The Kings of Pharaonic Egypt

by Connie Tindale

New Kingdom, Third Intermediate and Late Periods

(All dates are approximate)
General Information
The New Kingdom Period is the one most people recall when they think of Egyptian history.  Queen Hatshepsut and her temple, Amenophis III (Amenhotep) and his massive colossi, Akhenaten and his new religion, Tutankhamun and his treasures, Seti I and the temple at Abydos, Ramses the Great and the hyperstyle hall at Karnak, then Ramses III and his pleasure palace.  All are still famous thousands of years after their deaths.  Few figures in history will gain the same esteem.

There may have been few large-scale building projects during the Middle Kingdom Period but the building projects of the New Kingdom Period more than made up for it as they were on a gigantic scale.  Temples to Amun and Mortuary temples to the Kings proliferated throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasty and spectacular tombs in the Valley of Kings and the Valley of the Queens left Thebes with an unsurpassed legacy

The New Kingdom was a time of prosperity and growth and although there were wars they were usually won.  Egypt was at its most powerful and its most speculator.  Thebes was prosperous and the priests at Karnak temple managed an estate so vast that its wealth rivalled that of the kings.  Amun and Osiris ruled the universe.  That is until Akhenaten left Thebes to set up a new capital and a new religion of sun worship in Amarna in the north of Egypt.  Worship of the sun disc Aten had started with his father Amenophis III (Amenhotep) in Luxor Temple but Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti took the religion to new heights and had most references to Amun obliterated.

On the death of Akhenaten the boy king Tutankhamun came to the throne and during his short reign restored Amun to his rightful place as king of the Egyptian Gods.  When Tutankhamun died, perhaps in mysterious circumstances, his minister Ay came the throne, followed by Horemheb who was a soldier and then Ramses I, one of Horemheb's Generals.  From Ramses I stemmed Seti I who was a prolific builder with exquisite taste and then Ramses II who was an even more prolific builder but perhaps without the finesse of Seti his father.  Ramses II ruled for nearly 8 decades and created Thebes' most beautiful tomb for his wife Nefertari.

Several decades and various sons of Ramses II came to the throne before Ramses III did, but he emulated his famous predecessor and was an accomplished warrior as well as a builder of temples and palaces.  Unfortunately he was the victim of a harem plot, which may or may not have been the cause of his sudden death but after he died there was a succession of kings all bearing his name but the country was once again slipping into mismanagement.  Strikes occurred, bandits roamed the countryside and surrounding countries made their attacks.

As the power of the reinstated Amun grew so did the power of the priests and it became habit of the Kings to have their sons enter the priesthood.  For a while, as Egypt dissolved in chaos, Theban priests co-ruled the country.

