On this ancient Egyptian Timeline youll find an introduction and explanation of Egyptian kingdoms and dynasties, and the dates and names of the basic periods of ancient Egyptian history.

Egypt begins with Pharaoh Narmer who, at the end of the 4th millennium, in about 3100 B.C., unified Egypt. At the time, Egypt meant the area from the 1st cataract, near Aswan, to the Nile delta. [See Map.] In some periods it extended further south.

Some 2700 years later, in the 3rd century B.C., an Egyptian priest named Manetho listed 30 royal dynastic houses of ancient Egypt. Manethos work has not survived, but an epitome (summary) of it has. The epitome was taken from versions of Manethos chronology that were copied in the 3rd-8th centuries A.D. Unfortunately, there are gaps in the chronology and the lengths of many of the pharaohs reigns are unknown, but its not entirely hopeless. For the pharaohs of the 2nd millennium B.C. forward, other techniques and artifacts help date the pharaohs. The techniques are more limited for the earlier pharaohs, so their dates are more speculative.

Dates are approximate and the references below use different approximate dates.

Next Page: 2 - Predynastic, Old, and Middle Kingdoms | 3 - New Kingdom and Beyond

For more on the dating of the 17th Dynasty, see

A Genealogical Chronology of the Seventeenth Dynasty, by Chris Bennett; Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, Vol. 39 (2002).

c. 4500-2950 Predynastic Period

Source: Radiocarbon Chronology of Archaic Egypt, by Fekri A. Hassan. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 39, No. 3. (Jul. 1980), pp. 203-207.

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Source: Tour Egypt

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Source: Tour Egypt

c. 1975-1786 Middle Kingdom Dynasties 11-12

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Next Page: 3 - New Kingdom and Beyond | 1 - Introduction - Dynasties | 2 - Predynastic, Old, and Middle Kingdoms |

Source: Tour Egypt

Source: Tour Egypt

Source: Tour Egypt

Source: Tour Egypt

c. 664-332 Late Period & Persian Dynasties 26-31

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