ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TIMELINE

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TIMELINE



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PREDYNASTIC (ca. 4000-3000 B.C.)



Naqada culture I (Amratian) (ca. 4000 - 3600 B.C.) centers in the village of Naqada, north of Thebes, on the Nile in southern Egypt. Names in parentheses stand for locations of cemeteries. Trade with Nubia, Western Desert oases, and Eastern Mediterranean. Obsidian from Ethiopia. Black-topped and painted pottery. Neolithic.

Naqada culture II (Gerzean) (ca. 3600 - 3150 B.C.) Scorpion King--first ruler of southern Egypt, around 3200 BC. Represented throughout Egypt. First marl pottery, and metalworking.

Naqada culture III (Semainean) (ca. 3150 - 3000 B.C.) Dynasty 0. More elaborate grave goods, first Pharaohs. Cylindrical jars. Writing.

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EARLY DYNASTIC (ca. 3000 - 2675 B.C.)

Dynasty 1 (ca. 3000 - 2800 B.C.) 9 pharaohs. Narmer--believed to be the same person as Menes and to have unified Upper and Lower Egypt. Egyptian hieroglyphs were fully developed by then, and their shapes would be used with little change for more than three thousand years. Power was centered at Thinis. Human sacrifice was practiced as part of the funerary rituals associated with all of the pharaohs of the first dynasty.

Dynasty 2 (ca. 2800 - 2675 B.C.) 10 pharaohs. The seat of government was centered at Thinis. For the first three pharaohs, sources are fairly close in agreement, then agreement breaks down. Not much is known about this dynasty. Brick-made mastabas were the burial architecture in the first two dynasties.

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OLD KINGDOM (ca. 2675 - 2130 B.C)

Dynasty 3 (ca. 2675 - 2625 B.C.) 5 pharaohs. The first King of the Old Kingdom was Djoser of the Third Dynasty, who ordered the construction of a Step Pyramid in Memphis' necropolis, Saqqara. An important person during the reign of Djoser was his vizier, Imhotep. Dynasty 3 was the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom The capital during the period of the Old Kingdom was at Memphis, in the north. Djoser divided Egypt into 42 provinces, called nomes. At the head of each nome was a provincial governor, called a nomarch.

Dynasty 4 (ca. 2625 - 2500 B.C) 6 pharaohs. Period of pyrimid building. Peace and prosperity. Sneferu c. 2600 B.C built three experimental pyrimids, including the Red Pyramid. He was considered a pious and generous pharaoh. Khufu or Cheops c. 2575 B.C built the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Westcar Papyrus. Djedefre c. 2555 B.C-- some scholars believe he created the Great Sphinx of Giza as a monument for his deceased father. Khafre c. 2535 B.C builder of the second largest in Giza. Menkaure c. 2510 B.C builder of third and smallest in Giza.

Dynasty 5 (ca. 2500 - 2350 B.C.) 9 pharaohs. Userkaf c 2490 B.C built a solar temple in Abusir. Djedkare c. 2400 B.C introduced comprehensive reforms of the Egyptian administration. Longest reign in dynasty. Pyramid of Unas c. 2350 B.C is inscribed with the earliest instance of the pyramid texts. Expeditions were sent to Wadi Maghareh and Wadi Kharit in the Sinai to mine for turquoise and copper, and to quarries northwest of Abu Simbel for gneiss. Trade expeditions were sent south to Punt (perhaps Somaliland) to obtain malachite, myrrh, and electrum, and archeological finds at Byblos attest to diplomatic expeditions sent to that Phoenician city. Sed festivals.

Dynasty 6 (ca. 2350 - 2170 B.C) 7 pharaohs. Perhaps last effective dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The religious institution had established itself as the dominant force in society; a trend of growth in the bureaucracy and the priesthood, and a decline in the pharaoh's power had been established. Officials were endowed with greater authority—eventually leading to the creation of a feudal system in effect. Decentralization of authority, coupled with growth in bureaucracy. The most notable pharaoh of this dynasty was Pepi II c. 2200 B.C , who is credited with a reign of 94 years. The pharaohs sent trade expeditions south to Punt and north to Byblos, and expeditions not only to these locations, but also as far as Ebla in modern-day Syria. Cattle tax.

