The Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt
The Eighteenth Dynasty ushered in the New Kingdom by defeating and expulsing the Hyksos. The Two Lands were finally united again, and successive pharaohs expanded the empire through force and diplomacy. The wealth gained led to an era of prosperity and massive building projects as art and architecture flourished.
Thutmose III was the greatest military pharaoh ever, his reign is seen as a high point of the dynasty. Many of the pharaohs of the dynasty were buried in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Several diplomatic marriages are known to have been arranged.
There was however also the Amarna Period, during which monotheism was forced upon the kingdom, under Pharaoh Akhenaton. His successors had his name systematically erased from history, which makes it is very difficult to establish the chronological sequence of reigns, as most of the evidence of his reign was destroyed some 2300 years ago.
| # | Pharaoh | Throne name | Also known as | Reign* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmose I | Nebpehtyra | Amasis, Amosis | 1550–1525 |
| 2 | Amenhotep I | Djoserkara | Amenophis I | 1541–1520 |
| 3 | Thutmose I | Aakheperkara | Tuthmosis I, Thutmosis I | 1520–1492 |
| 4 | Thutmose II | Aakheperenra | Tuthmosis II, Thutmosis II | 1492–1479 |
| 5 | Hatshepsut | Maatkara | Hatchepsut | 1473–1458 |
| 6 | Thutmose III | Menkheperra | Tuthmosis III, Thutmosis III | 1479–1425 |
| 7 | Amenhotep II | Aakheperura | Amenophis II | 1425–1400 |
| 8 | Thutmose IV | Menkheperura | Tuthmosis IV, Thutmosis IV | 1400–1390 |
| 9 | Amenhotep III | Nebmaatra | Amenophis III | 1390–1352 |
| 10 | Amenhotep IV | Neferkheperura waenra | Akhenaten, Akhenaton, Echnaton, Amenophis IV | 1352–1334 |
| 11 | Neferneferuaten | Ankhkheperura | Nefertiti, Meritaten | 1334–1332 |
| 12 | Smenkhkara | Ankhkheperura | Smenkhare, Smenkare | c. 1332 |
| 13 | Tutankhamun | Nebkheperura | Tutankhamon, King Tut, Tutankhamen, Tutankhaton | 1332–1323 |
| 14 | Ay | Kheperkheperura–Irimaat | Aja, Aya | 1322–1320 |
| 15 | Horemheb | Djeserkheperura setepenra | Horemhab, Haremhab | 1320–1292 |
- Turin king list
223 kings – Dynasty 19 - Abydos Canon
76 kings – Dynasty 19 - Saqqara Canon
58 kings – Dynasty 19 - Karnak Canon
61 kings – Dynasty 18 - Comparing the canons
Abydos, Saqqara and Karnak - Ramesseum Canon
Ramesses II Mortuary Temple - Medinet Habu Canon
Ramesses III Mortuary Temple
Ancient historians
- Herodotus
450 BC – Histories - Manetho
250 BC – Aegyptiaca - Diodorus
50 BC – Bibliotheca Historica - Josephus
100 CE – Against Apion - Africanus
220 CE – Chronographai - Eusebius
325 CE – Chronicon - Jerome
380 CE – Chronicon - Syncellus
800 CE – Egloga Chronographai - Eratosthenes
Probably a forgery (date unknown) - Comparing the sources
Transmission of Manetho
by Africanus et. al.
OK – Old Kingdom
Dynasties 3-6
MK – Middle Kingdom
Dynasties 11-12
NK – New Kingdom
Dynasties 18-20
SIP – Second Intermediate Period
Dynasties 13-17
Thebes – The Southern capital
Memphis – The Northern capital
Epitome – Manetho’s original Aegyptiaca was lost in antiquity, and in the following centuries, it was replaced by Epitomes (summaries) by rivalling advocates of Jewish, Egyptian, and Greek history that saw each side trying to establish the truth according to their point of view.
Vorlage – From the German for prototype or template, a vorlage is a prior version of a manuscript, in this case an earlier version of the canon.
Recto and verso – Recto is the front side and verso is the back side of a written or printed text.
Cartouche – oval band enclosing a pharaohs name
Hieratic – cursive form of hieroglyphic script
Hyksos – Greek form of
Mortuary Temple – where the gods and the king who built the temple were worshipped.
Creative Commons
license
All content on this website is free to copy, redistribute and adapt in any medium or format, provided you give the appropriate credit. Yes, this includes images and texts. Keep information free!