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African Kingdoms
Ancient Egypt
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Ancient Egypt (Third Intermediate Period)
Ancient Egypt was formed
essentially of a narrow valley that was bordered on either side by
extensive desert. With the River Nile running through it like a ribbon,
it depended on these waters for its very life and also for its
transportation. The annual floods would ensure another year of food stocks,
and occasional dry spells could spell famine and death. The river also
connected the Mediterranean to the lands beyond Egypt, lands which were
barely understood at first but which crystallised over time into
Nubia and
Ethiopia.
One of the oldest known civilisations in human history, the rulers of Egypt
were known as pharaohs (meaning 'Great House'). They left their highly
distinctive mark in countless records, including royal inscriptions, and in
pyramids and tombs. Many early records from outside of Egypt are Greek in
origin, so in many cases the Greek version of names are shown in parenthesis.
According to Egyptians prior to invasion in the later part of the sixth
century BC, their land was kmt, transliterated as Kemet, meaning the
'black land', a reference to the rich, dark soil near the Nile. The people
were the 'remetch en kemet', literally meaning 'people of the black
land'.
The third intermediate marked the end of the
New Kingdom
period after the collapse of the Egyptian empire. It ran from 1060 BC (or
1090 BC in older dating) to 732 BC, the start of the
Late Period and
the
Twenty-Fourth dynasty which presaged a period of
Nubian rule. Although the
first dynasty of this period ruled from Tanis, the accession of Smendes was
never fully accepted. He was a northern relative of the current high priest
of Amun which post was based in Thebes. Recent pharaohs had continued to
rule from Tanis, with the country effectively partitioned between them and
the high priests. The political fragmentation of the country had begun and
the third intermediate would continue it with a number of dynasties of
Libyan origin ruling, giving
this period its alternative name of the Libyan Period. |
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1060 - 945 BC |
Twenty-First (Tanite) Dynasty (Egypt)
1090 - 945 BC
Based at the new Egyptian capital of Tanis (which was
founded by the preceding dynasty) the Twenty-First Dynasty was a relatively weak
group. Theoretically, they were rulers of all Egypt, but in practice their
influence was limited to Lower Egypt. (Additional
information from External Link:
Egypt in the Third Intermediate Period (The Metropolitan Museum of
Art).) |
1069 - 1043 BC |
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Nesbanebdjed I / Smendes I |
Known by both names. |
1043 - 1039 BC |
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Amenemnisu |
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1039 - 991 BC |
- 945 BC |
Psusennes
I |
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993 - 984 BC |
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Amenemope |
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984 - 979 BC |
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Osorkon the Elder / Osochor |
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c.975? BC |
Hadad, prince of
Edom,
is forced to escape to Egypt. |
978 - 959 BC |
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Siamun |
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959 - 945 BC |
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Psusennes
II |
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c.943 - 720 BC |
Twenty-Second (Bubastite) Dynasty (Egypt)
945 - 745 BC
A series of
Meshwesh
Libyans ruled Egypt from circa
943 BC until 720 BC. They had been settled in Egypt since the Twentieth
Dynasty. Although the dynasty seems to have originated at Bubastis, the
kings almost certainly ruled from Tanis, which was their capital and the
city in which their tombs have been excavated. The tomb of the first, and
probably most powerful of them, Shoshenq I, was discovered intact at Tanis
in 1938-39. (Additional information from External
Link:
Egypt in the Third Intermediate Period (The Metropolitan Museum of
Art).) |
c.943 - 922 BC |
c.945 - 920 BC |
Shoshenq I /
Shishak / Sheshonk |
Libyan
mercenary. Biblical Shisaq. |
c.925 BC |
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Shesonk
mounts a full-scale invasion of
Judah and
Samaria,
but concentrates his efforts mainly on the north. Jerusalem is relatively
untouched following a short siege by the invaders. The Ark of the Covenant,
contrary to some opinion, is not taken to Egypt. |
922
- 887 BC |
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Osorkon I |
Son. |
887
- 885 BC |
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Shoshenq II |
Possibly a brother. |
885 - 872 BC |
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Takelot I |
Son of Osorkon. |
c.880
- 860 BC |
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Harsiese A |
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Harsiese is an independent king at Thebes who rules during the reigns of Takelot
I and Osorkon II. |
872 - 837 BC |
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Osorkon II |
Son of Takelot. |
853 BC |
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 Osorkon
is a member of an alliance of states which also includes
Ammon,
Arvad,
Byblos,
Damas,
Edom,
Hamath,
Kedar, and
Samaria.