Dynasties 7-8 (ca. 2170 - 2130 B.C.) What all the experts agree on is that the centralized power of the pharaohs dissipated during this period. Power was diverted to the provincial governors (the nomarchs) and the priestly class. The pharaos rapidly turned over, their tenures became short. Depending on which ancient chronicler you are willing to believe, there were 70 kings in 70 days (Africanus) or 5 kings in 75 days (Eusebius). Whichever, the golden age of the Old Kingdom could not hold up in this chaos and Egypt fell apart into strong and weak provinces.

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FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (ca. 2130 - 1980 B.C.)

Dynasties 9-10 (ca. 2130 - 1970 B.C.) By this time, upper and Egypt were no longer united. No pharaoh governed all of Egypt. Provincial governors competed like warlords to see if they could become pharaoh. None could during this First Intermediate Period. For instance, the 9th Dynasty was founded at Herakleopolis Magna, and the 10th Dynasty continued there. This city was the capital of the 20th nome of ancient Upper Egypt, and its nomarchs declared themselves kings--but did not become pharaohs of all Egypt. This pattern held in the Tenth Dynasty.

Dynasty 11, Part I (ca. 2081 - 1980 B.C.) Perhaps 5 nomarchs in succession in the Intermediate Period. Intef the Elder was a Theban nomarch considered a founding figure of the 11th Dynasty. Members of his dynasty were able to defeat the other warlord nomarchs and unify upper and lower Egypt, and become pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom.

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MIDDLE KINGDOM (ca. 1980 - 1630 B.C.)

Dynasty 11, Part II (ca. 1980 - 1938 B.C.) 3 pharaohs. Mentuhotep II reunites Eqypt. The kings of the Eleventh Dynasty ruled from Thebes, in the south of Egypt. Mentuhotep II sent renewed expeditions to Phoenicia to obtain cedar. Sankhkara Mentuhotep III sent an expedition from Coptos south to the land of Punt. So the monarchy moved from Memphis in the north to Thebes in the south. This had ramifications in later temple-building, as in the magnificent temples at Karnak and Luxor near Thebes. The Valley of the Kings near Thebes later became the pharaohs' burial place, as opposed to the Old Kingdom pyramids near Memphis in the north.

Dynasty 12 (ca. 1938 - 1759 B.C.) 8 pharaohs. The kings of the Twelfth Dynasty ruled from el-Lisht, near Cairo. Sesostris I expanded Egypt into Nubia. A high point of ancient Egyptian literature. The Story of Sinuhe. The Satire of the Trades, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, The Dispute between a man and his Soul. Sesostris I ruled over an age of prosperity. Sesostris I established diplomatic relations with some rulers of towns in Syria and Canaan. Sesostris III and Canaan

Dynasty 13 (ca. 1759 - after 1630 B.C.) Number of pharaohs unclear. The power of the 13th Dynasty waned progressively over its 130 years of existence and it finally came to an end with the conquest of Memphis by the Hyksos rulers of the 15th Dynasty, c. 1630 BC.

Dynasty 14 (dates uncertain, but contemporary with later Dynasty 13)

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SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (ca. 1630 - 1539 B.C.)

Dynasty 15 (ca. 1630 - 1523 B.C.) Perhaps eight kings of the Hyksos in Egypt. Hyksos people who emerged from the Fertile Crescent to establish a short-lived governance over much of the Nile region. It is believed that they spoke a Western Semitic language. The kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty are said to have been Canaanite. Their capital in Egypt was Avaris, in the north on the Nile Delta. They were the first foreign rulers in Egyptian history. Ancient Jewish historian Josephus identified the Hyksos with the Hebrews of the Bible. Hyksos King Apophis ruled for more than forty years.

Dynasty 16 The Sixteenth Dynasty was a native Theban dynasty emerging from the collapse of the Memphis-based 13th dynasty around 1650 BC. They were finally conquered by the Hyksos

Dynasty 17 (ca. 1630 - 1539 B.C.) About 9 rulers. Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt was a dynasty of pharaohs that ruled in southern Egypt during the late Second Intermediate Period, approximately from 1580 to 1550 BC. Its mainly Theban rulers are contemporary with the Hyksos of the Fifteenth Dynasty and succeed the Sixteenth Dynasty, which was also based in Thebes. Kamose, the second son of Seqenenre Tao and last king of the Seventeenth Dynasty, was the brother of Ahmose I, the first king of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Kamose is credited with defeating the Hyksos and ending their rule.

