Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt#Pharaonic Family tree

{{Infobox country

|conventional_long_name = Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt

|era = New Kingdom of Egypt

|government_type = Absolute monarchy

|nation =

|image_map = Ramesses9.jpg

|image_map_caption = Portrait of Ramesses IX from his tomb KV6.

|image_flag =

|flag =

|flag_type =

|year_start = 1189 BC

|year_end = 1077 BC

|p1 = Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt

|flag_p1 =

|s1 = Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt

|flag_s1 =

|capital = Pi-Ramesses

|common_languages = Egyptian language

|religion = Ancient Egyptian Religion

|event_start =

|event_end = }}{{Egyptian Dynasty list}}The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XX, alternatively 20th Dynasty or Dynasty 20) is the third and last dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1189 BC to 1077 BC. The 19th and 20th Dynasties together constitute an era known as the Ramesside period owing to the predominance of rulers with the given name "Ramesses". This dynasty is generally considered to mark the beginning of the decline of Ancient Egypt at the transition from the Late Bronze to Iron Age. During the period of the Twentieth Dynasty, Ancient Egypt faced the crisis of invasions by Sea Peoples. The dynasty successfully defended Egypt, while sustaining heavy damage.

History

After the death of the last pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, Queen Twosret, Egypt entered into a period of civil war. Because of lost historical records, the cause of the civil war is unknown. The war was ended with the accession to the throne by Setnakhte, who founded the 20th Dynasty of Egypt.

From the reign of Setnakhte and his son Ramesses III, Egypt faced the crisis caused by the invading of the Sea Peoples. These invasions formed part of a series of linked crises in numerous Mediterranean civilizations. Together, these crises are often referred to as the Late Bronze Age collapse.

The Sea Peoples caused considerable damage to the people of Egypt, visible in the historical record. One inscription reads:

{{blockquote|

text="All at once the lands were removed and scattered in the fray. No land could resist their arms, from Hatti, Kode, Carchemish, Arzawa, and Alashiya on – being cut off at one time. A camp was set up in Amurru. They desolated its people and its land was like that which had never existed. They were coming forward toward Egypt, while the flame was prepared for them."

|source=Inscription from the second pylon of the temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu{{Cite web |title=The Mystery of the Sea Peoples {{!}} Classical Wisdom Weekly |url=https://classicalwisdom.com/culture/history/the-mystery-of-the-sea-peoples/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=classicalwisdom.com}}

}}

Not only Egypt was affected by the Sea People invasions. The empire of the Hittites, a long-standing rival to Egypt, collapsed, never to rise again. (In the inscription quoted above, the Hittites are called "Hatti".)

With the victory in the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta during Year 8 of Ramesses III's reign, Egypt successfully repelled the invading Sea Peoples, protecting Egypt from ruin like other Bronze Age civilizations. During the Twentieth Dynasty, many of the temples were built to display the power of Egypt. However, they also indicate the political ascendancy of the priesthood over the pharaoh.

The Twentieth Dynasty declined because of drastic climate change, infighting in the royal family, and growing power of the priesthood and nobility. Following the death of Ramesses XI, the last pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty, a period of chaos ensued. This was ended by Smendes, a member of the Egyptian nobility, who became the first Pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty.

=Background=

Upon the death of the last pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, Queen Twosret, Egypt descended into a period of civil war, as attested by the Elephantine stela built by Setnakhte. The circumstances of Twosret's demise are uncertain, as she may have died peacefully during her reign or been overthrown by Setnakhte, who was likely already middle aged at the time.Hartwig Altenmüller, "The Tomb of Tausert and Setnakht," in Valley of the Kings, ed. Kent R. Weeks (New York: Friedman/Fairfax Publishers, 2001), pp.222-31

= 20th Dynasty =

A consistent theme of this dynasty was the loss of pharaonic power to the High Priests of Amun. Horemheb, a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, had restored the traditional Ancient Egyptian religion and the priesthood of Amun after their abandonment by Akhenaten. With the High Priests now acting as intermediaries between the gods and the people, rather than the pharaoh, the position of pharaoh no longer commanded the same kind of power as it had in the past.

== Setnakhte ==

{{Main|Setnakhte}}Setnakhte stabilized the situation in Egypt, and may have driven off an attempted invasion by the Sea Peoples. He ruled for about 3-4 years before being succeeded by his son Ramesses III.

