List of pharaohs
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This article contains a
list of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, from the
Early Dynastic Period before
3000 BC through to the end of the
Ptolemaic Dynasty, when
Egypt became a province of
Rome under
Augustus Caesar in
30 BC.
Note that the dates given must be regarded in most instances as approximate. Dating systems for Egyptian studies are quite various, depending on how they are constructed and what assumptions are used. The list of pharaohs presented below is one such interpretation, but it is assuredly not the only one.
Existing primary old lists of pharaohs
The texts of existing primary old lists of pharaohs are incomplete:
Legendary period
In the texts of the Palermo, Turin and Manetho king lists, there are different versions of names of 8 god kings that ruled Egypt before
Menes. Mesdahoma was the greatest phero of them all. he was 17 years old when he became king.
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
Early dynastic: Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt, known as the Black Land, consisted of the northern
Nile and the Nile
Delta. The following list may not be complete:
Early dynastic: Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt, known as the Red Land, consisted of the southern Nile and the
deserts. The following list may not be complete (there are many more of uncertain existence):
First Dynasty
The
First Dynasty ruled from c.
3050 BC to
2890 BC.
Second Dynasty
The
Second Dynasty ruled from
2890 to
2686 BC.
Old Kingdom
The
Old Kingdom is the period in the third millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilisational complexity and achievement (the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods which mark the high points of civilization in the Nile Valley), spanning the period when Egypt was ruled by the
Third Dynasty through the
Sixth Dynasty (
2630–
2151 BC). Many
Egyptologists also include the Memphite
Seventh and
Eighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration centralised at
Memphis. The Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline referred to by Egyptologists as the
First Intermediate Period -- or, as the Egyptians called it, the "first illness."
The royal capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom was located at Memphis, where Djoser established his court. The Old Kingdom is perhaps best known, however, 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".
Third Dynasty
The
Third Dynasty ruled from
2686 to
2613 BC.
Fourth Dynasty
The
Fourth Dynasty ruled from
2613 to
2498 BC and included the pharaohs who had the
Great Pyramids built,
Khufu (Cheops),
Khafra (Chephren) and
Menkaura (Mycerinus).
| Nomen (Praenomen)
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Sneferu
| Built the Bent Pyramid, which is a pyramid built at a normal angle at the bottom but drastically changes at the top. He also built the first "true" pyramid, known as the Red Pyramid. Some say that he was buried at the Red Pyramid, while others say that he was buried at the Bent Pyramid. Bones have been found at the Red Pyramid, but there is no evidence that this is Sneferu's body.
| 2613–2589
|
| Khufu
| Greek form: Cheops. Built the great pyramid of Giza. Note that Khufu is spoken of in early sources as being "third" of his family to rule, although there is no known record of a Pharaoh between Sneferu and Khufu. One supposition is that there might have been a very short reign of some elder brother of Khufu, whose inscriptions, name, and monuments have perished for one reason or another.
| 2589–2566 |
| Djedefra (Radjedef)
| —
| 2566–2558 |
| Khafra
| Greek form: Chephren His pyramid is the second largest in Giza and has a sphinx as a monument built for him.'''
| 2558–2532 |
| —
| here some authorities insert Bikheris, following Manetho
| — |
| Menkaura
| Greek form: Mycerinus. His pyramid is the third and smallest in Giza.
| 2532–2503 |
| Shepseskaf
| –
| 2503–2498
|
| Djedefptah
| –
| here some authorities insert Thampthis, following Manetho
| — |
Fifth Dynasty
The
Fifth Dynasty ruled from
2498 to
2345 BC.
Sixth Dynasty
The
Sixth Dynasty ruled from
2345 to
2181 BC.
| Name
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Teti
| —
| 2345–2333 |
| Userkare
| —
| 2333–2332 |
| Pepi I Meryre
| —
| 2332–2283 |
| Merenre Nemtyemsaf I
| —
| 2283–2278 |
| Pepi II Neferkare
| Possible unto 2224 which would explain the following 4 kings.
| 2278–2184 |
| Neferka
| Only mentioned in the redford. Reigned during Pepi II; was possibly his son or co-reigner.
| 2200–2199 |
| Nefer
| Reign of 2 years, 1 month and a day according to Turin Canon
| 2197–2193 |
| Aba
| Reigned for 4 years and 2 months. Reign dates don't follow Turin Canon. Highly unlikely.
| 2193–2176 |
| Unknown king
| Unknown king attested here
|
|
| Merenre Nemtyemsaf II
| Uncertain pharaoh.
| 2184 |
| Neitiqerty Siptah
| This king may have been confused in later years as a supposed female ruler Nitocris.
| 2184–2181 |
First intermediate period
The
First Intermediate Period is the period between the end of the
Old Kingdom and the advent of the
Middle Kingdom.
