| Sequence Of
Events
Following is a selective list of important rulers
and the main events that occurred in their reigns. All dates are BC,
unless otherwise stated.
Predynastic Period (c.5000–3100 BC)
|
c.3400 |
The kingdom of Red Land is established in
the north, White Land in the south; they are ruled
concurrently under two kings.
|
|
c.3200 |
Scorpion, a southern king, makes
preliminary attempts to conquer the northern kingdom.
|
|
c.3100 |
Menes subdues the north and unifies the
two lands.
|
.
Archaic Period (c.3100–2686 BC)
|
Dynasty 1 (c.3100–2890) |
|
c.3100–? |
Menes founds the unified kingdom of Egypt
with capital at White Walls (Memphis). Beginning of the
historical period.
|
|
c.2985–2930 |
Den pursues an active foreign policy,
sending an expedition to Nubia. Innovations are introduced
in design of royal burial monument at Abydos. Double Crown
appears, symbolizing unity of the two predynastic kingdoms.
|
|
Dynasty 2 (c.2890–2686) |
|
c.2700 |
King Peribsen and supporters of the god
Seth lose struggle with supporters of the cult of Horus;
Horus becomes royal patron deity.
|
.
Old Kingdom (c.2686–c.2181 BC)
|
Dynasty 3 (c.2686–2613) |
|
c.2667–2648 |
King Djoser requests royal architect
Imhotep to design world’s first major stone building the
Step Pyramid at Saqqara.
|
|
c.2637–2613 |
Under Huni, construction is possibly
started on the transitional Meidum pyramid.
|
|
Dynasty 4 (c.2613–2494) |
|
c.2613–2589 |
Sneferu. Two pyramids are built at
Dahshur, including the Bent, or Blunted, Pyramid; the Meidum
pyramid is possibly also built.
|
|
c.2589–2566 |
Cheops. Great Pyramid at Giza is built;
it is the largest pyramid ever constructed.
|
|
c.2558–2533 |
Chephren. Second pyramid as well as the
Great Sphinx are built at Giza.
|
|
c.2528–2500 |
Mycerinus. Third pyramid at Giza is
constructed.
|
|
c.2500–2496 |
Shepseskaf. In break with pyramid
building tradition, the mastaba tomb is revived with the
building of the Mastabat Fara’un.
|
|
Dynasty 5 (c.2494–2345) |
|
c.2494–2487 |
Userkaf. The sun cult is promoted. A sun
temple is built at Abu Ghurob as well as a small pyramid at
Saqqara.
|
|
c.2487–2473 |
Sahure. The royal cemetery at Abusir
inaugurated; Sahure and his successors build pyramids here,
including one with particularly fine wall reliefs.
|
|
c.2473–2463 |
Neferirkare (Kakai). A pyramid is built
at Abusir.
|
|
c.2463–2422 |
Niuserre. Builds sun temple at Abu Ghurob
as well as pyramid at Abusir.
|
|
c.2375–2345 |
Unas. Pyramids are once again built at
Saqqara; Unas’s pyramid complex has the best-preserved
causeway and contains the earliest examples of Pyramid
Texts.
|
|
Dynasty 6 (c.2345–2181) |
|
c.2345–2333 |
Teti. Builds his pyramid at Saqqara.
|
|
c.2322–2283 |
Pepy I. Also builds his pyramid at
Saqqara.
|
|
2269–c.2175 |
Pepy II. The longest reign, but royal
power declines and the kingdom disintegrates. Builds his
pyramid at Saqqara.
|
.