== Ramesses III ==

{{Main|Ramesses III}}In Year 5 of his reign, Ramesses defeated a Libyan invasion of Egypt by the Libu, Meshwesh and Seped people through Marmarica, who had previously unsuccessfully invaded during the reign of Merneptah.{{Cite journal|last=Grandet|first=Pierre|date=2014-10-30|title=Early–mid 20th dynasty|url=http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0d84248t|journal=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology|volume=1|issue=1|pages=4}}

Ramesses III is most famous for decisively defeating a confederacy of the Sea Peoples, including the Denyen, Tjekker, Peleset, Shardana and Weshesh in the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta during Year 8 of his reign. Within the Papyrus Harris I, which attests these events in detail, Ramesses is said to have settled the defeated Sea Peoples in "strongholds", most likely located in Canaan, as his subjects.{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt/|title=New Kingdom of Egypt|work=World History Encyclopedia|access-date=2017-05-06}}{{Cite web|url=http://fontes.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc5/harris.htm|title=The Papyrus Harris|last=Lorenz|first=Megaera|website=fontes.lstc.edu|access-date=2017-05-06|archive-date=2017-01-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115073031/http://fontes.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc5/harris.htm|url-status=dead}}

In Year 11 of Ramesses' reign, another coalition of Libyan invaders was defeated in Egypt.

Between regnal Year 12 and Year 29, a systematic program of reorganization of the varied cults of the Ancient Egyptian religion was undertaken, by creating and funding new cults and restoring temples.

In Year 29 of Ramesses' reign, the first recorded labor strike in human history took place, after food rations for the favored and elite royal tomb builders and artisans in the village of Set Maat (now known as Deir el-Medina), could not be provisioned.William F. Edgerton, The Strikes in Ramses III's Twenty-Ninth Year, JNES 10, No. 3 (July 1951), pp. 137-145

The reign of Ramesses III is also known for a harem conspiracy in which Queen Tiye, one of his lesser wives, was implicated in an assassination attempt against the king, with the goal of putting her son Pentawer on the throne. The coup was unsuccessful. The king died from the attempt on his life; however, it was his legitimate heir and son Ramesses IV who succeeded him to the throne, who thereafter arrested and put approximately 30 conspirators to death.Dodson and Hilton, pg 184{{Cite journal|last=Grandet|first=Pierre|date=2014-10-30|title=Early–mid 20th dynasty|url=http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0d84248t|journal=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology|volume=1|issue=1|pages=5–8}}

== Ramesses IV ==

{{Main|Ramesses IV}}At the start of his reign Ramesses IV started an enormous building program on the scale of Ramesses the Great's own projects. He doubled the number of work gangs at Set Maat to a total of 120 men and dispatched numerous expeditions to the stone quarries of Wadi Hammamat and the turquoise mines of the Sinai. One of the largest expeditions included 8,368 men, of which some 2,000 were soldiers.Jacobus Van Dijk, 'The Amarna Period and the later New Kingdom' in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, ed. Ian Shaw, Oxford University Press paperback, (2002), pp.306-307 Ramesses expanded his father's Temple of Khonsu at Karnak and possibly began his own mortuary temple at a site near the Temple of Hatshepsut. Another smaller temple is associated with Ramesses north of Medinet Habu.

Ramesses IV saw issues with the provision of food rations to his workmen, similar to the situation under his father. Ramessesnakht, the High Priest of Amun at the time, began to accompany state officials as they went to pay the workmen their rations, suggesting that, at least in part, it was the Temple of Amun and not the Egyptian state that was responsible for their wages.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

He also produced the Papyrus Harris I, the longest known papyrus from Ancient Egypt, measuring in at 41 meters long with 1,500 lines of text to celebrate the achievements of his father.

== Ramesses V ==

{{Main|Ramesses V}}Ramesses V reigned for no more than 4 years, dying of smallpox in 1143 BC. The Turin Papyrus Cat. 2044 attests that during his reign the workmen of Set Maat were forced to periodically stop working on Ramesses' KV9 tomb out of "fear of the enemy", suggesting increasing instability in Egypt and an inability to defend the country from what are presumed to be Libyan raiding parties.A.J. Peden, The Reign of Ramesses IV, (Aris & Phillips Ltd: 1994), p.21 Peden's source on these recorded disturbances is KRI, VI, 340-343

The Wilbour Papyrus is thought to date from Ramesses V's reign. The document reveals that most of the land in Egypt by that point was controlled by the Temple of Amun, and that the Temple had complete control over Egypt's finances.Alan H. Gardiner, R. O. Faulkner: The Wilbour Papyrus. 4 Bände, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1941-52.

