Download EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY

EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY
PRE-DYNASTIC PERIOD: c.2920 BC
This period predates the unification of the northern and southern parts of Egypt.
Settlements were established beside the Nile River. By 3500 BC, Hierakonpolis in Upper
Egypt was the largest Egyptian settlement with the busy town spread out along the Nile
for over three kilometres. Hieroglyphs made their first appearance toward the
end of this period, around 3250 BC by the latest estimates.
Toward the end of this time, around 3250 to 3100 BC, a period sometimes referred to by
Egyptologists as
Dynasty 0, there were kings in Upper (Southern) Egypt with Narmer being of particular
prominence. The unification of Upper and Lower Egypt is often attributed to a king
called Menes or Narmer, who may be the same person.
The so-called Narmer Palette shows Narmer in battle and wearing the crown of Upper
Egypt on one side and the crown of Lower Egypt on the reverse side.
EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD: 2640-2469 BC; Dynasties 1/II
It may be that Narmer handed on a newly-unified country to his son, Hor-Aha, who is
considered to be the first king of the first Dynasty. He took a second royal name, Men,
meaning "established" which may be another explanation for the name Menes referred to
by Manetho as the first king of Upper and Lower Egypt. Hor-Aha also established
Memphis, in Lower Egypt, as the country's capital - it became one of the ancient world's
greatest cities for thousands of years.
OLD KINGDOM: 2649-2150 BC; Dynasties III-VI
Pharaohs had absolute power and were considered gods on earth. But that's not why this
kingdom is nicknamed "The Pyramid Age". Pharaohs were buried in pyramids only
during this time period in history. After building a few pyramids, at great expense to the
state, it occurred to pharaohs that pyramids were rather easy to spot, and thus, much
easier to rob than a hidden tomb. Things changed during the middle kingdom.
The king was considered the incarnation of the god Horus and from
the 5th Dynasty, the son of Re, the sun god. The first major stone
building in the world, the famous Step Pyramid, was constructed at
Saqqara for Djoser, one of the kings of the 3rd Dynasty. During the
4th Dynasty, a number of large pyramids were built, including
Khufu's (Cheops) Great Pyramid at Giza - one of the Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World, and the only one still standing. (Khufu
statuette at right.)
The priesthood of the god Re became powerful at Heliopolis and some of the kings of the
5th Dynasty built solar temples adjacent to their relatively small pyramids at Abusir near
Saqqara. For the first time, a king (Unas - the last ruler of the 5th Dynasty), had his
pyramid's burial chamber inscribed with spells for the afterlife. These are the famous
Pyramid Texts.
Teti, the first king of the 6th Dynasty, may have been murdered by a bodyguard. The
dynasty ended with the exceptionally-long reign of Pepi II , perhaps 94 years, which saw
centralised power dwindle away.
FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD: 2150-2040 BC; Dynasties VII-X
This period saw a breakdown of central government. Provinces were governed by local
governors who would not answer to any king. Major building projects are not found from
this time, indicating the weakness of the kings. Dozens of kings are listed for the period,
meaning that perhaps they had either very short or overlapping reigns.
Famine affected the country as a result of a number of poor annual inundations of the
Nile. Some scenes on tomb walls depict people suffering from malnutrition.
Memphis may have remained the principal administrative centre for much of the First
Intermediate Period, although by the 9th Dynasty the town of Herakleopolis Magna was
producing rulers. They came into conflict with a family line from Thebes in the early part
of the 11th Dynasty which Egyptologists often include in this period.
MIDDLE KINGDOM: 2040-1640 BC; Dynasties XI/XII
The middle kingdom was Egypt's Golden Age. Trade flourished, arts and literature
flourished. Egypt built strong armies to defend herself against her neighbors. During the
time period of the middle kingdom, pharaohs were expected to be good kings and wise
rulers. And pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs, all over the place. Most probably,
there are tombs yet to be discovered because they were hidden so well.
Reunification of Egypt occurred in the 11th Dynasty under the rule of Mentuhotep I,
fourth king of that dynasty, whose family was based in Thebes (modern Luxor). After a
series of battles with northern rulers, Mentuhotep I controlled the whole of Egypt by the
39th year of his reign. The administrative centre of the country became a place called Itjtawy which is believed to have been located near the Faiyum Oasis.
