Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt
{{Short description|Ancient Egyptian dynasty}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt
|era = Third Intermediate Period of Egypt
|government_type = Absolute monarchy
|nation =
|image_map = File:Psusennes I's Funerary Mask in 2012.jpg
|image_map_caption = Gold funerary mask of pharaoh Psusennes I
|image_flag =
|flag =
|flag_type =
|year_start = 1077 BC
|year_end = 943 BC
|p1 = Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt
|flag_p1 =
|s1 = Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt
|flag_s1 =
|capital = Tanis
|common_languages = Egyptian language
|religion = Ancient Egyptian Religion
|event_start =
|event_end = }}
The Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXI, alternatively 21st Dynasty or Dynasty 21) is usually classified as the first Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian Third Intermediate Period, lasting from 1077 BC to 943 BC.
History
After the reign of Ramesses III, a long, slow decline of royal power in Egypt followed. The pharaohs of the Twenty-first Dynasty ruled from Tanis, but were mostly active only in Lower Egypt, which they controlled. This dynasty is described as 'Tanite' because its political capital was based at Tanis. Meanwhile, the High Priests of Amun at Thebes effectively ruled Middle and Upper Egypt in all but name. The later Egyptian Priest Manetho of Sebennytos states in his Epitome on Egyptian royal history that "the 21st Dynasty of Egypt lasted for 130 years".Kenneth A. Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650 BC), 3rd edition, 1986, Warminster: Aris & Phillips Ltd, p.531
Pharaohs of the 21st Dynasty
{{main|List of pharaohs}}
| class="wikitable"
|+Dynasty XXI 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 | |||||
| Smendes / Nesbanebdjed I | Hedjkheperre Setepenre | Kanakhtmeryreseuser Amunkhepesheferseqamaat | 1077 - 1051 BC | unknown | Tentamun
|Only controlled Lower Egypt during his reign. Founder of the 21st Dynasty. |
| Amenemnisu | Neferkare Heqawaset | (unknown) | 1051 - 1047 BC | unknown | | |
| Psusennes I / Hor-Pasebakhaenniut I
| Akheperre Setepenamun | Kanakhtemdedamun Userfausekhaemwaset | 1047 - 1001 BC | NRT III, Tanis | Mutnedjemet Wiay |Precise length of reign unknown. Either 41 or 46 years. | |
| Amenemope
| Usermaatre Setepenamun | (unknown) | 1001 - 992 BC | Tanis | |Manetho writes in his Epitome that Amenemope ruled Egypt for 9 years. | |
| Osorkon the Elder
| Akheperre Setepenre | (unknown) | 992 - 986 BC | unknown | |Osorkon the elder ruled Egypt for 6 years. | |
| Siamun
| Netjerkheperre Setepenamun | Kanakhtmerymat Sameryenamunperemhauef | 986 - 967 BC | unknown | |Siamun is believed to have ruled Egypt for 19 years. Egyptologists have amended Manetho's figure of 9 years for this king to [1]9 years based on a Year 17 known for him in the Karnak Priestly Annals | |
| Psusennes II / Hor-Pasebakhaenniut II
| Titkheperure Setepenre | (unknown) | 967 - 943 BC | unknown | | |
Timeline of the 21st Dynasty
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:12
PlotArea = top:100 bottom:100 right:100 left:100
AlignBars = early
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:-1077 till:-925
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:-1077
Colors =
id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97)
id:PA value:green
id:GP value:red
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barset:Rulers
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width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
barset:Rulers
from: -1077 till: -1051 color:PA text:"Smendes (1077 BC – 1051 BC)"
from: -1051 till: -1047 color:PA text:"Amenemnisu (1051 BC – 1047 BC)"
from: -1047 till: -1001 color:PA text:"Psusennes I (1047 BC – 1001 BC)"
from: -1001 till: -992 color:PA text:"Amenemope (1001 BC – 992 BC)"
from: -992 till: -986 color:PA text:"Osorkon the Elder (992 BC – 986 BC)"
from: -986 till: -967 color:PA text:"Siamun (986 BC – 967 BC)"
from: -967 till: -943 color:PA text:"Psusennes II (967 BC – 943 BC)"
barset:skip
Footnotes
{{Egyptian Dynasty list}}
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Jaroslav Černý, Studies in the Chronology of the Twenty-First Dynasty, JEA 32 (1946), 24-30