Together they fight against Shalmaneser III of
Assyria at the Battle of Qarqar which consists of the largest known number
of combatants in a single battle to date, and is the first historical mention
of the Arabs from the southern deserts. Despite claims to the contrary, the
Assyrians are defeated, since they do not press on to their nearest target, Hamath, and do not resume their attacks on Hamath and Damas for about six
years. |
837 - 798 BC |
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Shoshenq III |
Parentage unknown. |
836 BC |
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At the start of Shoshenq's reign, a group of
Libyans in
Leontopolis gains power over the
Middle and Upper Egypt area. They are classified in Egyptian history as its
Twenty-Third dynasty and are led
by what would seem to be the grandson of Osorkon II, a high priest of Amum. |
822 BC |
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The
Twenty-Third dynasty rebel,
Pedubast, has survived a previous revolt to lead another, this time in Year
15 of the reign of Takelot II of the twenty-third dynasty. Takelot's forces
in Thebes are defeated and the city belongs to Pedubast. Contended by him,
Takelot, and also Shoshenq III and IV of the Twenty-Second dynasty, the city
encapsulated Egypt's divisions until it is finally seized by
Osorkon III, son of Takelot II, shortly before he declares himself pharaoh. |
805 BC |
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Around this time a further group of
Libyans, the
Libu, gains the western
Nile Delta around Sais. For a time Shoshenq's son, Pimay (not to be confused
with Pharaoh Pami of 785 BC) holds the subsidiary but still highly important
title of 'Great Chief of the Ma' within the Libu organisation around Sais. |
798 - 785 BC |
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Shoshenq IV 'Quartus' |
Parentage unknown. |
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Shoshenq IV is not to be confused with Shoshenq VI of the
Twenty-Third dynasty - the original Shoshenq
IV in publications before 1993.
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This cartonnage case contains the mummy of the vizier,
Djedkhonsefankh, who held office at a point close to the
780s BC - black was closely associated by the Egyptians
with death and resurrection
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785 - 778 BC |
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Pami |
Parentage unknown. |
785 BC |
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Thanks to Egypt's political fragmentation its traditional dominance over
Nubia has faded, allowing the
Nubians to regain control over their own affairs. The Nubian kingdom of Kush
is now founded (or refounded) on Egypt's southern borders. With a capital
that is centred on Napata, King Alara creates a militarily-strong state that
is very soon able to challenge the fractured political state of Egypt for
control of the entire country. |
778 - 740 BC |
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Shoshenq V |
Son. |
740 - 720 BC |
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Osorkon IV |
Ruled in Tanis. Subdued by
Twenty-Fifth
dynasty. |
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732 & 727 BC |
Osorkon IV ruled concurrently from the eastern Delta with Tefnakhte of
Sais and Iuput II of
Leontopolis. Piye of the
Twenty-Fifth dynasty deals with a
crisis in his Egyptian domains when Tefnakhte of
Twenty-Fourth dynasty Sais allies himself to
Nimlot of Hermopolis to besiege Peftjauawybast of Herakleopolis, a
Nubian
ally. The Nubian king achieves total victory at Herakleopolis before going
on to capture Hermopolis and Memphis, and receive the submission of Iuput
II of Twenty-Third dynasty Leontopolis, Osorkon IV of
twenty-second dynasty Tanis, and Nimlot at Hermopolis. The
twenty-fifth dynasty now rules Egypt unopposed. |
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The Late Period
begins in Egypt. |
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Twenty-Third (Tanite) Dynasty (Egypt)
837 - 720 BC
The so-called Twenty-Third dynasty was a localised offshoot of the
Twenty-Second dynasty.
Again it was of Libyan
origin, and was perhaps based in Upper Egypt, although there is much
debate concerning this issue. With the twenty-second dynasty pharaohs
fading in power, all of the twenty-third dynasty pharaohs reigned in
Middle and Upper Egypt, including the Western Desert Oases, while
another group of Libyans, the
Libu, occupied the
western Delta. Scholars now tend to believe that the powerbase for this
dynasty of rulers was not so consistent or cohesive as to constitute a
definitive dynasty at all. Instead, separate unrelated - or at least
opposing - factions appear to have been vying for control.
The dynasty's only known capital was at Leontopolis (it never ruled from
Tanis, and even the use of Leontopolis can only be confirmed at the end of
the dynasty). However, whatever power it may have secured during the height
of its rule - if it really achieved any particular height - by its latter
stages it was little more than a petty city state in an Egypt that had
fractured even further. Iuput II seemingly ruled Leontopolis and little
else, even being opposed by (yet another) rival in Thebes during his reign.
He was one of a number of petty kings who teamed up, eventually, with
Pharaoh Tefnakht of the
Twenty-Fourth dynasty to oppose Piye of the
Nubian
Twenty-Fifth
dynasty in 727 BC. All were defeated and reduced to vassal status,
effectively ending the twenty-third dynasty's opposition to other rulers.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from The
Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, Aidan Dodson & Dyan
Hilton (Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2004), from The Cambridge History of
Africa: Egypt and Libia, Desmond J Clark (Ed, Cambridge University
Press, 1982), from Une stèle de donation du dynaste libyen Roudamon,
Jocelyne Berlandini (BIFAO, 1978, in French, and available online as a
PDF), from Genealogical considerations regarding the kings of the
Twenty-Fifth Dynasty in Egypt, Gerard P F Broekman (Göttinger
Miszellen No 251, Seminar für Ägyptologie und Koptologie, 2017),
and from External Links:
Berber Encyclopaedia (in French), and
Egypt in the Third Intermediate Period (The Metropolitan Museum of
Art).) |
837 - 813 BC |
Takelot II |
Previously thought to be a
Dynasty 22 pharaoh. Died. |
837/836 BC |
At the start of the reign of Shoshenq III of the
Twenty-Second dynasty, Takelot leads
a separate group of
Libyans to gain power over the
Middle and Upper Egypt area. They are classified in Egyptian history as its
twenty-third dynasty, but their entire existence is alongside and in
opposition to the twenty-second dynasty pharaohs.
