughter of Unas of the fifth dynasty. Under it, there
was trade with the relatively newly-established city states of Syria,
including Ebla. Towards its end the dynasty descended into uncertainty
and decline, as natural disaster combined with social disorder to
end the Old Kingdom Period in Egypt.
New
Dating 2345 - 2333 BC :
Teti
New
Dating 2333 - 2332 BC :
Userkere
(Weserkere)
New
Dating 2332 - 2283 BC and Old Dating 2590 - 2570 BC :
Pheops
(Pepi) I Merire
The
wives of Pheops I are both named Ankh-sn-Pepi (Ankhesenpepi I and
II, otherwise known as Ankhesenmeryre), and the two are sisters.
Ankhesenpepi II's son is Pheops II, who reigns following the death
of his half-brother. He may serve as supreme king while four successive
sub-kings also govern the country, although this is unclear. Coming
to the throne at a young age, he may also have his mother as regent
for the start of his reign. Upon her death, she is buried in a pyramid
at Saqqara.
New
Dating 2283 - 2278 BC :
Merenre
Nemtyemsaf I : Son by Ankhesenpepi I.
New
Dating 2278 - 2184 BC and Old Dating 2566 - ? BC :
Pheops
(Pepi) II Neferkere : Half-brother. Possibly
reigned while the next 4 ruled.
New
Dating 2200 - 2199 BC :
Neferka
: Child. Co-regent.
New
Dating 2197 - 2193 BC :
Nefer
: Reigned for 2 years, 1 month and a day.
New
Dating 2193 - 2176 BC :
Aba
: Highly unlikely.
?
: Unknown and uncertain pharaoh.
New
Dating 2184 BC :
Merenre
Nemtyemsaf II : Uncertain pharaoh.
New
Dating 2184 - 2181 BC :
Nitiqret
: Uncertain queen.
Egypt's
First Intermediate Period :
The
First Intermediate Period, beginning around 2200 BC, was Egypt's
Dark Age, heralding a period of disunity and relative cultural decline.
Traditional thinking says that the Old Kingdom rapidly collapsed
after the death of Pheops II. He had reigned for 94 years, longer
than any monarch in history, and he died aged a hundred. The latter
years of his reign were marked by inefficiency due to his advanced
age, and when he was gone the Union of the Two Kingdoms fell apart
amid bitter in-fighting to select his successor. Regional leaders
had to cope with the resulting famine.
In
fact, there seems to have been a general climate-induced collapse
around this time in the Near East, as Sumerian cities were also
affected in the twenty-second century BC. A much more all-encompassing
theory about the collapse of the Old Kingdom can be tied to this
same extreme climate change event, and the effect it had on Egypt.
The event was triggered by the onset of a mini ice age (known to
occur in Europe every 1,500 years or so, and lasting for about 200
years). Due to reduced rainfall at the Nile's headwaters, the river
suffered a series of low or completely failed annual floods which
destroyed Egypt's crop supply. Sandstorms fed by the increased desiccation
of formerly green or semi-green areas on the edge of the Sahara
smothered the land.
The
large inland lake known today as Birket Qarun was linked during
this period to the Nile by a tributary. When the Nile flood arrived
each year, the lake would greatly expand. During the First Intermediate,
the lake did not expand. In fact, the lack of sediments for this
period show that it died up completely, and all of the previous
Old Kingdom sediments were blown away by the winds and the scouring
desert sands. This is the only time in its entire history that the
lake has dried up completely.
Communities
in the Nile Delta were reduced to absolute poverty, not knowing
where their next meal would come from. Some were reduced to fighting
amongst themselves for the smallest scraps, including corpses, carrion,
dogs, and waste. One account, on the walls of the tomb of a local
governor named Ankhtifi, relates that people were even eating their
children in their desperation to survive. A first-hand account by
a doctor who was in Old Cairo in AD 1200 describes much the same
thing for another, much more brief famine, supporting the evidence
for this earlier famine.
(Additional
information from the BBC documentary series, Ancient Apocalypse:
Death on the Nile, first broadcast 26 July 2001.)
New
Dating 2181 - 2160 BC :
Seventh
& Eighth (Memphite) Dynasties (Egypt) :
2475 - 2445 BC
A
time of confusion and collapse, records are sparse and details unclear.
The Nile floods, always erratic, now proved to be consistently low,
causing drought and turmoil. Half a century of disastrous famine
caused organised society to fall apart and there followed a period
in which provincial officials engaged in power struggles and twenty
short-lived pharaohs ruled in a state of feudal strife that lasted
for a century. (This table is based on the Abydos Table from the
Temple of Seti I and is not conclusive.)
Neferkara
I :
The
combined seventh and eight dynasties survive as little more than
a series of names, and not even all of those are accepted by all
scholars as valid pharaohs. After perhaps twenty years of famine
and chaos, Egypt is still suffering vastly reduced Nile floods and
its people are starving. There seems to be no end in sight of their
suffering, and it will be a further century and-a-half before the
situation recovers appreciably.