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NEW KINGDOM (ca. 1539 - 1075 B.C.)

Dynasty 18 (ca. 1539 - 1292 B.C.) 15 pharaohs, including Ahmose I, Thutmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III--The Magnificent, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun. This dynasty ruled from Thebes (in the south), except for Akhenaten, who ruled from Amarna. Thutmose III has been called the Napoleon of ancient Egypt, and was probably Egypt's greatest military leader ever. He extended Egypt's boundaries to include Canaan, Phoenicia, and Syria, Libya, and Nubia--its farthest extension. Battle of Megiddo. Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh who built a huge mortuary temple and large additions to the Temple of Karnak. Akhenaten's effort with monotheism. Tutankhamun--King Tut's tomb.

Dynasty 19 (ca. 1292 - 1190 B.C.) 8 pharaohs, including Seti I, Ramesses II, and Merneptah. Ramesses I had been the vizier of the previous pharaoh before founding the 19th dynasty. Seti I confronted the Hittites several times in battle. Without succeeding in destroying the Hittites as a potential danger to Egypt, he reconquered most of the disputed territories for Egypt and generally concluded his military campaigns with victories. Seti I built the Great Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Karnak, the Temple at Abydos, and his Mortuary Temple. Ramesses II the Great (1303–1213), son of Seti I, is considered to be the pharaoh of Moses and the Exodus. Ramesses II continued expanding Egypt's territory until he reached a stalemate with the Hittite Empire at the Battle of Kadesh in 1275 BC, after which the famous Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty was signned. Had one of the longest Egyptian reigns. He built Abu Simbel, his Mortuary Temple at Abydos, the Ramesseum, and additions to the temples at Luxor and Karnak. Pharaoh Merneptah was the son of Ramesses II.

Dynasty 20 (ca. 1190 - 1075 B.C.) 10 pharaohs, nine of whom were named Ramesses. The capital was Pi-Ramesses, in the Nile delta. This dynasty is generally considered to be the start of the decline of Ancient Egypt. A consistent theme of the dynasty was the loss of pharaonic power to the High Priests of Amun. With the High Priests now acting as intermediaries between the gods and the people, rather than the pharaoh, the position of pharaoh no longer commanded the same kind of power as it had in the past. Setnakhte, the founder of the dynasty, is believed to have been a usurper. Ramesses III had historic battles with the Sea Peoples, from the Aegean region in c. 1178 BC. He finally settled them in Philistia. During the reign of Ramesses IV, Egyptian power started to decline. The pharaohs of the 20th Dynasty were experiencing what became known as the Bronze Age Collapse, where peoples from periphery mountainous regions made iron weapons and defeated older Bronze Age cultures, like ancient Egypt.

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THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (ca. 1075 - 656 B.C.)

Dynasty 21 (ca. 1075 - 945 B.C.) 7 pharaohs. The pharaohs of the Twenty-first Dynasty ruled from Tanis in the Nile delta, but were mostly active only in nortern Egypt, which they controlled. The dynasty was a relatively weak group, unable to govern both upper and lower Egypt. Meanwhile, the High Priests of Amun at Thebes effectively ruled middle and southern Egypt in all but name. Psusennes I and Siamun were the most powerful kings of this dynasty. They appear to have been native Egyptians.

Dynasty 22 (ca. 945 - 712 B.C.) 11 pharaohs. The pharaohs of the Twenty-Second Dynasty were Libyans, ruling from the city of Tanis--near the Nile delta. These were Berber rulers, not native Egyptians. These pharaohs ruled only in the north of Egypt. The founder of this dynasty was Shoshenq I--identified with the biblical Shishak. Pharaoh Osorkon II was an ally of Israel who fought Shalmaneser III of Assyria at the battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. Pharaoh Osorkon IV possibly the biblical Pharaoh So (2 Kings 17:4) with Hoshea c. 725 B.C .

