The Twenty-first, Twenty-second, Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-fifth dynasties ofancient Egypt are often combined under the group designation of theThird Intermediate Period.
Thepharaohs of the Twenty-second Dynasty were a series ofMeshwesh (ancient Libyan[a] tribe) chieftains, who ruled from c. 943 BC until 716 BC. They had settled in Egypt since theTwentieth Dynasty and were known in Egypt as the 'Great Chiefs of the Ma' (Ma being a synonym of Meshwesh).Manetho states that this Egyptianized ancient Libyan dynasty first ruled overBubastis, but its rulers almost certainly governed fromTanis, which was their capital and the city where their tombs have been excavated.
Another pharaoh who belongs to this group isTutkheperre Shoshenq. His period of rule within this dynasty is currently uncertain, although he is now thought to have governed Egypt early in the 9th century BC for a short time betweenOsorkon I andTakelot I. The next ruler at Tanis afterShoshenq V wasOsorkon IV. This pharaoh is sometimes not believed to be a member of the 22nd Dynasty since he only controlled a small portion of Lower Egypt together withTefnakhte ofSais, whose authority was recognised atMemphis—andIuput II ofLeontopolis.
The rise to power of the Twenty-second dynasty and its founder Sheshqonq, a Libyan Amazigh king of theMeshwesh tribe, is remembered as year 0 of theBerber calendar celebrated by the Berber New Year each year: theYennayer. The character is known as Ouchachnaq, hero of aKabyle tale, "Sheshqonq and Mira", but is also mentioned in an ancient Berber nursery rhyme from the region under the name of Ouchnaq.[6]
Twenty-third Dynasty
The so-calledTwenty-third Dynasty was an offshoot of this dynasty perhaps based inUpper Egypt, though there is much debate concerning this issue. All of its kings reigned in Middle and Upper Egypt including theWestern Desert Oases.
^"Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt Vol. 46(2010)". American Research Center in Egypt. 2010: 170.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
^"Journal of Egyptian History 11 (2018)". Brill. 2018: 147.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
^Grayson, A. Kirk (1996).Assyrian Rulers of the Early First Millennium BC II (858-745 BC) (RIMA 3). p. Shalmaneser III 2: ii92.