The 12th Dynasty began, it seems, when king Mentuhotep III was overthrown by
Amenemhet I (probably the former's vizier) who ruled for about 29 years. It was under
him that the Theban god Amun began his rise to prominence. Amenemhet began to share
his rule with his son Senusret I for the last 10 years of his reign until the
former's murder.
Later in the Dynasty, Senusret III pushed beyond Egypt's boundaries, including
campaigns into Nubia to the south. The move was to protect the southern border and
safeguard access to trade routes and Nubia's abundant gold resources.
The Middle Kingdom is well known for being the highpoint in Egyptian literature and it
also saw a revival in the quality of art.
SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD: 1640-1550 BC; Dynasties XIII-XVII
A period about which not a lot is known and rulers did not last very long. Invaders
(known as the Hyksos) came from Asia and moved into the Delta. They introduced the
Egyptians to the horse-drawn chariot, the composite bow and bronze weapons.
This period of instability lasted two centuries and was brought to an end by a Theban
family, one of whom (Ahmose) finally expelled the Hyksos.
NEW KINGDOM: 1550-1070 BC Dynasties XVIII-XX
The new kingdom was Egypt's expansion period. Egypt expanded her borders through
military conquest and became a world power. During the time period of the new
kingdom, pharaohs were all powerful, and pharaohs were all buried in the same
geographic area called the Valley of the Kings.
The New Kingdom's first king was Ahmose who reunified Upper and Lower Egypt. This
was another Golden Age for Egypt as it expanded its empire. Memphis was the
administrative capital again. The term pharaoh began being applied to
the king.
Queen Hatshepsut became pharaoh by default while acting as regent for
a young Tuthmosis III (at right). He eventually came to power and
became the "Napoleon" of ancient Egypt. The empire spread far to the
south into ancient Nubia (south of modern Aswan and into northern
Sudan), while in the north the territory under control was expanded well
into the Near East.
It was in the New Kingdom that most of the pharaohs' tombs were
located in the Valley of the Kings and their mortuary temples were
separately located.
Egypt became incredibly wealthy through trade and foreign conquests. The country's
religious orders also benefited - particularly that of the state god
Amun-Re with its powerful clergy and vast temples and estates.
The existing religious orders were deposed for a while during the
14th century B.C. when the heretic king Akhenaten (at left)
established a new religious order - that of the sun god Aten. The old
temples were abandoned and a new capital, Akhetaten, was established to the north.
Attention to international affairs waned.
Soon after the death of Akhenaten, his probable son - Tutankhaten - became pharaoh at
about the age of nine. His was a short reign, but the old religious orders rose again and
Akhenaten's city was destroyed. Tutankhaten's name was changed to Tutankhamun, but
his reign was only about nine years. He was followed as pharaoh by the elderly Ay.
Several years later, a general by the name of Horemheb came to power and started a
campaign to eliminate evidence of his immediate predecessors for whom he had served.
His successor was Ramesses I who was the first in a long line of Ramesside kings in the
19th and 20th Dynasties. (Note that some Egyptologists list Horemheb as
the first king of the 19th Dynasty.) Ramesses I's grandson, Ramesses II, is often referred
to as Ramesses the Great. He became one of Egypt's greatest builders and signed the first
recorded peace treaty in history.
By the 20th Dynasty the power of the pharaohs had waned and there were battles with
invaders called the Sea Peoples under Ramesses III, the last significant pharaoh of the
New Kingdom. Egypt would never rule again with the same power. Ramesses XI was the
last of the rulers of the New Kingdom.
The Theban priesthood virtually controlled Upper Egypt by the end of the New Kingdom,
while the pharaoh had ruled from the Delta.
THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD: 1070-525 BC; Dynasties XXI-XXVI
After the end of the New Kingdom, Egypt was virtually bankrupt. Despite this some of
the pharaohs of the 21st Dynasty were buried in the Delta with considerable wealth which
came to light in 1939-40 - the discovery did not receive much publicity because of World
War II.