First Intermediate Period (c.2181–1991
BC)
|
Dynasty 7 (c.2181–2173) |
|
The Old Kingdom collapses, and a period
of social upheaval and political chaos follows. Rapid
succession of Memphis-based rulers.
|
|
Dynasty 8 (c.2173–2160) |
|
Succession of Memphis-based rulers
continues.
|
|
Dynasty 9 (c.2160–2130) |
|
c.2160 |
At Heracleopolis, the local ruler
Achthoes I seizes power and rules over parts of Egypt. He is
succeeded by a line of seventeen kings ruling from
Heracleopolis in Dynasties 9 and 10.
|
|
Dynasty 10 (c.2130–2040) |
|
Dynasty 11 (c.2133–1991) |
|
2060–2010 |
Mentuhotep (Nebhepetre), a local Theban
prince, reunites Egypt and builds a unique and spectacular
funerary monument at Deir el-Bahri, Thebes.
|
|
2009–1998 |
Mentuhotep (S’ankhkare).
|
|
1997–1991 |
Mentuhotep (Nebtowyre). The last ruler of
Dynasty 11, he is assassinated. His vizier, Amenemhet,
usurps the throne and founds the Middle Kingdom, ruling as
Amenemhet I.
|
.
Middle Kingdom (1991–1786 BC)
|
Dynasty 12 (1991–1786) |
|
1991–1962 |
Amenemhet I. Reorganizes Egypt and moves
capital north to It-towy. He is buried nearby in a pyramid
in the new cemetery at el-Lisht.
|
|
1971–1928 |
Senusret I. Coregent with Amenemhet I, he
extends Egyptian power and furthers Egypt’s interests
abroad.
|
|
1929–1895 |
Amenemhet II. Continues pursuing contacts
with Syria/ Palestine. Builds his pyramid at Dahshur.
|
|
1897–1878 |
Senusret II. Undertakes a major land
reclamation and builds works in the Fayoum, an oasis area.
Constructs his pyramid at Lahun.
|
|
1878–1843 |
Senusret III. During a successful reign
he completes the process of colonizing Nubia, where he
builds or extends a series of fortresses. Abolishes powers
and privileges of nobles (by unknown means), thus removing a
great threat to royal power.
|
|
1842–1797 |
Amenemhet III. The Middle Kingdom reaches
the pinnacle of its prosperity. Projects are built in the
Fayoum, and quarrying expeditions are sent to Sinai.
|
|
1798–1790 |
Amenemhet IV. The kingdom begins to
decline. He is ousted by his sister, Sobekneferu.
|
|
1789–1786 |
Sobekneferu. The queen regnant. Dynasty
12 comes to an end.
|
.
Second Intermediate Period (1786–1567
BC)
|
Dynasty 13 (1786–1633) |
|
Line of sixty kings continues to rule
from Thebes.
|
|
Dynasty 14 (1786–c.1603) |
|
Simultaneous line of seventy-six kings
rules from Xois in the Delta; this line had seceded and
established its own dynasty of kings at the end of Dynasty
12.
|
|
Dynasty 15 (1674–1567) |
|
The Hyksos invade Egypt and form two
dynasties (15 and 16) of foreign kings.
|
|
c.1570 |
Hyksos ruler Auserre Apophis I encounters
opposition from native Theban princes of Dynasty 17.
|
|
Dynasty 16 (c.1684–1567) |
|
Dynasty 17 (c.1650–1567) |
|
c.1575 |
Theban ruler Seqenenre Ta’o II fights
bravely against the Hyksos (Auserre Apophis I); possibly
dies in battle.
|
|
c.1570–1567 |
Kamose continues the war against the
Hyksos. The Theban princes finally succeed in driving them
from Egypt.
|
.
New Kingdom (1567–1085 BC)
|
Dynasty 18 (1567–1320) |
|
1570–1546 |
Amosis I. The founder of the dynasty
expels the Hyksos from Egypt and pursues them to Palestine.
|
|
1546–1526 |
Amenhotep I. Lays the foundations for the
Egyptian Empire with his conquests in Syria/ Palestine. He
builds a rock-cut tomb, rather than a pyramid, at Dra‘abu
el-Naga, Thebes, and founds a community of royal necropolis
workmen.
|
|
1525–1512 |
Tuthmosis I. A great warrior, he leads
campaigns in Nubia and Syria. His tomb is the first in the
Valley of the Kings at Thebes.
