The 31 dynastic divisions come from the 3rd century BC Egyptian priestManetho, whose historyAegyptiaca was probably written for a Greek-speakingPtolemaic ruler but survives only in fragments and summaries. While widely used and useful, the system does have its shortcomings. Some dynasties only ruled part of Egypt and existed concurrently with other dynasties based in other cities. Some dynasties like theAbydos Dynasty weren't counted; the7th might not have existed at all, the10th seems to be a continuation of the9th, and there might have beenone or several Egyptian dynasties before what is termed the1st Dynasty.
Dates follow the timeline given by theUniversity of Memphis, which is itself based on the work of Rolf Krauss. Figures have been deliberately rounded in order to avoid a misleading appearance of precision.[1] See also the chronologies inBeckerath 1999, pp. 283–289,Bunson 2002, pp. 105–108,Shaw 2003, pp. 481–488, andHornung, Krauss & Warburton 2006, pp. 490–495.
The 31 pre-Ptolemaic dynasties by the length of their rule (in 25-year bins),[an] each dynasty being a coloured box. The early dynasties and the three Kingdoms are blue, with darker colours meaning older. Intermediate periods are red, orange, and yellow. Note that multiple dynasties could reign from different cities simultaneously in intermediate periods and at the end of the Middle Kingdom. Dynastic reigning times are often very approximate; the above uses the dates of the Egyptian dynasty list template.
^The only historical account ofDynasty VII was found inAegyptiaca byManetho. Some historians consider Dynasty VII to be fictitious.[16]: 393 [17]: xiii
^TheTurin King List records alacuna of 6 years in the sumation of the Seventh Dynasty. This likely corresponds to the 10 additional rulers recorded only in theAbydos King List.[18] This entire line of king is thought to have ruled for only one generation, or roughly 30 years.[19]
^Netjerkare Siptah is sometimes listed as the last monarch of Dynasty VI, but only because some scholars equate him with the fictitious QueenNitocris recorded by Manetho at the end of that dynasty.
^Manetho records two Heracleopolitan dynasties of 19 kings each, which is almost certainly a copyist mistake. All evidence points to a single dynasty of 18 kings.[20][21][22]
^It's impossible to determine the exact duration of the Heracleopolitan dynasty. Hornung simply rounds it to 100 years.
^Most historians considerMeryibre Khety to be the founder of Dynasty IX,[23][24][25][26] while others believe that Meryibre Khety reigned during Dynasty X[27]
^TheTurin King List gives the total as 143 years, but it includesMentuhotep I, who was likely not a pharaoh but rather a local ruler.[28]
^Originally based atThebes but move to Itjtawy during the 20th year of the reign ofAmenemhat I
^The Turin Canon records the duration of the dynasty as 213 years, but this is the sum of all reigns without taking co-regencies into account. The correct number must be roughly 180.[10]
^Some historians classify the earlier part of Dynasty XIII as part of theMiddle Kingdom.
^according toManetho the Fourteenth Dynasty was based atXois however many modern scholars now believed that it was more likely based at Avaris
^Shaw and Ryholt give the duration of Dynasty XIV as 123 years and 156 years, respectively.[33][32] However, it is virtually impossible to establish correct dates given the lack of sources. The surviving content of the Turin King List shows that most rulers had brief reigns.[34]
^Some historians considerYakbim Sekhaenre to be the founder of Dynasty XIV,[35] while others believe Yakbim Sekhaenre reigned during Dynasty XVI.[36]
^The Turin King List gives a number that is often read as "108", but may also be "140".[37]
^some scholars believe that the Sixteenth Dynasty were vassals of the Fifteenth Dynasty based atAvaris
^This is the figure established by Shaw and Ryholt.[33][38] Establishing a correct chronology is impossible because the 16th dynasty ruled alongside the 15th, which is itself difficult to date because it the date of their conquest of Lower Egypt is unknown.
^The existence of theAbydos dynasty is debated. Ryholt postulates that the last kings in the Turin King List must belong to an obscure dynasty that ruled before the 17th.
^There is much uncertainty about the identity and correct placement of the rulers of Dynasty XVII. While older studies favour a duration of roughly 90 years, Ryholt and Hornung argue for a shorter period of 30 years.
^The break between the 17th and 18th dynasties is only a convention. The Thutmoside dynasty thus lasted roughly 300 years if the obscure kings of the 17th dynasty are to be included.
^The term "Dynasty XXIII" is used to group a series of rival lines that ruled contemporarily to Dynasty XXII.
^Cambyses II was the second monarch of theAchaemenid Empire and the first Achaemenid ruler to establish control over Egypt.
^Darius II was the ninth monarch of theAchaemenid Empire and the eighth Achaemenid ruler to rule over Egypt.
^Artaxerxes III was the eleventh monarch of theAchaemenid Empire and the first Achaemenid ruler to restore control over Egypt following a 61-year hiatus.
^Darius III was the thirteenth monarch of theAchaemenid Empire and the last Achaemenid ruler to rule over Egypt.
^The capital ofMacedonia during its rule over Egypt wasPella. The Egyptian administrative center during this period wasAlexandria.
^The Ptolemaic dynasty may have had an additional ruler,Cleopatra VI, although she is most likely the same person asCleopatra V.[40]
^Starting on the far right of this chart, only one dynasty lasted over 250 years (18th dynasty). Two dynasties lasted between 200 and 225 years (two boxes). One dynasty lasted between 175 and 200 years (one box), etc.
^abHratch Papazian (2015)."The State of Egypt in the Eighth Dynasty". In Peter Der Manuelian; Thomas Schneider (eds.).Towards a New History for the Egyptian Old Kingdom: Perspectives on the Pyramid Age. Harvard Egyptological Studies. BRILL.
^Wilkinson, Toby (2010). "Timeline".The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. New York: Random House. p. xiii.ISBN978-1-4088-1002-6.The system of dynasties devised in the third century B.C. is not without its problems—for example, the Sixth Dynasty is now recognized as being wholly spurious, while several dynasties are known to have ruled concurrently in different parts of Egypt...
^Hratch Papazian (2015)."The State of Egypt in the Eighth Dynasty". In Peter Der Manuelian; Thomas Schneider (eds.).Towards a New History for the Egyptian Old Kingdom: Perspectives on the Pyramid Age. Harvard Egyptological Studies. BRILL.