Dynasty 23 (ca. 838 - 712 B.C.) 7 pharaohs. The Twenty-Third Dynasty was a local group, again of Libyan origin, based at Herakleopolis and Thebes. These rulers overlap the pharaohs of Dynasty 22 and Dynasty 24 because their spheres of influence were in different parts of Egypt. Such was the fragmentation of power in the Third Intermediate Period. Dynasty 23 controlled parts of middle and southern Egypt. Sometimes this period is known as the ‘Libyan anarchy’.

Dynasty 24 (ca. 727 - 712 B.C.) 2 pharaohs. The Twenty-fourth Dynasty was a short-lived rival Libyan dynasty located in the western Delta (Sais). Dynasty 22 ruled from the eastern Delta. Pharaoh Tefnakht I attracted the attention of the Nubian king, Piye, who recorded his conquest and subjection of Tefnakhte of Sais and his peers in a well-known inscription. (Nubia was a country of black Africans from what is now Sudan.) Even though these three dynasties were Lybyans, their official language was Egyptian and their official religion Ancient Egyptian Religion.

Dynasty 25 (ca. 760 - 656 B.C.) 5 pharaohs, named Piye, Shebitku, Shabaka, Taharqa, and Tantamani. The 25th dynasty was a line of African pharaohs who originated in the Kingdom of Kush, located in present-day northern Sudan and southern Egypt. Most of this dynasty's kings saw Napata as their spiritual homeland. They reigned in part or all of Ancient Egypt from 747–656 BC. Napata was the capital of Nubia--often called the Kingdom of Kush. Their capitals were Napata and Memphis. The official languages were Egyptian and Meroitic. Their official religion was the ancient Egyptian religion.

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LATE PERIOD (ca. 664 - 332 B.C)

Dynasty 26 (ca. 664 - 525 B.C.) 6 pharaohs. The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was a native dynasty that ruled Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC. The dynasty's reign (664–525 BC) is also called the Saite Period after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital. Pharaoh Psamtik I of this dynasty reunified Egypt. He was the son of Necho I and father of Necho II. This latter Pharaoh Necho II, reigned 610–595 BC, most likely the pharaoh mentioned in several books of the Bible and the death of Josiah. Battle of Megiddo (609 BC) Judah and Egypt, won by Egypt. The Battle of Carchemish was fought about 605 BC between the armies of Egypt allied with the remnants of the army of the former Assyrian Empire against the armies of Babylonia, allied with the Medes, Persians, and Scythians. The Egyptians lost.

Dynasty 27 (ca. 525 - 404 B.C.) 7 pharaohs. Egypt was conquered by the Persian Empire in 525 BC and constituted a satrapy as part of this empire until 404 BC. The Persian kings were acknowledged as Pharaohs in this era, forming the 27th Dynasty. Some of these Persian rulers were Cambyses II (son of Cyrus the Great), Darius I the Great, Xerxes I the Great, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II. Darius the Great took a greater interest in Egyptian internal affairs than Cambyses Ii. He reportedly codified the laws of Egypt, and notably completed the excavation of a canal system at Suez, allowing passage from the Bitter Lakes to the Red Sea, much preferable to the arduous desert land route. This feat allowed Darius to import skilled Egyptian laborers and artisans to construct his palaces in Persia.

Dynasty 28 (ca. 404 - 399 B.C.) 1 pharaoh. The Twenty-eighth Dynasty lasted only 6 years, with one pharaoh. Pharaoh Amyrtaeus was a native Egyptian and descendant of the Saite pharaohs of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty; he led a successful revolt against the Persians. He had the help of Cretan mercenaries. Although Artaxerxes II, Darius' successor as King of Persia attempted to lead an expedition to retake Egypt he was unable to do so, due to political problems with his brother, Cyrus the Younger. This allowed Amyrtaeus to solidify Egyptian rule over Egypt. Very little is known about Amyrtaeus' reign. No monuments from this dynasty have been found. In 398 BC Amyrtaeus was overthrown and executed by Nepherites I, ending the 28th Dynasty and beginning the 29th Dynasty

Dynasty 29 (ca. 399 - 380 B.C.) 4 pharaohs. Nepherites I founded the 29th Dynasty by defeating Amyrtaeus in open battle, and later putting him to death at Memphis. Nepherites then made Mendes, in the Nile delta, his capital. Pharaoh Hakor successfully resisted Persian attempts to reconquer Egypt, drawing support from Athens and from the rebel king of Cyprus. It was a native Egyptian dynasty. Hakor's son was overthrown after being pharaoh for only 4 months, ending the dynasty.