|
|
c.1512–1504 |
Tuthmosis II. Marries Hatshepsut.
|
|
1503–1482 |
Hatshepsut. After seizing the throne from
her stepson, Tuthmosis III, she becomes queen regnant. She
builds a fine temple at Deir el-Bahri, Thebes.
|
|
1504–1450 |
Tuthmosis III. Upon reaching adulthood,
he regains power from Hatshepsut to become Egypt’s greatest
military leader. He extends the empire in Syria, crossing
the Euphrates River and defeating Egypt’s greatest enemy,
the Mitannians. Embarks on major building program at Temple
of Amun at Karnak and elsewhere.
|
|
1450–1425 |
Amenhotep II. The son of Tuthmosis III is
a great warrior and sportsman. His tomb in Valley of the
Kings is used during Dynasty 21 to rebury a cache of royal
mummies.
|
|
1425–1417 |
Tuthmosis IV. Creates peace alliance with
Mitanni and marries a Mitannian princess. Aten starts to
become a separate and important deity.
|
|
1417–1379 |
Amenhotep III. A great builder, he also
promotes the cult of Aten. Tiye, his wife, is a powerful
queen despite her nonroyal origins. Egypt’s power and wealth
are at their zenith; diplomacy replaces warfare.
|
|
1379–1362 |
Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten). A religious
revolutionary, he disbands the traditional priesthoods and
introduces an exclusive, near-monotheistic worship of the
Aten. The court and capital are moved to Akhetaten (Tell el-
Amarna), where he and his queen, Nefertiti, pursue the cult.
Akhenaten produces no male heirs.
|
|
c.1364–1361 |
Smenkhkare. Son-in-law of, possibly
half-brother of, and perhaps coregent with Akhenaten.
|
|
1361–1352 |
Tutankhamun. Another son-inlaw of
Akhenaten, he begins the gradual restoration of the
traditional religion and returns the religious capital to
Thebes. He dies young, leaving no heirs; his tomb and
treasure are discovered in the Valley of the Kings in AD
1922.
|
|
1352–1348 |
Ay. An elderly courtier, he inherits the
throne and continues the restoration of religious
traditions.
|
|
1348–1320 |
Horemheb. Of obscure, nonroyal parentage,
he was previously the army commander under Akhenaten. In his
Edict, Horemheb takes firm measures to restore the
traditional religion as well as law and order. He
obliterates traces of Atenism, and Akhetaten is finally
deserted.
|
|
Dynasty 19 (1320–1200) |
|
1318–1304 |
Sethos I. A warrior king, he
reestablishes the empire in Syria/Palestine, which had been
allowed to slip away during Akhenaten’s reign. Along with
Ramesses II, he undertakes major building programs,
including temples at Thebes and Abydos. His tomb is the
largest in the Valley of the Kings.
|
|
1304–1237 |
Ramesses II. A noted warrior and prolific
builder, he is possibly the pharaoh of the Old Testament’s
Exodus. Egypt wars against the Hittites before eventually
making a peace treaty with them.
|
|
1236–1223 |
Merenptah. Son of Ramesses II, he defeats
the threat posed by a coalition of Libyans and Sea Peoples.
|
|
Dynasty 20 (1200–1085) |
|
1198–1166 |
Ramesses III. The last great warrior king
defeats the Libyans (years 5 and 11) and Sea Peoples (year
8). He builds a magnificent temple at Medinet Habu, Thebes,
and his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The royal
necropolis workforce conducts strikes. The so-called Harem
Conspiracy fails to assassinate the king.
|
|
1160–1156 |
Ramesses V. The Turin Papyrus and the
Wilbour Papyrus are written.
|
|
1140–1121 |
Ramesses IX. Tomb robberies occur, while
royal workmen’s strikes continue.
|
|
1113–1085 |
Ramesses XI. The kingdom is virtually
divided in half: the king rules the north, but the high
priests of Amun seize power and attain near-equal status,
effectively ruling the south from Thebes. Ramesses XI’s
royal burial is the last in the Valley of the Kings.
|
.