== Ramesses VI ==

{{Main|Ramesses VI}}Ramesses VI is best known for his tomb which, when built, inadvertently buried the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun underneath, keeping it safe from grave robbing until its discovery by Howard Carter in 1922.

== Ramesses VII ==

{{Main|Ramesses VII}}Ramesses VII's only monument is his tomb, KV1.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

== Ramesses VIII ==

{{Main|Ramesses VIII}}Almost nothing is known about Ramesses VIII's reign, which lasted for a single year. He is only attested at Medinet Habu and through a few plaques. The only monument from his reign is his modest tomb, which was used for Mentuherkhepeshef, son of Ramesses IX, rather than Ramesses VIII himself.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

== Ramesses IX ==

{{Main|Ramesses IX}}During Year 16 and Year 17 of Ramesses IX's reign famous tomb robbery trials took place, as attested by the Abbott Papyrus. A careful examination by a vizierial commission was undertaken of ten royal tombs, four tombs of the Chantresses of the Estate of the Divine Adoratrix, and finally the tombs of the citizens of Thebes. Many of these were found to have been broken into, like the tomb of Pharaoh Sobekemsaf II, whose mummy had been stolen.Une enquête judiciaire à Thèbes au temps de la XXe dynastie : ...Maspero, G. (Gaston), 1846-1916.

Ramesses IX's cartouche has been found at Gezer in Canaan, suggesting that Egypt at this time still had some degree of influence in the region.{{Cite journal|last=Finkelstein|first=Israel|title=Is the Philistine Paradigm Still Viable?|date=January 2007 |url=https://www.academia.edu/1070463|language=en|pages=517}}

Most of the building projects during Ramesses IX's reign were at Heliopolis.Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, Blackwell Books, 1992. p.289

== Ramesses X ==

{{Main|Ramesses X}}Ramesses X's reign is poorly documented. The Necropolis Journal of Set Maat records the general idleness of the workmen at this time, due, at least in part, to the danger of Libyan raiders.E.F. Wente & C.C. Van Siclen, "A Chronology of the New Kingdom" in Studies in Honor of George R. Hughes, (SAOC 39) 1976, p.261

== Ramesses XI ==

{{Main|Ramesses XI}}Ramesses XI was the last pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty. During his reign the position grew so weak that in the south the High Priests of Amun at Thebes became the de facto rulers of Upper Egypt, while Smendes controlled Lower Egypt even before Ramesses XI's death. Smendes would eventually found the Twenty-First dynasty at Tanis.Dodson and Hilton, pg 185-186

=Decline=

As happened under the earlier Nineteenth Dynasty, this dynasty struggled under the effects of the bickering between the heirs of Ramesses III. For instance, three different sons of Ramesses III are known to have assumed power as Ramesses IV, Ramesses VI and Ramesses VIII respectively. However, at this time Egypt was also increasingly beset by a series of droughts, below-normal flooding levels of the Nile, famine, civil unrest and official corruption – all of which would limit the managerial abilities of any king.

Sea Peoples in Egypt

The late 13th century BC was a time of uncertainty and conflict for peoples and polities of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean due to the invasion by Sea Peoples, which was a contributing factor in the Late Bronze Age collapse.{{cite journal |last1=Kaniewski |first1=David |last2=Van Campo |first2=Elise |last3=Van Lerberghe |first3=Karel |last4=Boiy |first4=Tom |last5=Vansteenhuyse |first5=Klaas |last6=Jans |first6=Greta |last7=Nys |first7=Karin |last8=Weiss |first8=Harvey |last9=Morhange |first9=Christophe |last10=Otto |first10=Thierry |last11=Bretschneider |first11=Joachim |title=The Sea Peoples, from Cuneiform Tablets to Carbon Dating |journal=PLOS ONE |date=8 June 2011 |volume=6 |issue=6 |pages=e20232 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0020232 |doi-access=free |pmid=21687714 |pmc=3110627 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...620232K |ref=Kaniewski et al |issn=1932-6203}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}{{Cite book |last=Ward WA, Sharp Joukowsky M. |title=The Crisis years: the 12th century BC: from beyond the Danube to the Tigris. |publication-date=1992}} While there is not much information left to show us why the Sea Peoples began the large scale invasion, the written evidence shows the weakening of central administrations, erosion of political powers, and food shortage might be the reasons.{{Cite journal |last=Kaniewski D. |title=Late Second-Early First Millennium BC abrupt climate changes in coastal Syria and their possible significance for the history of the Eastern Mediterranean. |journal=Quaternary Research |year=2010|volume=74 |issue=2 |page=207 |doi=10.1016/j.yqres.2010.07.010 |bibcode=2010QuRes..74..207K }}