![](Sphinx02_full.jpg)
This
impression of a sandstorm (by Johann Jakob Frey, 1813-1865) around
the Sphinx conveys something of its oppressiveness, but this is
a brief, single event that cannot be compared to the two centuries
of suffering experience in Egypt at this time
Neferkara
Nebi
Djedkara
Shemai
Neferkara
Khendu
Merenhor
: Not accepted by all scholars.
Neferkamin
Senefer
kaNikara
Neferkara
Tereru
Neferkahor
Neferkara
Pepyseneb
Neferkamin
Anu
Qakare
Ibi
Neferkara
II
Neferkawhor
Khuwihap
Neferirkara
New
Dating 2160 - 2130 BC :
Ninth
(Herakleopolitan) Dynasty (Egypt) :
2445 - 2415 BC :
Around
2160 BC, a new line of pharaohs tried to reunite Lower Egypt from
their capital at Herakleopolis Magna, the twentieth nome (province)
of Egypt. A rival line based at Thebes was reuniting Upper Egypt
and a clash between the two rival dynasties was inevitable.
New
Dating 2160 - ? BC and Old Dating 2445 - ? BC
:
Meryibre
Khety (Achthoes I) : Nomarch (provincial
ruler). Founded the dynasty.
Meribre
Khety II
Neferkare
III
Nebkaure
(Acthoes II)
Setut
Wakhare
Khety I / Achthoës
Merykare
Wankhare
Khety II
Menethoupe
I
Wankhare
Khety III
Khety
II
New
Dating - 2130 BC :
Daughter.
Merikare's
daughter.
New
Dating 2130 - 2040 BC :
Tenth
(Herakleopolitan) Dynasty (Egypt) :
2415 - 2160 BC
The
Tenth Dynasty continued at Herakleopolis Magna, while Egypt remained
fragmented. Only four names are known here, although there is the
possibility that more actually reigned. The rulers of Thebes quickly
became major rivals for power.
New
Dating 2130 - ? BC :
Meryhathor
Neferkare
IV
Wankare
(Acthoes III)
New
Dating - 2040 BC :
Merykare
Egypt's
Middle Kingdom :
The
Middle Kingdom can be noted for the expansion of trade outside of
the kingdom that occurred during this time, including maintaining
a presence along the Mediterranean coast, in Canaanite cities such
as Gebal and Syrian cities such as Carchemish. This opening of trade
eventually led to the downfall of the Middle Kingdom, induced by
an invasion by the Hyksos.
FeatureHowever,
it was around this time, 2000 BC, that something dramatic was taking
place on Egypt's western border. Over a very short time scale -
possibly as short as three hundred years - the Sahara Desert went
from grassland and low shrubs to arid desert. Summer temperatures
increased rapidly and rainfall almost ceased. The loss of agricultural
land to the desert may be one reason why the Middle Kingdom flourished
along the banks of the Nile, and builds a presence along the Mediterranean
coast to its north.
New
Dating 2040 - 1991 BC :
Eleventh
(Theban) Dynasty (Egypt) :
2160 - 1991 BC
The
Eleventh Dynasty was based at Thebes (the Greek version of the Egyptian
word niwt-rst, 'Southern City') and began as a rival to the Herakleopolitan
Tenth Dynasty. Around 2055 BC, Mentuhotep II defeated the Herakleopolitan
pharaohs, reunited the Two Lands, founded the Eleventh Dynasty and
ruled as Mentuhotep II, the first pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom.
New
Dating 2134 - ? BC :
Mentuhotep
I : Founded the dynasty in Thebes.
New
Dating ? - 2118 BC :
Sehertawy
Intef I (the Great) : Son of Iku. Nomarch of Thebes.
New
Dating 2118 - 2069 BC :
Wahankh
Intef II : Claimed to rule over all Egypt.
Intef
II is the first of the dynasty to claim to rule over the whole of
Egypt, which brings the Thebans into conflict with the rulers of
Herakleopolis Magna. Intef undertakes several campaigns northwards,
and captures the important nome (province) of Abydos.
New
Dating 2069 - 2061 BC :
Nakhtnebtepnefer
Intef III
New
Dating 2061 - 2010 BC :
Nebheteprac
Mentuhotep II : Reunited Egypt.
The
reunification of Egypt is effected under Mentuhotep II. Nubia is
occupied as far as the Second Cataract.
New
Dating 2010 - 1998 BC :
Sankhkara Mentuhotep III
New
Dating 1998 - 1991 BC :
Nebtawyra
Mentuhotep IV : Died mysteriously.
New
Dating 1991 - 1802 BC :
Twelfth
(Theban) Dynasty (Egypt) :
1991 - 1788 BC
The
reign of the last king of the Eleventh Dynasty is something of a
mystery. Contemporary records refer to 'seven empty years' following
the death of Mentuhotep III, which correspond to the reign of Nebtawyra
Mentuhotep IV. Modern scholars identify his vizier, Amenemhat, with
Amenemhat I as part of a theory that Amenemhat became king during
a palace coup.
The
dynasty founded a new capital at El-Lisht. Middle Kingdom rulers
were buried in desert-edged pyramids nearby.