Third Intermediate Period (1089–525
BC)
|
Dynasty 21 (c.1089–945) |
|
Seven kings rule nominally over
the whole country but exercise their power only in
the north from the Delta city of Tanis. A line of
high priests of Amun rule the south from Thebes.
|
|
Kings (Tanis) |
|
1089–1063 |
Smendes. Founds Dynasty 21 upon
succeeding Ramesses XI, under whom, as Nesbenebded,
he virtually ruled the north.
|
|
1063–1037 |
Psusennes I. His daughter marries
a Theban high priest, thus uniting the two ruling
lines. His royal tomb is discovered intact at Tanis
in AD 1940.
|
|
959–945 |
Psusennes II. As the son of a
high priest of Thebes and a royal princess of Tanis,
he unites the north and south once again. He rules
all of Egypt from Tanis.
|
|
High Priests (Thebes) |
|
1100–1094 |
Herihor. Inaugurates line of high
priests who rule the south during Dynasty 21.
|
|
1064–1045 |
Pinudjem I. Effectively rules the
south, first as high priest, then perhaps as “king”
(1044–1026). He and Herihor order the reburial of
the royal mummies of the New Kingdom in two caches.
|
|
985–969 |
Pinudjem II. Carries out rescue
and reburial of the royal mummies.
|
|
Dynasty 22 (945–730) |
|
945–924 |
Shoshenk I. The son-in-law of
Psusennes II, he is from a family descended from
Libyans who fought against Merenptah and Ramesses
III and subsequently settled in the Delta. He
inaugurates the dynasty and rules from Tanis,
although he originates from Bubastis. He involves
himself in foreign politics. References in the Bible
name him as Shishak.
|
|
874–850 |
Osorkon II. Builds extensively at
Tanis and Bubastis. His and other royal burials are
discovered at Tanis in AD 1940.
|
|
Dynasty 23 (c.818–793) |
|
Centered at Tanis, it is possibly
contemporary with Dynasty 22.
|
|
|
Dynasty 24 (c.727–715) |
|
Rules a limited area from the city of
Sais. |
|
Dynasty 25 (c.780–656) |
|
716–702 |
Shabako. Egypt’s first Nubian
pharaoh. He establishes the dynasty at Thebes,
building on the earlier efforts of Piankhy, ruler of
the kingdom of Kush to the south (with capital at
Napata) and who had begun the conquest of Egypt.
Builds pyramid at Kurru (Kush) for his burial.
|
|
690–664 |
Taharka. Interferes in the
politics of Judah, which leads to conflict with the
Assyrians, who invade Egypt in 671 and again in 667
until 666. Flees to Napata and is buried in pyramid
at Nuri (Kush).
|
|
664–656 |
Tanuatamun. The last Kushite
ruler, he is defeated by the Assyrians.
|
|
Dynasty 26 (664–525) |
|
The Assyrians install the princes
of Sais as the native rulers of Egypt. Necho I
(672–664 , prince of Sais and vassal of Assyria, is
killed by Kushite ruler Tanuatamun, who was
attempting to regain power. However, Necho’s son,
Psammetichus I, becomes king and founds the dynasty.
|
|
664–610 |
Psammetichus I. Establishes the dynasty. |
|
610–595 |
Necho II. Becomes involved in the
politics of Judah and is defeated by the Babylonians
at the Battle of Carchemish (605). He also initiates
construction of the canal between the Nile and the
Red Sea.
|
|
595–589 |
Psammetichus II. |
|
589–570 |
Apries. The biblical Hophra, he
becomes involved in the Judaean revolt against
Babylon (588). Civil war in Egypt forces him from
power.
|
|
570–526 |
Amasis. Army general. Checks the
growing power of Greek residents, who have been
causing concern among native Egyptians, and limits
their activities to their city, Naucratis.
|
|
526–525 |
Psammetichus III. Defeated by
Cambyses, king of Persia, at the Battle of Pelusium
(525); Egypt becomes part of the Persian Empire.
|
|
.