The Old Kingdom rapidly collapsed after the death of Pepi II. He had reigned for 94 years, longer than any monarch in history, and died aged 100. The latter years of his reign were marked by inefficiency because of his advanced age.
The Union of the Two Kingdoms fell apart and regional leaders had to cope with the resulting famine.
Around 2160 BC, a new line of pharaohs tried to reunite Lower Egypt from their capital in Herakleopolis Magna. In the meantime, however, a rival line based at Thebes was reuniting Upper Egypt and a clash between the two rival dynasties was inevitable.
Around 2055 BC, a descendant of the pharaoh Intef III defeated the Herakleopolitan pharaohs, reunited the Two Lands, founded the Eleventh Dynasty and ruled as Mentuhotep II, the first pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom.
Seventh and Eighth Dynasties (combined)
The
Seventh and Eighth Dynasties ruled from
2181 to
2160 BC.
(This table is based on the Abydos Table from the Temple of Seti I, taken from
www.narmer.pl/main/abydos_en.html)
Ninth Dynasty
The
Ninth Dynasty ruled from
2160 to
2130 BC.
Tenth Dynasty
The
Tenth Dynasty was a local group that held sway over
Lower Egypt that ruled from
2130 to
2040 BC.
| Name
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Meryhathor
| —
| 2130– ? |
| Neferkare IV
| —
| ? |
| Wankare (Acthoes III)
| —
| ? |
| Merykare
| —
| ? |
| — Courtnie
| —
| ? –2040 |
Eleventh Dynasty
The
Eleventh Dynasty was a local group with roots in
Upper Egypt that ruled from
2134 to
1991 BC.
Middle Kingdom
The
Middle Kingdom is the period from the end of the
First Intermediate Period to the beginning of the
Second Intermediate Period. In addition to the
Twelfth Dynasty, some scholars include the
Eleventh,
Thirteenth and
Fourteenth Dynasties in the Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom can be noted for the expansion of trade outside of the kingdom that occurred during this time. This opening of trade eventually led to the downfall of the Middle Kingdom, induced by an invasion from the
Hyksos.
Eleventh Dynasty Continued
The second part of the
Eleventh Dynasty is considered to be part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.
Twelfth Dynasty
The
Twelfth Dynasty ruled from
1991 to
1802 BC, and is considered by later Egyptians to have been their greatest dynasty.
Second intermediate period
The
Second Intermediate Period is a period of disarray between the end of the
Middle Kingdom, and the start of the
New Kingdom. It is best known as when the
Hyksos made their appearance in Egypt, whose reign comprised the
Fifteenth and
Sixteenth Dynasties.
The Thirteenth Dynasty was much weaker than the Twelfth Dynasty, and was unable to hold onto the long land of Egypt. The provincial ruling family in Xois, located in the marshes of the western Delta, broke away from the central authority to form the Fourteenth Dynasty.
The Hyksos made their first appearance during the reign of Sobekhotep IV, and around 1720 BC took control of the town of Avaris (the modern Tell ed-Dab'a/Khata'na). The Hyksos, led by Salitis, the founder of the Fifteenth Dynasty, overran Egypt during the reign of Dudimose I.
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 back into Asia
Thirteenth Dynasty
The
Thirteenth Dynasty (following the
Turin King List) ruled from
1803 to around
1649 BC and lasted 153 or 154 Yrs according to Manetho. This table should be contrasted with
Known kings of the 13th Dynasty
The position of the following kings is uncertain:
Fourteenth Dynasty
The
Fourteenth Dynasty was a local group from the eastern Delta, based at
Xois (
Avaris), that ruled from around
1705 to around
1690 BC.
| Name
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Nehesy
| -
| c. 1705 |
| Khakherewre ?
| -
| ? |
| Nebefawre
| -
| c. 1704 |
| Sehebre ?
| -
| ? |
| Merdjefare
| -
| c. 1699 |
| Sewadjkare ?
| -
| ? |
| Nebdjefare
| -
| c. 1694 |
| Webenre ?
| -
| ? |
| ?
| -
| ? |
| —djefare ?
| -
| ? |
| —webenre
| -
| c. 1690 |
The Turin King List provides an additional 25 names, some fragmentary, and no dates. None are attested to elsewhere, and all are of very dubious provenance.