New
Dating 1991 - 1962 BC and Old Dating 1991 - 1970 BC :
Amenemhet
I (Ammenemes) : Vizier of the previous pharaoh.
New
Dating 1971 - 1926 BC and Old Dating 1970 - 1938 BC :
Senusret
I (Sesostris) : Son.
Senusret
I officially establishes the southern border of Egypt 'in order
to prevent' any people from the Nubian kingdom of Kerma 'crossing
the frontier, by water or by land unless for trading or other approved
purposes'.
New
Dating 1926 - 1895 BC and Old Dating 1938 - 1903 BC :
Amenemhet
II : Son.
New
Dating 1897 - 1878 BC and Old Dating 1903 - 1887
BC :
Senusret
II : Son.
New
Dating 1878 - 1860 BC and Old Dating 1887 - 1849
BC :
Senusret
III : Son. Most powerful of the Middle Kingdom pharaohs.
New
Dating c.1850 BC :
The
heavily policed Egyptian border is used as a launch pad for a series
of raids under Senusret III against Kerma in Nubia. A canal is built
around the Nile's first great series of rapids (the First Cataract)
near Aswan to facilitate troop movements. The pharaoh launches a
series of invasions and boasts of his exploits in the kingdom of
Kerma.
New
Dating 1860 - 1815 BC and Old Dating 1849 - 1801 BC :
Amenemhet
III (Moarith) : Son.
New
Dating c.1800 BC :
The
horse is introduced into Egypt.
![](Nubia_Painting01_full.jpg)
This
Egyptian wall painting depicts Nubians bringing offerings of gold
around 1850 BC, at which time Pharaoh Senusret III was launching
a series of raids against the Nubian kingdom of Kerma
New
Dating 1815 - 1807 BC and Old Dating 1801 - 1792
BC :
Amenemhet
IV : Son. Had a co-regency for one year.
New
Dating 1807 - 1803 BC and Old Dating 1792 - 1788
BC :
Sebeknefrure
(Nefrusobek) : Queen. Applauded as a national heroine.
New
Dating 1803 BC and Old Dating 1788 BC :
The
Middle Kingdom falls.
Egypt's
Second Intermediate Period :
The
Second Intermediate Period is best known as the point at which the
Hyksos made their appearance in Egypt, whose reign comprised the
Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties. Seventy pharaohs ruled in a disrupted
Egypt during this period, and for much of that time, they paid homage
to the Hyksos. To the south, the Nubian kingdom was at its height,
freed from interference by Egypt.
New
Dating 1803 - 1600 BC :
Thirteenth
(Theban) Dynasty (Egypt) :
1788 - ? BC
In
later texts, this period is usually described as one of chaos and
disorder. However, the period may have been more peaceful than was
once thought since the central government in Itj-tawy near the Faiyum
was sustained during most of the dynasty and the country remained
relatively stable. However, the pharaohs were unable to prevent
a break-away dynasty forming in the north.
Unfortunately
it is difficult to ascertain an accurate chronology for this as
there are few monuments dating from the period. Many of the kings'
names are only known from an odd fragmentary inscription or from
scarabs.
New
Dating 1803 - 1799 BC :
Wegaf
Khutawyre
Sekhemre
: Brother.
New
Dating 1795 - 1792 BC :
Ameny
Intef IV (Amenemhet V) Sankhibre
New Dating ? - 1790 BC :
Sehetepre I
ufni
Seankhibre
Semenkare
Sewadjkare
Nedjem
: Reigned for 7 months.
Sobekhotep
I
New
Dating c.1775 BC :
Renseneb
: Reigned for 4 months.
New
Dating c.1775? BC :
Hor
Auyibre I
Sedjefakare
: Reigned for 5-7 years. A well-attested ruler.
New
Dating c.1767 BC :
Sobekhotep
II (Amenmehet VI) Sekhemre Khutawy
New
Dating c.1765 BC :
Khendjer
Userkare : Reigned at least 4 years and 3 months.
Imyremeshaw
Antef
V
New
Dating c.1755 BC :
Sobekhotep
III Sekhemre Sewadjtawy : Reigned for 4 years and 2 months.
New
Dating 1751 - 1740 BC :
Neferhotep
I Khasekhemre : Reigned for 11 years.
New
Dating 1740 - 1730 BC :
Sobekhotep
IV Khaneferre : Reigned for 10 or 11 years.
Old
Dating 1720 BC :
The
Hyksos make their first appearance during the reign of Sobekhotep
IV, and around now they take control of the town of Avaris (the
modern Tell ed-Dab'a / Khata'na).
New
Dating c.1730 BC :
New
Dating c.1725 - 1714 BC :
Wahibre
Ibiau : Reigned 10 years and 8 months.
New
Dating c.1714 - 1691 BC :
Ay Merneferre : Reigned 23 years and 8 months.
Merhetepre
Ini : Reigned 2 years and 2 months.
Neferhotep
II Sekhemre Sankhtawy : Precise dates unknown.
Mersekhemre
Ined
Sewadjkare
Hori
The
position of the following kings is uncertain.