Late Period (525–332 BC)
|
525–404 |
Dynasty 27. First Persian Period. Eight
Persian kings rule Egypt as a satrapy of the Persian Empire.
|
|
525–522 |
Cambyses. Dedicates a sarcophagus of a
mummified Apis bull at Saqqara as part of his religious
duties as pharaoh.
|
|
521–486 |
Darius I. Actively promotes Egypt’s
religious customs and law reforms and completes the canal
linking the Nile and the Red Sea.
|
|
404–399 |
Dynasty 28. Local rulers establish a
limited, native kingship at Sais.
|
|
399–380 |
Dynasty 29. Another native line, based at
Mendes, probably exercises control over a limited
geographical area.
|
|
380–343 |
Dynasty 30. Native rulers, including
Nectanebo I (380– 363), are based at Sebennytos. Persian
Empire is revived and reorganized under Artaxerxes III, who
reestablishes Persian control of Egypt in 343.
|
|
343–332 |
Dynasty 31. Second Persian Period.
Includes the reigns of Persian kings Artaxerxes III, Arses,
and Darius III. The Persians are defeated by Alexander the
Great, ruler of Macedon, who arrives in Egypt in 332.
|
| 332 |
Conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great.
Founds city of Alexandria; apparently undergoes some form of
deification at the oracle of Siwa. Alexander rules Egypt as
part of his empire until his death in 323.
|
.
Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BC)
|
305–283 |
Ptolemy I Soter. The Macedonian general
of Alexander the Great who later became satrap of Egypt upon
Alexander’s death, he assumes the kingship in 305.
Establishes the dynasty and ensures its continuation by
means of coregencies and consanguineous marriages.
Reorganizes the country.
|
|
283–246 |
Ptolemy II Philadelphus. He inaugurates
financial administration in Egypt, introduces Greek farming
communities in the Fayoum, and begins the abolition of the
native aristocracy and the extensive Hellenization of Egypt.
A great patron of the arts, he also undertakes major
building projects.
|
|
246–221 |
Ptolemy III Euergetes I. Continues major
building programs.
|
|
221–204 |
Ptolemy IV Philopator. Defeats Antiochus
III of Syria at the Battle of Raphia in 217. There are
nationalistic riots in Egypt.
|
|
204–180 |
Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Loses most of
Egypt’s foreign possessions as native uprisings continue.
The Rosetta Stone, crucial to the decipherment of
hieroglyphs, dates to his reign (196).
|
|
145–116 |
Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (Physcon) is a
degenerate ruler. Numerous dynastic conflicts occur.
|
|
51–30 |
Cleopatra VII. The last Macedonian ruler,
she reigns as queen with Ptolemy XII (51), Ptolemy XIII
(51–47), and with Ptolemy XIV (47 30), and has liaisons with
Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Reputedly commits suicide at
Alexandria after Augustus (Octavian) defeats her troops.
Augustus conquers Egypt (30), which now becomes a province
of the Roman Empire.
|
.
Roman Egypt (30 BC–c. AD 600)
| AD
193–211 |
Septimius Severus. Persecutions of
Christians occur and continue under emperors Decius
(249–251) and Diocletian (284–305).
|
|
306–337 |
Constantine I. First Christian emperor
issues various edicts ending the persecution of Christians;
the Council of Nicaea attempts to resolve doctrinal
conflicts within the church.
|
|
379–395 |
Emperor Theodosius I. Christianity is
declared the official religion of the Roman Empire, and
pagan temples and monuments are destroyed throughout Egypt
and Syria.
|
| 395 |
The Roman Empire is divided into eastern
and western portions; Egypt, now part of the eastern half,
is placed under Constantinople (Byzantium).
|
|
600s |
The Arabs conquer Egypt and introduce
Islam.
|
.
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