Hedjkheperre Setepenre Takelot II Si-Ese has been equated with Takelot F,
son of Nimlot C, high priest of Amun at Thebes. This also makes him the
grandson of twenty-second dynasty pharaoh, Osorkon II. His date of accession
is moveable, also being quoted as 845 BC and 834 BC, with his grab for power
seeming to come at the end of his own period as high priest of Amun.
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A sketched of a relief from the Great Temple forecourt
at Karnak which depicts Pharaoh Takelot II on the left,
alongside the god Amun-Ra (right)
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826 - 801 BC |
Pedubast |
A rebel who seized Thebes from Takelot II. Died. |
826 BC |
In Year 11 of the reign of Takelot II, Pedubast leads a revolt which seems to
capture Thebes. Takelot dispatches his son, the future Osorkon III, to quell
the revolt. He does so, and proclaims himself the new high priest of Amun
following his victory. With his father as pharaoh this would appear to be
a step towards consolidating their dynastic control of much of Egypt. |
822 BC |
Pedubast has survived to lead another rebellion, this time in Year 15 of the
reign of Takelot II. Now Osorkon is defeated and Thebes belongs to Pedubast.
Contended by Pedubast, Takelot, and also Shoshenq III and IV of the
Twenty-Second dynasty, the city
encapsulates Egypt's divisions until it is finally seized by Osorkon shortly
before he declares himself pharaoh. |
812 - 811 BC |
Iuput / Auput I |
Son and co-regent. Predeceased his father. |
805 BC |
Around this time a further group of
Libyans known as the
Libu gain the western Nile
Delta around Sais. For a time the son of
Twenty-Second dynasty pharaoh,
Shoshenq III, one Pimay (not to be confused with Pharaoh Pami of 785 BC),
holds the subsidiary but still highly important title of 'Great Chief of
the Ma' within the Libu organisation around Sais.
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Libya is a mixture of rocky coastline, verdant fields in the
near-coastal strip, and an increasing expanse of desert to the
south - but even that desert has played host to civilisation
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801 - 795 BC |
Shoshenq VI |
Successor to Pedubast. Rival to Osorkon. Defeated. |
795 - 767 BC |
Osorkon III |
Son of Takelot II. Recovered Thebes and took throne. |
785 BC |
Thanks to Egypt's political fragmentation its traditional dominance over
Nubia has faded, allowing the
Nubians to regain control over their own affairs. The Nubian kingdom of
Kush is now founded (or
refounded) on Egypt's southern borders. With a capital that is centred on
Napata, King Alara creates a militarily-strong state that is very soon able
to challenge the fractured political state of Egypt for control of the
entire country. |
767 - 765 BC |
Takelot III |
Son and also co-regent (773-767 BC). Probably aged. |
765 - 762 BC |
Rudamun |
Brother. Maintained the kingdom. |
762 BC |
The aging sons of Osorkon III (who himself seems to have gained the throne
late in life) appear to leave no immediate successors. The succession of a
brother at all in Egypt is unusual, and points to a lack of surviving
offspring. With Rudamun's death the previously unified kingdom fragments
into a collection of city states and associated territories. |
762 - 728/7 BC |
Iuput / Auput II |
Ruled in Leontopolis. Subdued by
Twenty-Fifth
dynasty. |
fl c.740 BC |
Menkheperre Ini |
Ruled in Thebes. |
732 BC |
At the same point at which the
Libu cheiftan, Tefnakht,
attempts to dominate Egypt from his
Twenty-Fourth
dynasty capital at Sais, close to the Mediterranean, Piye and his
Nubians invade Upper Egypt from
the south. They swiftly begin to take over all of Egypt to form their own
Twenty-Fifth
dynasty, even in the face of varying levels of resistance from several petty
rulers of what amount to minor city states in the Nile Delta region (Iuput II
of Leontopolis amongst them). Tefnakht would appear to assume a subservient role
for much of his reign, and it is likely that the same is true of Iuput.
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The stele of Tefnakht, which is held at the National
Archaeological Museum of Athens, contains his declaration
of the assumption of pharaonic titles and status
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727 BC |
Piye of the
Twenty-Fifth
dynasty deals with a crisis in his Egyptian domains when Tefnakhte of
Twenty-Fourth dynasty Sais allies himself to Nimlot of Hermopolis to besiege
Peftjauawybast of Herakleopolis, a
Nubian ally. The Nubian king
achieves total victory at Herakleopolis before going on to capture Hermopolis
and Memphis, and receive the submission of Iuput II of Leontopolis, Osorkon
IV of Twenty-Second dynasty Tanis,
and Nimlot at Hermopolis. The twenty-fifth dynasty now rules Egypt unopposed. |
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