New
Dating c.1654 BC :
Dudimose
I
The
Hyksos, led by Salitis, the founder of the Fifteenth Dynasty, overrun
Egypt during the reign of Dudimose I.
Dudimose
II
Senebmiu
Mentuhotep
V
Senaayeb
New
Dating c.1705 - 1690 BC :
Fourteenth
Dynasty (Egypt) :
The
provincial ruling family in Xois (Avaris), located in the marshes
of the western Delta, broke away from the central authority to form
the Fourteenth Dynasty. As a result, some dates overlap with those
of the preceding dynasty. The Turin King List provides an additional
25 names, some fragmentary, and no dates. None are confirmed elsewhere,
and all are of very dubious provenance. The dynasty was a very-short-lived
one, being swiftly conquered by the Hyksos.
New
Dating c.1705 BC :
Nehesy Khakherewre
New
Dating c.1704 BC :
Nebefawre Sehebre
New
Dating c.1699 BC :
Merdjefare Sewadjkare
New
Dating c.1694 BC :
Nebdjefare
Webenre
?
: Unknown pharaoh.
--djefare
New
Dating c.1690 BC :
--webenre
New
Dating c.1705 - 1534 BC :
Fifteenth
(Hyksos/Shepherd Kings) Dynasty (Egypt) :
c.1650 - 1580 BC
The
Hyksos, Semitic Sea Peoples who based themselves at the Nile Delta,
made their capital at Avaris, the captured Fourteenth Dynasty capital.
They ruled Lower Egypt directly, and exacted tribute from Upper
Egypt, treating it as a subject satellite state. While Hyksos was
formerly taken to mean 'shepherd king', modern thinking translates
it as 'foreign king', and the Hykos are usually accepted as being
refugees from Palestine, although Edom has also been claimed for
the source.
It
is possible that the Hyksos were driven to invade Egypt by the same
famine in the Near East which caused the Israelites to migrate towards
Egypt. Hurrians were also beginning to campaign into Syria and the
Levant and may have pushed refugees southwards. At the same time
as Memphis fell to the Hyksos, the native Thebans set up the rival
Seventeenth Dynasty which fought to free Egypt.
An
interesting discovery from the more recent post-communist era archaeology
in China is the realisation that much of the nation's Bronze Age
technology came from regions outside China. Bronze that arrived
in China originated in the Babylonia-dominated Near East or ancient
Egypt. Some of the wilder theories have put this down to an epic
migration from Egypt to China, seemingly during the Hyksos period
when long-distance seaborne travel was a definite possibility, although
the distances involved in this case may have been far too great.
A more prosaic consensus is that bronze was transmitted into China
from Central Asia by a slow process of cultural exchange (trade,
tribute, dowry) across the northern frontier, mediated by Eurasian
steppe pastoralists who had contacts with indigenous groups in both
regions. However, intriguingly, Sima Qian in his first century historiography,
the Records of the Grand Historian, wrote in his description of
the topography of the Xia empire, 'northwards the stream is divided
and becomes the nine rivers. Reunited, it forms the opposing river
and flows into the sea'. This was not a description of the Yellow
River, which runs from east to west. The world's only great river
to flow south to north is the Nile, with the 'nine rivers' being
the Nile delta where it meets the Mediterranean. So far, no conclusive
explanation has been provided for this.
(Additional
information by Edward Dawson, and from External Link: Does Chinese
Civilisation Come From Ancient Egypt?)
New
Dating c.1705 - 1685 BC :
Salitis
: Reigned for 20 years.
Sakir-Har
: Named as an early king but position uncertain.
New
Dating c.1674 - 1671 BC :
Sheshi : Reigned for either 3 or 1 years.
Yakubher
New
Dating c.1620 BC :
Khyan
: Reigned 30-40 years.
New
Dating c.1580 - 1540 BC :
Apepi
I
New
Dating c.1550 - 1540 BC :
Apepi
II? : May be the same man as Apepi I.
New
Dating c.1540 - 1534 BC :
Khamudi : Obscure.
New
Dating c.1663 - 1555 BC :
Sixteenth
(Theban) Dynasty (Egypt) :
c.1663 - 1555 BC
This
Theban dynasty was a local group based on the north coast of the
Sinai (Pelusium), and cover a period of time when Egypt was split
into a set of small Hyksos-ruled kingdoms. The rulers were contemporary
with the Fifteenth Dynasty.
They
are known mainly from their entries in the Turin King List, and
are mostly unknown elsewhere. Dates and in some cases, order of
reign, are also unknown. It s unclear how the names listed in green
fit in with the rest of the list, except that all but the last reigned
before Bebankh, as he is mentioned in both lists.
Anat-her
User-anat
Semqen
Djehuty
(Sekhemresementawy) :Reigned for 3 years. May be
the same as Semqen.
Zaket
Wasa
Qar
Pepi
III
Sobekhotep
VIII (Sekhemresewosertawy) :Reigned for 16 years.
Neferhotep
III (Sekhemresankhtawy) : Reigned for 1 year.
Mentuhotepi
(Sankhenra) : Reigned for 1 year.
