Egyptian kings were first divided into their traditional dynasties by an Egyptian priest named Manetho about 300 bce. Manetho gave each of these dynasties a number, starting with the unification of Egypt and ending when Egypt fell to the Persian king Artaxerxes III. Scholars have discovered the names of several regional kings who predate Egypt’s unification, whose years of rule they call “Dynasty 0.” Scholars frequently consider some dynasties that came after Manetho’s final and 30th dynasty to be part of ancient Egyptian history. Below is a list of ancient Egyptian dynasties, from Dynasty 0 to the Ptolemaic dynasty. Dates are given in years bce and are approximate before the middle of the 1st millennium bce, after which events can be corroborated between Egypt and neighboring empires of the Assyrians, Macedonians, and Romans.
| dynasty name | time period | notable features and accomplishments |
|---|---|---|
| Predynastic period | ||
| Dynasty 0 | Prior to c. 2900 | The kings of Dynasty 0 predate Manetho’s 1st dynasty and are known primarily from archaeological evidence, with minimal written evidence. |
| Early Dynastic period | ||
| 1st dynasty | c. 2900–c. 2730 | Kings of the 1st dynasty likely founded Memphis as their capital. |
| Tombs of the 1st dynasty were built at Abydos. | ||
| 2nd dynasty | c. 2730–c. 2590 | |
| 3rd dynasty | c. 2592–c. 2544 | The Step Pyramid of Djoser was designed by Imhotep during Djoser’s reign. |
| Old Kingdom | ||
| 4th dynasty | c. 2543–c. 2436 | Kings of the 4th dynasty created the Pyramids of Giza. |
| The Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest ancient Egyptian pyramid, was built during Khufu’s reign. | ||
| The Great Sphinx of Giza was built during the 4th dynasty. | ||
| 5th dynasty | c. 2435–c. 2306 | |
| 6th dynasty | c. 2305–c. 2118 | |
| 7th dynasty | unknown | Though the 7th dynasty was one of the dynasties listed by Manetho, it may not have actually existed. |
| 8th dynasty | c. 2150–c. 2118 | |
| First Intermediate period | ||
| 9th and 10th dynasties | c. 2118–c. 1980 | Manetho separated these into two dynasties, but the 10th dynasty was likely a continuation of the 9th, which consisted of a line of kings who ruled from Heracleopolis. |
| Middle Kingdom | ||
| 11th dynasty | c. 2080–c. 1940 | The kings of the 11th dynasty ruled from Thebes. |
| Mentuhotep II united much of Egypt and began the Middle Kingdom. | ||
| 12th dynasty | c. 1939–c. 1760 | |
| Second Intermediate period | ||
| 13th dynasty | c. 1759–c. 1630 | |
| 14th dynasty | c. 1759–c. 1530 | The 14th dynasty consisted of lesser kings contemporaneous with the 13th and 15th dynasties. |
| 15th dynasty | c. 1630–c. 1530 | The 15th dynasty consisted of Hyksos kings from Southwest Asia. |
| 16th dynasty | c. 1630–c. 1540 | The 16th dynasty consisted of lesser kings who were vassals to the Hyksos. |
| 17th dynasty | c. 1630–c. 1540 | |
| New Kingdom | ||
| 18th dynasty | c. 1539–c. 1292 | The Hyksos were driven out by Ahmose I, the first king of the 18th dynasty. |
| Kings of the 18th dynasty expanded Egypt’s territory into western Asia. | ||
| The capital of Egypt was briefly moved to Tell el-Amarna under Akhenaten. | ||
| 19th dynasty | c. 1292–c. 1191 | Great temples and residences of Per Ramessu were built under Ramses II. |
| The main gallery and subsidiary chambers of the Serapeum near Ṣaqqārah were built under Ramses II. | ||
| Two temples were built at Abu Simbel under Ramses II. | ||
| 20th dynasty | c. 1190–c. 1077 | Ramses III’s mortuary temple at Madīnat Habu was built. |
| Third Intermediate period | ||
| 21st dynasty | c. 1076–c. 944 | The 21st dynasty consisted of kings who ruled from Tanis. |
| 22nd dynasty | c. 943–c. 746 | The 22nd dynasty consisted of kings from Libya. |
| 23rd dynasty | c. 845–c. 730 | The 23rd dynasty consisted of Libyan kings who ruled Upper and Lower Egypt largely separately. |
| 24th dynasty | c. 736–c. 723 | The 24th dynasty consisted of Libyan kings. |
| 25th dynasty | c. 722–c. 655 | The 25th dynasty consisted of kings from Kush (Cush) who took up iconography from the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. |
| Late period | ||
| 26th dynasty | 664–525 | The 26th dynasty consisted of kings who ruled from Sais. |
| The founder of the 26th dynasty, Psamtik I, was a vassal of the Neo-Assyrian empire, but he eventually gained independence and ruled as king of all of Egypt. | ||
| 27th dynasty(1st Persian period) | 525–404 | The 27th dynasty consisted of Achaemenian Persian emperors who conquered Egypt between 525 and 404 bce. |
| 28th dynasty | 404–399 | The 28th dynasty consisted of Saite kings. |
| 29th dynasty | 399–380 | |
| 30th dynasty | 380–343 | |
| 2nd Persian period | 343–332 | |
| Macedonian and Ptolemaic periods | ||
| Macedonian period | 332–305 | Egypt was annexed into the empire of Alexander the Great. |
| Ptolemaic dynasty | 305–30 | Ptolemy, a general under Alexander the Great and satrap of Egypt after Alexander’s death, established the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt until it became part of the Roman Empire upon the deaths of Cleopatra VII and her son Ptolemy XV Caesar. |