During the Third Intermediate and the Late Periods Egypt was conquered by the Kushites, the Libyans, the Abyssinians and the Persians and consequently the whole nature of the country changed as the new cultures were assimilated and various kings ruled different areas.  Finally Egypt was conquered again by the Alexander the Great, stability was found and another golden age began.
New Kingdom
18th Dynasty - c1550 - 1295
Ahmose I
Amenhotep I (a.k.a. Amenophis)
Thutmose I (a.k.a. Tutmosis)
Thutmose II (Tutmosis)
Thutmose III (Tutmosis)
Queen Hatshepsut (fem.)
Amenhotep (Amenophis) II
Thutmose IV
Amenhotep III (Amenophis)
Amenhotep IV (Amenophis) / Akhenaten
Smenkhkare
Tutankhamun
Ay
Horemheb
1550 - 1525
1525 - 1504
1504 - 1492
1492 - 1479
1479 - 1425
1473 - 1458
1427 - 1400
1400 - 1390
1390 - 1352
1352 - 1336
1338 - 1336
1336 - 1327
1327 - 1323
1323 - 1295
19th Dynasty - c1295 - 1186 BCE
Ramses I
Seti I (Sethos I)
Ramses II
Merenptah
Amenmesses (usurper)
Siptah (Merenptah)
Queen Twosret (Tausert) (fem.)
1295 - 1294
1294 - 1279
1279 - 1213
1213 - 1203
1200 - 1194
1194 - 1188
1188 - 1186
20th Dynasty - c1186 - 1069 BCE
Setnakht
Ramses III
Ramses IV
Ramses V
Ramses VI
Ramses VII
Ramses VIII
Ramses IX
Ramses X
Ramses XI
1186 - 1184
1184 - 1153
1153 - 1147
1147 - 1143
1143 - 1136
1136 - 1129
1129 - 1126
1126 - 1108
1108 - 1099
1099 - 1069
Thebes Priests
Herihor
Piankh
Pinedjem I
Masaherta
Menkheperre
Nesbanebdjed II
Pinedjem II
Pasebakhaenniut III
1080 - 1074
1074 - 1070
1070 - 1032
1054 - 1046
1045 - 992
992 - 990
990 - 969
969 - 945
Third Intermediate Period
21st Dynasty - c1069 - 664 BCE
Smendes I (Nesbanebdjed or Hedjkheperre)
Amenemnisu (Neferkare)
Psusennes I (Pasebakhaenniut I)
Amenemope (Meryamun or Amenophthis)
Osorkon the Elder (Osochor)
Siamun
Psusennes II (Pasebakhaenniut II)
1069 - 1043
1043 - 1039
1039 - 991
993 - 984
984 - 978
978 - 959
959 - 945
22nd Dynasty - c945 - 715 BCE
Sheshonq I (a.k.a. Shoshenq or Sheshonk)
Osorkon II
Sheshonq II
Takelot I
Osorkon III
Takelot II
Sheshonq III
Pimay
Sheshonq V
Osorkon V
945 - 924
924 - 889
c 890
889 - 874
874 - 850
850 - 825
825 - 773
773 - 767
767 - 730
730 - 715
23rd Dynasty - c818 - 715
Kings in various centres
Pedibastet (Meryamun)
Osorkon IV
Rudamun
Iuput (at Leontopolis)
Peftjauabastet (Peftjauawybast) (at Herakleopolis)
Nimlot (at Hermopolis)
24th Dynasty - c727 - 715
Kings in various centres - overlap with 23rd Dynasty
Bakenrenef (a.k.a. Bocchoris or Wahkare)
720 - 715
25th Dynasty
Kings in various centres - overlap with 24th Dynasty
Piankhi (Piy)
Shabaka (Neferkare, Sabacon)
Shebitku (Djedkare)
Taharqa
Tanutamun (a.k.a. Tantamani)
747 - 716
716 - 702
702 - 690
690 - 664
664 - 656
Late Period
26th Dynasty c664 - 525 BCE
Psamtik I (a.k.a. Psammetichus I)
Nekau II (Necho II)
Psamtik II
Wahibre (Apries)
Ahmose II (Amasis)
Psamtik III (Psammetichus)
664 - 610
610 - 595
595 - 589
589 - 570
570 - 526
526 - 525
27th Dynasty - 1st Persian Period - c525 - 404
Cambyses
Darius I
Xerxes I
Artaxerxes I
Darius II
Artaxerxes II
525 - 522
522 - 486
486 - 465
465 - 424
424 - 405
405 - 359
28th Dynasty - c404 - 399 BCE
Amyrtaeus
404 - 399
29th Dynasty - 399 - 380 BCE
Nepherites I (Nefaarud I)
Achoris (Hakor)
Nepherites II
399 - 393
393 - 380
c380
30th Dynasty c 380 - 362 BCE
Nectanebo I (Nakhtnebef)
Teos (Djedhor)
Nectanebo II
380 - 362
362 - 360
360 - 343
31st Dynasty - 2nd Persian Period - C 343 - 332 BCE
Artaxerxes III
Arses
Darius III
343 - 338
338 - 336
335 - 332
Source: Dates were taken from The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt
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