Nebiryraw
I (Sewadjenra) : Reigned for 26 years.
Nebiryraw
II : Reigned for 3 months?
?
(Semenra) : Reigned before Bebankh for 1 year?
Bebankh
/ Bebiankh (Sewoserenra) : Reigned for 12 years.
?
(Sekhemreshedwaset) : Reigned after Bebankh for 3 months?
Nebmaatre
Nikare
II
Aahotepre
Nubankhre
Nubuserre
Khauserre
Khamure
Jacob-Baal
Yakbam/Sekkhaenre?
: Yakbam is an Amorite name.
Yoam
Amu
New
Dating 1650 - 1550 BC :
Seventeenth
(Theban) Dynasty (Egypt) :
1680 - 1580 BC
At
around the time Memphis fell to the Hyksos, the native Egyptian
ruling house in Thebes declared its independence and set itself
up as the Seventeenth Dynasty. This dynasty eventually drove the
Hyksos out of Egypt. The last two pharaohs of the dynasty opposed
the Hyksos rule over Egypt and initiated a war that would rid Egypt
of the Hyksos kings and began a period of unified rule which is
known as the New Kingdom.
Rahotep
Sekhemrewahkhaw
Intef
V the Elder : Reigned for 3 years.
Sobekemsaf
I
Sekhemreshedtawy
The
Theban kings of the Seventeenth Dynasty locate their tombs in part
of the Theban necropolis now known as Dra Abu el-Naga. They incorporate
small pyramids in their building. Though the position of some tombs
is known by the early nineteenth century AD, they are subsequently
lost.
![](Mummies06_DynastyXVII_full.jpg)
A
sarcophagus from the Theban necropolis - known today as Dra Abu
el-Naga - which was located on the west bank of the Nile opposite
the city of Thebes in Upper Egypt
Antef
VI Sekhemrewepmaat
Antef
VII Nebkheperre
Intef
VIII Sekhemreherhermaat
Sobekemsaf
II Sekhemrewadjkhaw : Reigned for 7 years.Thuty Reigned
for 1 year.
Mentuhotep
VI : Reigned for 1 year.
Nebiryerawet
I : Reigned for 6 years.
Nebiryerawet
II
Semenmedjatre
Seuserenre
: Reigned for 12 years.
Shedwast
Intef
VII
New
Dating 1559 - 1558 BC :
Tao
I the Elder Senakhtenre : Reigned for 1 year.
New
Dating 1558 - 1554 BC :
Tao
II the Brave Seqenenre : Reigned for 4 years.
New
Dating 1554 - 1549 BC :
Kamose
: Second son. Reigned for 5 years.
Old
Dating fl 1580 BC :
Apophis
of Avaris : Position unclear, but reigned
at end of the dynasty.
Old
Dating 1580 BC :
Egypt
is freed from Hyksos rule by Kamose. Nubia is regained.
Egypt's
New Kingdom :
FeatureWith
the Hyksos thrown out of Egypt and the country reunited under native
rule, the descendants of the Seventeenth Dynasty pharaohs formed
the Eighteenth Dynasty. Quite probably as a result of the foreign
rule of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period, the New
Kingdom saw Egypt attempt to create a buffer between the Levant
and Egypt through military dominance abroad, creating Egypt's greatest
territorial gains. It expanded far into Nubia in the south, and
held wide territories in the Near East. Egyptian armies fought against
Hittite armies for control of ancient Syria. Egypt also began to
construct a chain of impressive forts, part of the militarisation
of the Sinai. There would be no repeat of the Hyksos invasion while
Egypt was capable of ensuring that fact.
New
Dating 1550 - 1292 BC :
Eighteenth
(Diospolite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
1580 - 1315 BC
The
Eighteenth Dynasty had its capital at Thebes, although much of the
administration probably remained at Memphis. The dynasty contained
some of Egypt's most famous pharaohs including Ahmose I, Hapshepsut,
Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun. Queen Hatshepsut
concentrated on expanding Egypt's external trade, sending a commercial
expedition to the land of Punt. Thutmose III ('the Napoleon of Egypt')
expanded Egypt's army and wielded it with great success, militarising
the eastern border and ensuring Egypt was properly defended.
(Additional
information from The Amarna Letters, William L Moran, 1992, from
The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, Aidan Dodson &
Dyan Hilton, from Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, Peter der
Manuelian, and from the Egypt Exploration Society.)
New
Dating 1550 - 1525 BC and Old Dating 1580 - 1557 BC :
Amasis
(Ahmosi I) : Son of Kamose.
New
Kingdom pharaohs begin the practice of burial in rock-cut tombs
in the Valley of the Kings. They also immediately take control of
the Canaanite city of Hazor.
New
Dating 1525 - 1504 BC and Old Dating 1557 - 1540 BC :
Amenhotep
I : Son.
New
Dating 1504 - 1492 BC and Old Dating 1540 - 1505 BC :
Tuthmosis
I (Thotmes) : Son. Re-conquered Nubia.