From Ramses III's mortuary temple at Medinet Habou depicting a chaotic scene of boats and warriors entwined in battle in the Nile delta, it showing that Sea Peoples were seaborne foes from different origins.{{Cite book |last=Roberts RG. |title=Identity, choice, and the Year 8 reliefs of Ramesses III at Medinet Habou.}} They launched a combined land-sea invasion that destabilized the already weakened power base of empires and kingdoms of the old world, and attempted to enter or control the Egyptian territory.

While with the victory in the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta during Year 8 of Ramesses III's reign, Egypt successfully repelled the invading forces of Sea Peoples, the damage that caused the collapse of the Eastern Mediterranean world also damaged the trade routes of Egypt, as most of their trading partners had been destroyed by Sea Peoples.

File:Medinet Habu Ramses III. Tempel Nordostwand Abzeichnung 01.jpg

Pharaohs of the 20th Dynasty

{{Main|List of pharaohs}}The pharaohs of the 20th Dynasty ruled for approximately 120 years: from c. 1187 to 1064 BC. The dates and names in the table are mostly taken from "Chronological Table for the Dynastic Period" in Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss & David Warburton (editors), Ancient Egyptian Chronology (Handbook of Oriental Studies), Brill, 2006. Many of the pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes (designated KV). More information can be found on the Theban Mapping Project website.[http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/ Sites in the Valley of the Kings]

class="wikitable" \|+Dynasty XX Kings of Egypt ! style="width:130px" \|Pharaoh !Image!! style="width:150px" \|Prenomen (Throne Name) !! style="width:120px" \|Horus-name !! style="width:120px" \|Reign !! style="width:60px" \|Burial !! style="width:200px" \|Consort(s) !Comments
Setnakhte \|103x103px	Userkhaure-setepenre	Kanakhtwerpehty	1189 – 1186 BC	KV14	Tiy-merenese \|May have usurped the throne from his predecessor, Twosret.
Ramesses III \|133x133px	Usermaatre-Meryamun	Kanakhtaanesyt	1186 – 1155 BC	KV11	Iset Ta-Hemdjert Tyti Tiye \|
Ramesses IV \|189x189px	Usermaatre Setepenamun, later Heqamaatre Setepenamun	Kanakhtankhemmaat	1155 – 1149 BC	KV2	Duatentopet \|
Ramesses V / Amenhirkhepeshef I \|125x125px	Usermaatre Sekheperenre	Kanakhtmenmaat	1149 – 1145 BC	KV9	Henutwati Tawerettenru \|
Ramesses VI / Amenhirkhepeshef II \|File:RamassesVIFragmentarySarcophagusHead-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg	Nebmaatre Meryamun	Kanakhtaanakhtu	1145 – 1137 BC	KV9	Nubkhesbed \|
Ramesses VII / Itamun \|File:Tomb_KV1_Ramesses_VII_Lepsius.jpg	Usermaatre Setepenre Meryamun	Kanakhtanemnesu	1136 – 1129 BC	KV1	\|
Ramesses VIII / Sethhirkhepeshef \|129x129px	Usermaatre-Akhenamun	(unknown)	1130 – 1129 BC		\|
Ramesses IX / Khaemwaset I \|File:Ramesses9.jpg	Neferkare Setepenre	Kanakhtkhaemwaset	1129 – 1111 BC	KV6	Baketwernel \|
Ramesses X / Amenhirkhepeshef III \|File:RamsesXCrop.jpg	Khepermaatre Setepenre	Kanakhtsekhaenre	1111 – 1107 BC	KV18	\|
Ramesses XI / Khaemwaset II \|150x150px	Menmaatre Setpenptah	Kanakhtmeryre	1107 – 1077 BC	KV4	Tentamun \|

Timeline

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from: -1190 till: -1186 color:PA text:"Setnakhte (1190 BC – 1186 BC)"

from: -1186 till: -1155 color:PA text:"Ramesses III (1186 BC – 1155 BC)"

from: -1155 till: -1149 color:PA text:"Ramesses IV (1155 BC – 1149 BC)"

from: -1149 till: -1145 color:PA text:"Ramesses V (1149 BC – 1145 BC)"

from: -1145 till: -1137 color:PA text:"Ramesses VI (1145 BC – 1137 BC)"

from: -1137 till: -1130 color:PA text:"Ramesses VII (1137 BC – 1130 BC)"

from: -1130 till: -1129 color:PA text:"Ramesses VIII (1130 BC – 1129 BC)"

from: -1129 till: -1111 color:PA text:"Ramesses IX (1129 BC – 1111 BC)"

from: -1111 till: -1107 color:PA text:"Ramesses X (1111 BC – 1107 BC)"

from: -1107 till: -1077 color:PA text:"Ramesses XI (1107 BC – 1077 BC)"

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Pharaonic Family tree

The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt was the last of the New Kingdom of Egypt. The familial relationships are unclear, especially towards the end of the dynasty.