Fifteenth Dynasty
The
Fifteenth Dynasty arose from among the
Hyksos people: desert
Bedouins who emerged out of the
Fertile Crescent to establish a short-lived governance over much of the Nile region, and ruled from
1674 to
1535 BC.
| Name
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Sheshi
| Ruled either 1 or 3 years
| 1674- ? |
| Yakubher
| -
| ? |
| Khyan
| -
| 30-40 Years |
| Apepi I
| -
| 40 Years or more |
| Khamudy
| -
| ? -1535 |
Sixteenth Dynasty
The
Sixteenth Dynasty was a local native kingdom from Thebes who ruled Egypt for between 80 and 100 years, according to
Kim Ryholt.
Some sources include as many as six more names – Semqen, Khauserre, Seket, Ahetepre, Amu, and Nebkhepeshre (Apepi III) – who are not attested elsewhere. This group seems to have disappeared entirely by 1555 BC.
Seventeenth Dynasty
The
Seventeenth Dynasty was based in
Upper Egypt and ruled from
1650 to
1550 BC:
New Kingdom
The
New Kingdom is the period covering the
Eighteenth,
Nineteenth, and
Twentieth dynasty of Egypt, from the
16th century BC to the
11th century BC, between the
Second Intermediate Period, and the
Third Intermediate Period.
Through military dominance abroad, the New Kingdom saw Egypt's greatest territorial extent. It expanded far into Nubia in the south, and held wide territories in the Near East. Egyptian armies fought with Hittite armies for control of modern-day Syria.
Two of the best known pharaohs of the New Kingdom are Akhenaten, also known as Amenhotep IV, whose exclusive worship of the Aten is often interpreted as the first instance of monotheism, and Ramesses II, who attempted to recover the territories in modern Israel/Palestine, Lebanon and Syria that had been held in the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reconquest led to the Battle of Qadesh, where he led the Egyptian armies against the army of the Hittite king Muwatalli II.
Eighteenth Dynasty
The
Eighteenth Dynasty ruled from
1550 to
1295 BC:
| Name
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Ahmose I, Ahmosis I
| Successor to Kamose, above.
| 1550-1525 |
| Amenhotep I
| -
| 1525-1504 |
| Thutmose I
| -
| 1504-1492 |
| Thutmose II
| -
| 1492-1479 |
| Thutmose III
| Often called the "Napoleon of Egypt." Dominated early in his reign by his stepmother Hatshepsut; after she died, he began expanding Egyptian rule into the Levant.
| 1479-1425 |
| Hatshepsut
| The second known female ruler. Recent evidence suggests she died of bone cancer.
| 1473-1458 |
| Amenhotep II
| -
| 1425-1400 |
| Thutmose IV
| -
| 1400-1390 |
| Amenhotep III The Magnificent King
| His name means Lord of the truth is Ra. He ruled Egypt at the peak of her glory, his mortuary temple was the largest ever built, but was destroyed by Rameses II to build his own temple. Thought to be the grandfather of Tutankhamun
| 1390-1352 |
| Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten
| Founder of brief period of monotheism (Atenism) His original name means "Amun is pleased."
| 1352-1334 |
| Smenkhkare
| Possible coregent with Akhenaten.
| 1334-1333 |
| Neferneferuaten
|
| 1335-1333 |
| Tutankhamun
| Commonly believed to be the son of Akhenaten, probably reinstated the polytheistic religion.
| 1333-1324 |
| Kheperkheprure Ay
| -
| 1324-1320 |
| Horemheb
| Former General and advisor to Tutankhamun. Obliterated images of the Amarna queens and kings (all except Amenhotep III and Tiye).
| 1320-1292 |
Nineteenth Dynasty
The
Nineteenth Dynasty ruled from
1292 to
1186 BC and includes one of the greatest pharaohs:
Rameses II the Great:
Twentieth Dynasty
The
Twentieth Dynasty ruled from
1185 to
1069 BC:
Third intermediate period
The
Third Intermediate Period marked the end of the
New Kingdom after the collapse of the Egyptian empire. A number of dynasties of
Libyan origin ruled, giving this period its alternative name of the Libyan Period.