With
the resurgence in Egyptian power, attention is turned again towards
Nubia, where locals had created their own state or states during
the Egyptian Intermediate Period, and now openly rebel when Tuthmosis
gains the throne. A campaign south sees Nubia defeated and Egypt
resumes control there. A swift campaign through Canaan and Syria
follows in the pharaoh's second year.
New
Dating 1492 - 1479 BC and Old Dating 1505 - 1501 BC :
Tuthmosis
II (Thotmes) : Son. Died aged 24.
New
Dating 1479 - 1458 BC and Old Dating 1501 - 1479 BC :
Hatshepsut
: Regent and queen. Reasons for death unknown.
New
Dating 1477 BC and Old Dating 1503 BC :
Following
the sudden, and unexpected early death of Tuthmosis II, Hatshepsut,
the daughter of Tuthmosis I and half-sister and wife of the dead
king, acts as regent to the infant Tuthmosis III for the first two
years of her reign. He is the son of Tuthmosis II and a junior wife
who is unsuitable to act as regent. In 1503 Hatshepsut declares
herself pharaoh and reigns for twenty-two years in a 'Gloriana'
reign equivalent to that of Elizabeth I's of England.
New
Dating 1479 - 1425 BC and Old Dating 1501 - 1447 BC :
Tuthmosis
III (Thotmes) : Built first Egyptian empire.
New
Dating 1478 BC :
Tuthmosis
begins to permanently extend Egypt's influence in the Near East
by conquering Palestine, and Canaan and entering into Syria on the
southern borders of Mitanni.
New
Dating 1473 BC :
Deir
el-Medina is founded as a village of craftsmen responsible for Egyptian
royal tombs.
New
Dating 1458 BC and Old Dating 1479 BC :
Tuthmosis
III gains the throne and immediately sets about removing any evidence
of his stepmother's reign, bricking over her obelisks in the Luxor
Temple and ordering images of her and cartouches bearing her name
to be chiselled off walls.
Old
Dating c.1400's BC :
Egypt
is expanded to the Euphrates and the Fourth Cataract of the Nile.
New
Dating 1453 BC :
Tuthmosis
defeats Mitanni at the battle of Megiddo. Cyprus is also brought
under Egyptian control. Egypt's territories in the Levant and Syria
reach up to Amurru and include Canaan.
New
Dating 1425 - 1400 BC and Old Dating 1447 - 1420 BC :
Amenhotep
II : Son.
Oubensenou
(also translated as Ouebsenou or Webensenu) is probably a son of
Amenhotep II. His precise placing in the order of the pharaoh's
children is unknown, and at least one scholar, Catharine H Roehrig,
suggests that Tuthmosis III is actually his father. Dodson and Hilton
state that he is a son of Amenhotep II who dies as a child and is
buried with his father in tomb KV35. Peter der Manuelian refers
to him as 'king's son and overseer of horses', and Betsy Bryan has
suggested that he is born in the first five years of Amenhotep reign.
New
Dating 1400 - 1388 BC and Old Dating 1420 - 1411 BC :
Tuthmosis
(Thotmes) IV : Son. Marries daughter of
the Mitanni king.
New
Dating 1388 - 1352 BC and Old Dating 1411 - 1375 BC :
Amenhotep
III : Son. Nicknamed 'the debauched'.
Old
Dating c.1385 BC :
Amenhotep
first marries the daughter of the Mitanni king Shuttarna II, the
two kingdoms then being firm allies, and later marries the daughter
of a successor, Tushratta.
![](AmenhotepIII_Tablet01_full.jpg)
The
cuneiform tablet inscribed with a letter from Tushratta, king of
Mitanni, to Pharaoh Amenhotep III, covers various subjects such
as the killing of the murderers of the Mitanni king's brother and
a fight against the Hittites
New
Dating 1352 - 1334 BC and Old Dating 1375 - 1358 BC :
Amenhotep
IV / Akhenaten : Son.
New
Dating 1348 BC and Old Dating 1371 BC :
Akhenaten
institutes monotheism in the fourth year of his reign with the sole
worship of the sun god Aton. In the following year he founds a new
capital at Amarna. Unfortunately Egypt is not yet ready to abandon
its many gods and, following the pharaoh's death virtually all traces
of this 'heretic' and his beautiful wife, Nefertiti, are erased
from history.
During
his period of rule from there the Amarna letters are written - diplomatic
correspondence with Assur-Uballit I of Assyria, the Kassite rulers
of Babylonia, plus Mitanni, the Hittites, Alashiya, Arzawa, and
the city states of Syria and Canaan - which includes descriptions
of the disruptive activities of the 'habiru'.
New
Dating 1352 - 1339 BC and Old Dating 1375 - 1361 BC :
Nefertiti
: Wife & co-regent.
New
Dating 1334 - 1333 BC and Old Dating 1358 - 1357 BC
:
Smenkhare
(Sakere) : Son-in-law of Akhenaten (or Nefertiti renamed?).
New
Dating 1333 - 1324 BC and Old Dating 1357 - 1352 BC
:
Tutankhamun
: Probable son of Akhenaten.