Dynasty 30 (ca. 380 - 343 B.C.) 3 pharaohs. Capital--Sebennytos on the Nile delta. This is the final native dynasty of ancient Egypt; after this, Egypt fell under foreign domination until 1952 A.D. Pharaoh Nectanebo I had gained control of all of Egypt by November of 380 BC, but spent much of his reign defending his kingdom from Persian reconquest with the occasional help of Sparta or Athens. He also engaged in many building projects across Egypt, perhaps outdoing many of his predecessors. Pharaoh Nectanebo II also instituted many building projects. He was the last native ruler of ancient Egypt, his deposition marked the end of Egyptian hegemony until the middle of the 20th century.

Dynasty 31 (ca. 343 - 332 B.C.) 3 pharaohs. The Thirty-first Dynasty of, also known as the Second Egyptian Satrapy, was effectively a satrapy of the Achaemenid Persian Empire between 343 BC to 332 BC. It was founded by Artaxerxes III, the King of Persia, after his reconquest of Egypt and subsequent crowning as Pharaoh of Egypt, and was disestablished upon the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. The period of the 31st Dynasty was the second occasion in which Persian pharaohs ruled Egypt, hence the term "Second Egyptian Satrapy". =========================================

MACEDONIAN PERIOD (ca. 332 - 305 B.C.) 3 rulers.

Alexander the Great and his successors. The Macedonian Greeks under Alexander the Great ushered in the Hellenistic period with his conquest of Persia and Egypt. They ruled from 332 to 309 BC: Alexander the Great ruled Egypt from 332 BC until his death in Babylon in 323 BC. Philip Arrhidaeus, the mentally disabled half-brother of Alexander the Great, ruled from 323–317 BC. Alexander Aegus, the son of Alexander the Great and Roxana of Bactria, ruled from 317–309 BC. After this there were wars of succession--called Wars of the Diadochi. The Ptolemys won the right to rule Egypt.



PTOLEMAIC DYNASTY (ca. 305 - 30 B.C.) about 16 rulers

The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Ancient Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 to 30 BC. The Ptolemaic was the last dynasty of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. Ptolemy's family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC.

Ptolemy I Soter c. 305 BC. married first Thaïs, then Artakama, then Eurydice, and finally Berenice I

Ptolemy II Philadelphos c 284 BC. Made major strides in building Alexandria. Founded the Library of Alexandria.

Ptolemy III Euergetes c. 246 BC.

Ptolemy IV Philopator c. 222 BC.

Ptolemy V Epiphanes c. 204 BC. Cleopatra I Syra ruled some of these years. Rosetta stone created

Ptolemy VI Philometor c. 180 BC.

Ptolemy VIII Physcon c. 171 BC. Cleopatra III ruled some of these years

Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator c. 146 BC. Cleopatra II Philometora Soteira ruled some of these years

Ptolemy IX Soter c. 116 BC.

Ptolemy X Alexander c. 110 BC. Berenice III ruled some of these years

Ptolemy XI Alexander c. 80 BC.

Ptolemy XII Auletes c. 80 BC. Cleopatra's father

Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator c. 51 BC. Cleopatra's brother

Cleopatra VII c. 30 BC. The famous Cleopatra. Roman rule took over after the Battle of Actium. The end of Ptolemy rule.

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ROMAN EMPIRE (ca. 30 B.C.. - 476 AD.) Beginning with Augustus Caesar

BYZANTINE EMPIRE (476 AD. - 642 A.D.)

MUSLIM INVASION and rule

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SOURCES

Text was copy and pasted from Wikipedia and other encyclopedia sources.

Outline format used in this timeline
https://www.memphis.edu/egypt/resources/timeline.php

List of pharaohs--Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pharaohs

Wikipedia description of each dynasty
First Dynasty of Egypt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Dynasty_of_Egypt

Hyksos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyksos
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/309-1809/features/6855-egypt-hyksos-foreign-dynasty
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-foreign-takeover-ancient-egypt-was-uprising-not-invasion-180975354/


Karnak Temple
https://discoveringegypt.com/karnak-temple/

More to Come