Smendes, the first king of the 21st Dynasty, ruled from Tanis in the Delta, while the high
priest of the god Amun, Pinudjem, ruled from Thebes in the south despite intermarrying
between the two lines to smooth relations. By the 22nd Dynasty, pharaohs of Libyan
descent came to power in the Delta while the Theban rulers weakened and some unity
was re-established for a short time.
By the 8th century BC, the influence of Nubia on Egypt's southern border was being felt.
Nubia had been strongly influenced by the cult of Amun which had been introduced to
them during the New Kingdom. Now the Nubians saw an opportunity to re-establish the
old order of Amun in Thebes, which they did by becoming rulers of Egypt in the 25th
Dynasty.
In the early 7th century BC, the country was ruled by Taharqa who began to have
problems with the Assyrians and their expansionist policies. Finally, in 671 BC, the
Assyrians, under Esarhaddon, pushed into Egypt and captured the capital Memphis and
most of the royal family. Taharqa fled south to Thebes. Two years later Taharqa
regained control, but Esarhaddon's son Ashurbanipal attacked and recaptured Memphis.
Taharqa's successor, Tanutamun, managed to regain control of the country, but
eventually Ashurbanipal returned with a vengeance and moved to Thebes where the
temples were raided of their treasures. Nubia would never again rule Egypt.
Psamtik (Psammetichus) was recognised by the Assyrians as the king of Egypt from 664
BC and the country began to enjoy peace for about the next 140 years. The old crafts
reached a very high standard again and many of the styles of the Old Kingdom were
copied. Assyria began to have internal problems and by 653 BC, Psamtik asserted
independence for Egypt which was once again becoming a power in the region, although
never like it once was.
LATE DYNASTIC PERIOD: 525-332 BC Dynasties XXVII-XXXI
Peace for Egypt ended when it was invaded by the Persian king Cambyses II in 525 BC.
When the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon in 490 BC, the Egyptians took
advantage of the distraction and in 486 BC they revolted. However, Egypt was repeatedly
having to deal with Persian invasions over nearly two centuries. The last Persian invasion
took place in 343 BC during the reign of the Nectanebo II, the last Egyptian pharaoh.
Egypt would not see another Egyptian as ruler until AD 1952.
MACEDONIAN/PTOLEMAIC PERIOD: 332-30 BC
In 332 BC, the Macedonian empire expanded into Egypt with the arrival of Alexander the
Great. The Egyptians welcomed Alexander after all the troubles of the Persian
occupations. He ordered the restoration of temples sacked by the Persians in 343 BC. On
the western side of the Delta, construction began on the city of Alexandria.
When Alexander died suddenly in Babylon in 323 BC, control of Egypt fell into the
hands of his half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus and posthumous son Alexander IV. By 305
BC, the Macedonian general Ptolemy I became the first in a long line of Ptolemaic
rulers.
During the 3rd century BC, Alexandria began to flourish as the jewel of the Ancient
World. The city became famous for its Great Library and the lighthouse which was one
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Ptolemaic rule was stable and a number of major temples were constructed in Upper
Egypt. The Ptolemaic line lasted until the reign of Cleopatra VII, the daughter of
Ptolemy XII. Cleopatra later became the mistress of Julius Caesar from Rome and bore
him a child. After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra sided with Mark Antony against
Caesar's heir, Octavian. Following the sea battle of Actium in 31 BC where Cleopatra's
ships fled home followed by Antony, Octavian went to Alexandria but was denied the
capture of the two when both suicided in 30 BC.
ROMAN PERIOD: 30 BC-c.AD 450
Egypt came under Roman influence and was ruled by a prefect for Octavian, who became
Augustus, the first Roman Emperor in 27 BC. The country was considered a
"breadbasket" for centuries under successive emperors.
In AD 384, Theodosius ordered the closing of Egypt's pagan temples and adherence to
Christianity (although the temple dedicated to the goddess Isis at Philae in the country's
far south continued to function until AD 536).
In AD 395, the Roman empire split into West and East with Egypt becoming part of the
Byzantine Empire. This lasted until the arrival of Islam in AD 641.