The
eight year-old Tutankhamun's accession is probably handled by Ai,
the priest and master of horse for Akhenaten. To ensure that no
outside interests gain a foothold in what is now his power base,
he chooses the boy pharaoh's elder sister to be the queen. However,
Tutankhamun's comparatively brief reign is halted by a hunting accident
and subsequent blood poisoning. No curse is attached to his tomb.
Following
his untimely death, Ankhesenamen, his young wife, seemingly succeeds
him, but his regent (and possibly her grandfather), Ai, cements
his own position by marrying Ankhesenamen.
New
Dating 1324 - 1320 BC and Old Dating 1351 - 1350 BC
:
Ankhesenamen
/ Kheperkheprure : Wife of Tutankhamun. Also known as Eje.
New
Dating 1320 - 1316 BC and Old Dating 1350 - 1346 BC
:
Ai
: Regent to Tutankhamun & Ankhesenamen?
Old
Dating c.1300 BC :
Egypt
still conducts profitable trade with Damas in Syria, as witnessed
by the building of a series of border fortresses as the former seeks
to control the Sinai. The fortresses help to defend Egypt's trade
route to Damas, which also passes through Edom and Moab at this
time.
![](Sinai_Tell-Habua01_full.jpg)
The
archaeological discovery of the Egyptian fort of Tell Habua (ancient
Tharu, built around 1000 BC) near the Suez Canal underlined Egypt's
policy of maintaining border fortresses on its eastern flank
New
Dating 1316 - 1292 BC and Old Dating 1346 - 1315 BC :
Djeserkheperure
Horemheb : Former C-in-C of Army (this
is disputed).
New
Dating 1292 - 1186 BC :
Nineteenth
(Diospolite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
1315 - 1198 BC
Djeserkheperure
Horemheb was the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. After seizing
back his position of designated crown prince from the 'usurper',
Ai, and because he had no heir of his own, he appointed his vizier,
Paramesse as his chosen successor before his death. Paramesse employed
the name Ramses I upon assuming power. The Nineteenth Dynasty set
about erasing the name of Tutankhamun from history.
However,
they did continue to use the Valley of the Kings for royal burials.
One tomb was dug out just five metres away from Tutankhamun's tomb
(probably not the best way of inducing complete forgetfulness of
the boy pharaoh) and seven coffins were placed there, one of which
contained a garland which survived for three thousand years to be
discovered by archaeologists.
(Additional
information from the NOVA/PBS documentary series, The Bible's Buried
Secrets, first broadcast 18 November 2008.)
New
Dating 1292 - 1290 BC and Old Dating 1315 - 1314 BC :
Ramses
I : Army general.
New
Dating 1290 - 1279 BC and Old Dating 1313 - 1292 BC :
Seti
I : Son.
New
Dating 1279 - 1213 BC and Old Dating 1292 - 1225 BC :
Ramses
II (the Great) : Son. Co-regent 1292.
New
Dating 1275 BC and Old Dating 1286/1258 BC :
Ramses
reaches a stalemate with the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh, after
which the earliest known peace treaty is signed in 1258 BC. Ramses
limits his control to southern Palestine, where he draws a firm
and fortified boundary. A statue erected at Luxor by Ramses II lists
Mu'ab as one of a series of states conquered by him during a campaign,
usually assumed to be Moab.
Ramses
II is known during his reign as the oppressor of the Israelites,
and he may be the unnamed pharaoh of the Old Testament, but whether
the well-known story of the Israelite exodus from Egypt occurs at
this point in time is still unproven and highly debatable. Egyptian
control over the Levant (including Canaan) gradually slips away
despite large chariot-driven forces and supporting foot soldiers.
Instead, Ramses constructs a series of forts close to the Egyptian
border.
![](DynastyXIX_Deity01_full.jpg)
Wooden
figure of a jackal-headed deity from the Valley of the Kings, Nineteenth
or Twentieth Dynasty, representing either Anubis or Duamutef, one
of the four sons of Horus
New
Dating 1213 - 1203 BC and Old Dating 1225 - 1215 BC :
Merneptah
: Son.
1208
BC :
In
his fifth year, Merneptah claims to successfully repel an attack
by Libyans and an assortment of people from the north (including
a detachment of the Lukka), whom he calls 'of the countries of the
sea', or Sea Peoples. They try to enter Egypt by force, but also
bring their families and cattle, clearly intending to stay.
In
a brief addendum near the bottom of the stele which captures this
glory (now exhibited in the Cairo Museum), Merneptah also mentions
that Ashkelon, Gezer, and Yanoam (in the north Jordan Valley) have
been captured and that Israel 'has been shorn. Its seed no longer
exists'. The first two cities have probably already been captured
by the invading Philistines and are therefore targets for 'rescue'
by a civilised king. Israel, too, is the name given to a recently-arrived
or formed group which would need to be brought to heel (although
the claim that its seed no longer exists is mere boastfulness).
This is the earliest definitive mention in history of a people named
'Israel'.
New
Dating 1203 - 1200 BC :
Amenemses
c.1200
BC :
Egypt
gains overlordship of Canaan, and perhaps the Israelites and Philistines,
both of which are only just settling in the region.