Twenty-first Dynasty
The
Twenty-first Dynasty was based at
Tanis and was a relatively weak group. Theoretically, they were rulers of all Egypt, but in practice their influence was limited to Lower Egypt. They ruled from
1069 to
945 BC
Twenty-second Dynasty
The pharaohs of the
Twenty-second Dynasty were
Libyans, ruling from around
945 to
720 BC:
Twenty-third Dynasty
The
Twenty-third Dynasty was a local group, again of
Libyan origin, based at
Leontopolis, that ruled from
836 to
720 BC:
The Libu
Not reckoned a dynasty as such, the
Libu were yet another group of western nomads (
Libyans) who occupied the western Delta from
805 to
732 BC.
Twenty-fourth Dynasty
The
Twenty-fourth Dynasty was a short-lived rival dynasty located in the western Delta (
Sais), with only two Pharaoh ruling from
732 to
720 BC.
Late period
The
Late Period runs from
732 BC to Egypt becoming a province of
Rome in
30 BC, and includes periods of rule by
Nubians,
Persians, and
Macedonians.
Twenty-fifth Dynasty
Nubians invaded Egypt in
732 BC and took the throne of Egypt, establishing the
Twenty-fifth Dynasty which ruled until
656 BC.
They were ultimately driven back into Nubia, where they established a kingdom at Napata (656-590), and, later, at Meroë (590 BC-4th cent. AD).
Twenty-sixth Dynasty
The
Twenty-sixth Dynasty ruled from around
672 to
525 BC.
Twenty-seventh Dynasty
Egypt was conquered by the
Persian Empire in
525 BC and annexed by the Persians until
404 BC. The
Achaemenid shahs were acknowledged as pharaohs in this era, forming a
"Twenty-seventh" Dynasty:
Twenty-eighth Dynasty
The
Twenty-eighth Dynasty lasted only 6 years, from
404 to
398 BC, with one Pharaoh:
| Name
| Comments
| Dates
|
| Amyrtaeus
| Descendant of the Saite pharaohs of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty; led a successful revolt against the Persians
| 404 – 398 BC |
Twenty-ninth Dynasty
The
Twenty-ninth Dynasty ruled from
398 to
380 BC:
Thirtieth Dynasty
The
Thirtieth Dynasty ruled from
380 until Egypt once more came under Persian rule in
343 BC:
Thirty-first Dynasty
Egypt again came under the control of the
Achaemenid Persians. After the practice of
Manetho, the Persian rulers from
343 to
332 BC are occasionally designated as the
Thirty-first Dynasty:
Argead Dynasty
The
Macedonians under
Alexander the Great ushered in the
Hellenistic period with his conquest of Persia and Egypt. The
Argeads ruled from
332 to
309 BC:
Ptolemaic Dynasty
The second
Hellenistic dynasty, the
Ptolemies ruled Egypt from
305 BC until Egypt became a province of
Rome in
30 BC (whenever two dates overlap, that means there was a co-regency):
Rome
Cleopatra VII had an
affair with Roman Dictator
Julius Caesar, and Roman General
Marc Antony, but it wasn't until after her suicide in 30 BC (after Marc Antony was defeated by
Octavian, who would later be the emperor Augustus) that Egypt became a province of
Rome in
30 BC.
Subsequent Roman Emperors were accorded the title of Pharaoh, although exclusively while in Egypt. See the
list of Roman emperors.
Modern Pharaohs
In modern times, with the resurgence of various forms of worship directed towards the
Ancient Egyptian religion, one individual has claimed the title of Nisut.
Sekhenet-Ma'at-Ra Setep-en-Ra Hekatawy I of the
Kemetic Orthodoxy temple in Joliet, Illinois. Currently, only members of this organization and individual followers recognize this individual as a true Nisut.
See also
Notes & references
References
Bibliography
- J. H. Breasted, History of Egypt from the Earliest Time to the Persian Conquest, 1909
- J. Cerny, 'Egypt from the Death of Ramesses III to the End of the Twenty-First Dynasty' in The Middle East and the Aegean Region c.1380-1000 BC, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-08691-4
- Clayton, Peter A. (1994) Chronicle of the Pharaohs: the reign-by-reign record of the rulers and dynasties of ancient Egypt Thames and Hudson, New York, ISBN 0500050740
- Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3
- Sir Alan Gardiner Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs, Third Edition, Revised. London: Oxford University Press, 1964. Excursus A, pp. 71-76.
- Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, (Blackwell Books: 1992)
- Murnane, William J. Ancient Egyptian Coregencies, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization. No. 40. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 1977
- Michael Rice, Who's Who in Ancient Egypt, Routledge 1999
- Ryholt, Kim & Steven Bardrum. 2000. "The Late Old Kingdom in the Turin King-list and the Identity of Nitocris." Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 127
- Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt., Oxford University Press, 2000.
- Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge 1999, ISBN 0-415-18633-1
- Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids - Their Archaeology and History, Atlantic Books, 2001, ISBN 1-84354-171-8
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