Dynasties of Egypt - E-book - ePub

In ancient Egyptian history, some dynasties prospered, and some faded out of existence. They are traditionally divided into thirty-two pharaonic dynasties; they are classified into "kingdoms" and "intermediate periods" from these dynasties. Manetho, the third-century Egyptian priest, gives us the first thirty dynasties, which he published in Aegytiaca, now lost to ravages of time. These likely stems from the Ptolemaic rule in Egypt.
The Ptolemaic Dynasty and the 31st dynasty form the remaining two. While widely used and valuable, the system does have its weaknesses. Some dynasties only governed part of Egypt and endured concurrently with other dynasties based in other cities. The Seventh might not have been at all, the Tenth appears to be a succession of the Ninth, and there may have been one or numerous Upper Egyptian Dynasties before the First Dynasty.
The privilege of "Pharaoh" is utilized for those leaders of Ancient Egypt who governed after the alliance of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt by Narmer throughout the Early Dynastic Period, circa 3100 BC. However, the specific title "Pharaoh" was not employed to direct Egypt's kings by their peers until the dominion of Merneptah in the 19th Dynasty, c. 1200 BC. Along with the name Pharaoh for later rulers, an Ancient Egyptian sovereign titulary was used by Egyptian kings, which prevailed relatively consistent during Ancient Egyptian history, originally featuring a Horus name.