New
Dating 1200 - 1194 BC and Old Dating 1215 - 1212 BC
:
Seti
II
New
Dating 1194 - 1188 BC and Old Dating 1215 - 1209 BC
:
Siptak
: Rival Regent.
New
Dating 1188 - 1186 BC :
Tausret
(Pielady) : Queen.
New
Dating 1185 - 1075 BC :
Twentieth
(Diospolite) Dynasty (Egypt) :
1198 - 1150 BC
As
happened under the later Nineteenth Dynasty, this group struggled
under the effects of the bickering between the heirs of Ramses III.
However, at this time Egypt was also increasingly beset by a series
of droughts, below-normal flooding levels of the Nile, famine, civil
unrest and official corruption - all of which would limit the managerial
abilities of any king. The kingdom declined, and with it, Egyptian
influence outside its own borders.
The
power of the last king, Ramses XI, grew so weak that in the south
the High Priests of Amun at Thebes became the effective de facto
rulers of Upper Egypt, while Smendes controlled Lower Egypt even
before Ramses XI's death. Smendes would eventually found the Twenty-First
dynasty at Tanis. In fact, the whole region, from Syria and the
Levant, to the Hittites in Anatolia, and Assyria and Babylonia,
was at this time in the grip of a dark age resulting from the general
instability of circa 1200 BC, and a new people, the Aramaeans, were
migrating into Mesopotamia and Syria, exacerbating the situation.
New
Dating 1185 - 1183 BC and Old Dating 1198 BC :
Setnakhte
New
Dating 1183 - 1152 BC and Old Dating 1198 - 1167 BC :
Ramses
III : Son. Last great pharaoh. Murdered.
New
Dating 1178 - 1175 BC and Old Dating 1193 - 1190 BC :
In
his fifth year (1179 BC), Ramses fights off attacks from people
from the north, almost certainly the Sea Peoples. In his eighth
year (1176 BC), as well as defeating another attack, he provides
an overview of the general collapse in the eastern Mediterranean
in the face of attacks by the Sea Peoples. The twelfth year (1172
BC) sees another attack. However, Ramses may be claiming the victories
of his predecessor, Merneptah, although his statements do highlight
Egypt's loss of influence outside its own borders by this date.
There is a possibility that these defeated Sea Peoples include the
Philistines, the defeat forcing them to settle Canaan instead.
New
Dating 1152 BC and Old Dating 1167 BC :
A
plot to extract revenge is hatched by Tey (or Tiye), one of Ramses'
wives, who has been overlooked for the position of principal wife
when the pharaoh had chosen another wife, Isis. The plot results
in the murder of Ramses and an armed uprising. Isis and her son,
Ramses IV, defeat the uprising and the conspirators, including many
senior figures, are sentenced to death. The eldest son of Tey, Pentawere,
is the only one of Ramses' sons to join the uprising. He is tried
and found guilty, and subsequently takes his own life.
Modern
CT scanning techniques have revealed that Ramses has his throat
slit to kill him, and the embalmers who mummify his body embed a
Horus eye in the wound, a charm that is most probably intended to
promote healing. Pentawere seems to have been strangled, possibly
meaning that he has someone else end his life on his orders. The
process of mummification has been perfected by this point, with
fashion and cost even influencing the choice of materials to use.
The
mummy of the last great pharaoh, Ramses III, revealed the fact that
his throat had been slit to a width of seven centimetres, more then
enough to kill him instantly
New
Dating 1152 - 1146 BC and Old Dating 1167 - 1161 BC :
Ramses
IV : Son. Lost Philistia and part of Syria to Assyria.
New
Dating 1146 - 1142 BC and Old Dating 1161 - 1157 BC
:
Ramses
V
Ramses
VI
New
Dating 1134 - 1126 BC :
Ramses
VII
Old
Dating c.1120 - 1060 BC :
Partition
of Egypt into the power domains of the High Priests of Amun (Ammon)
in Thebes and the Pharaohs in Tanis. It is Smendes, a northern relative
of the then-high priest of Amun, who gains the throne in 1060 BC,
heralding the start of the Twenty-First dynasty.
New
Dating 1126 - 1124 BC and Old Dating - 1142 BC
:
Ramses
VIII
New
Dating 1124 - 1106 BC and Old Dating 1142 - 1123 BC
:
Ramses
IX
New
Dating 1115 - 1077 BC :
Assyria
takes complete control of Syria and Armenia from a weakened Egypt.
New
Dating 1106 - 1102 BC :
Ramses
X
New
Dating 1102 - 1069 BC and Old Dating 1118 - 1090 BC
:
Ramses
XI : Stripped of power by High Priest of Amun Herihor.
New
Dating c.1100 BC :
The
Onomasticon of Amenemope document appears to confirm that the former
Sea Peoples, the Peleshet, Sherden, and Tjekker, are still settled
in Philistia.
New
Dating 1075 BC and Old Dating 1090 BC :
Egypt
loses control of its dominions in Nubia. End of the New Kingdom
period.
The
Third Intermediate Period begins in Egypt.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsAfrica/EgyptAncient.htm
#6th%20Dynasty