{{Tree chart| | | | | | |SET|v|TIY| | |SET=25pxSetnakhte|TIY=Tiy-merenese}}

{{Tree chart| | | | |ISS|v|RAM|-|-|v|TIY|RAM=25pxRamesses III|ISS=Iset Ta-Hemdjert|TIY=Tiye}}

{{Tree chart| | | | | | | |!| | | | | |)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|PEN|PEN=Pentawere}}

{{Tree chart| | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | |)|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|.}}

{{Tree chart|NUB|v|RVI| |RIV|v|TEN| |AMN| |KHA| |RAM| |PAR| |MNT|v|TKB||RVI=25pxRamesses VI|NUB=Nubkhesbed|RIV=25pxRamesses IV|TEN=Duatentopet|AMN=Amenhirkhopshef|KHA=Khaemwaset E|RAM=25pxRamesses VIII|PAR=Parahiremenef|MNT=Mentuhirkopshef B|TKB=Takhat B}}

{{Tree chart| | | |!| | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |:|}}

{{Tree chart| | |VII| | | | | |RMV| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |BAK|v|RIX|RMV=25pxRamesses V|VII=25pxRamesses VII|BAK=Baketwernel|RIX=25pxRamesses IX}}

{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |:| | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |TYT|-|V|-|RMX| | | | | | | | |TYT=Tyti|RMX=25pxRamesses X}}

{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |:| | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |UNK|-|RXI| | | | | | | |RXI=25pxRamesses XI|UNK=Unknown}}

Gallery

File:Weihrauchopfer RamsesIII aus KV11.jpg|Ramesses III was the son of Sethnakht. During his reign, he fought off the invasions of the Sea Peoples in Egypt and tolerated their settlement in Canaan. A conspiracy was hatched to kill him, but it failed. He was later murdered. His mummy, long an inspiration for the scary Hollywood films, showed his throat was slit.

File:RamessesIV-SmitingHisEnemiesOnAnOstracon MuseumOfFineArtsBoston.jpg|Ramesses IV was the fifth son of Ramesses III. He assumed the throne after his four older brothers had died.

File:Ramses V mummy head.png|Ramesses V was the son of Ramesses IV and Queen Duatentopet. During his reign Libyan raiders attacked the country and attempted to conquer Thebes, forcing the workers of Deir el-Medina to halt work in the Valley of the Kings. He died of smallpox.

File:RamassesVIFragmentarySarcophagusHead-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg|Ramesses VI was an uncle of Ramesses V. He usurped his predecessor's throne and later his tomb, KV9.

File:Mold with Throne Name of Ramses VII LACMA M.80.202.468.jpg|Ramesses VII was the son of Ramesses VI. During his reign, prices of grain soared to the highest levels. His mummy has never been found but cups bearing his name were found in the royal cache at Deir el-Bahri. He was buried in KV1.

File:SFEC-MEDINETHABU-Sethiherkhepeshef II.jpg|Ramesses VIII, born Sethherkhepeshef, was a brother of Ramesses VI and a surviving son of Ramesses III. He may have ruled for a year or two. His tomb has never been identified.

File:Ramesses9.jpg|Ramesses IX was the grandson of Ramesses III, nephew of Ramesses IV and VI, and a son of Mentuherkhepeshef, who never became a pharaoh.

File:Ramesse10ScarabBologna.png|Ramesses X, born Amunherkhepeshef, took the throne after Ramesses IX. He is a poorly documented king, with few monuments to his name. His tomb, KV18, was left unfinished.

File:Temple Khonsu Ramesses XI Lepsius.jpg|Ramesses XI was the last pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty. As Egypt weakened, Ramesses XI was forced to share power in a triumvirate with Herihor, the high priest of Amun, and Smendes, governor of Lower Egypt. Ramesses XI was buried in Lower Egypt by Smendes, who later took the throne himself.