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Pharaohs of Egypt in order: the best-known kings, dynasty by dynasty
22 October 2026
In order, the pharaohs people know best run from Narmer around 3000 BC through Djoser, Khufu, Mentuhotep II, Senusret III, Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramesses II and Ramesses III, then Taharqa and Psamtik I, to Alexander the Great and Cleopatra VII, who died in 30 BC.
Dates before 664 BC are approximate. The ones given here for about forty kings follow one standard chronology, Ian Shaw's Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, and each of those kings has a page on the site with the royal names drawn in hieroglyphs.
Early dates can drift by a century
Egyptians dated events by the year of the reigning king, "year 5 of Thutmose III", and started counting again at each new reign. To turn that into years BC, historians add up reign lengths from the king lists, and every list has holes. The Turin king list on papyrus is broken into fragments, while the Abydos and Saqqara lists leave out kings their makers disliked. Manetho's Greek history, which gave the dynasties their numbers, survives only in quotations that disagree with each other.
Some dynasties also ruled different parts of the country at the same time, and a son sometimes reigned beside his father for years. Middle and New Kingdom dates are now stable to within a few decades. For the Old Kingdom, chronologies still differ by up to a century or more.
Pyramid builders came first
The Early Dynastic kings wrote their names in a serekh, a palace front under the falcon of Horus. The Old Kingdom, 3rd to 8th Dynasties (c. 2686–2160 BC), is the age of the pyramids:
- Narmer, 1st Dynasty, c. 3000 BC: first king of a united Egypt
- Djoser, 3rd Dynasty, c. 2667–2648 BC: the Step Pyramid
- Sneferu, 4th Dynasty, c. 2613–2589 BC: the first true pyramid
- Khufu, c. 2589–2566 BC: the Great Pyramid of Giza
- Khafre, c. 2558–2532 BC: the second Giza pyramid
- Menkaure, c. 2532–2503 BC: the third Giza pyramid
- Unas, 5th Dynasty, c. 2375–2345 BC: the first Pyramid Texts
- Teti, 6th Dynasty, c. 2345–2323 BC: pyramid at Saqqara
- Pepi II, c. 2278–2184 BC: one of the longest reigns recorded
Theban kings reunited the country twice
After the Old Kingdom, rival kings ruled from Herakleopolis and Thebes. A Theban, Mentuhotep II, won and began the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC). Later the Hyksos, kings of Near Eastern origin, took the north from Avaris, until the Theban 17th Dynasty fought back:
- Mentuhotep II, 11th Dynasty, c. 2055–2004 BC: reunited Egypt
- Amenemhat I, 12th Dynasty, c. 1985–1956 BC: founded a new capital
- Senusret I, c. 1956–1911 BC: the White Chapel at Karnak
- Senusret III, c. 1870–1831 BC: forts in Nubia, careworn portraits
- Amenemhat III, c. 1831–1786 BC: pyramids at Dahshur and Hawara
- Khyan and Apepi, 15th Dynasty: the best-known Hyksos kings
- Seqenenre Tao, 17th Dynasty, c. 1560 BC: died of head wounds
- Kamose, c. 1555–1550 BC: carried the war north
Most famous names belong to the New Kingdom
The New Kingdom, 18th to 20th Dynasties (c. 1550–1069 BC), holds most of the pharaohs in museums and films. The order has one knot. Hatshepsut ruled first as regent for her young stepson Thutmose III and then as king beside him, so his reign is counted from 1479 BC and hers sits inside it:
- Ahmose I, c. 1550–1525 BC: drove out the Hyksos
- Amenhotep I, c. 1525–1504 BC: later worshipped at Deir el-Medina
- Thutmose I, c. 1504–1492 BC: probably the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings
- Thutmose III, c. 1479–1425 BC: the great conqueror
- Hatshepsut, c. 1473–1458 BC: temple at Deir el-Bahari
- Amenhotep III, c. 1390–1352 BC: Luxor Temple, the Colossi of Memnon
- Akhenaten, c. 1352–1336 BC: worship of the Aten, the city of Amarna
- Tutankhamun, about nine years in the 1330s and 1320s BC
- Horemheb, until c. 1295 BC: last king of the 18th Dynasty
- Seti I, 19th Dynasty, c. 1294–1279 BC: the temple at Abydos
- Ramesses II, c. 1279–1213 BC: Abu Simbel, 66 years on the throne
- Merneptah, c. 1213–1203 BC: the stela that names Israel
- Ramesses III, 20th Dynasty, c. 1184–1153 BC: Medinet Habu
Libyans, Kushites and Persians held the throne in turn
From 1069 BC the country split again. Kings ruled the north from Tanis, then families of Libyan descent, then kings from Kush in today's Sudan. Psamtik I reunited Egypt in 664 BC. Persia conquered it in 525 BC and again in 343 BC, and Alexander the Great took it from the Persians in 332 BC. His general Ptolemy founded the last dynasty:
- Psusennes I, 21st Dynasty, c. 1039–991 BC: silver coffin at Tanis
- Shoshenq I, 22nd Dynasty, c. 945–924 BC: the Bubastite Portal at Karnak
- Taharqa, 25th Dynasty, c. 690–664 BC: king from Kush
- Psamtik I, 26th Dynasty, 664–610 BC: reunited Egypt from Sais
- Darius I, 27th Dynasty, 522–486 BC: Persian king as pharaoh
- Nectanebo II, 30th Dynasty, 360–343 BC: the last native pharaoh
- Alexander the Great, 332–323 BC: founded Alexandria
- Ptolemy V, 205–180 BC: the king of the Rosetta Stone
- Cleopatra VII, 51–30 BC: the last pharaoh
The timeline draws every king in hieroglyphs
On the site's timeline each period opens into its dynasties and each dynasty into its kings, with every name above drawn sign by sign.
Questions
Who was the first pharaoh of Egypt?
Narmer is usually counted first. Later Egyptians called the first king Menes, and many Egyptologists think Menes and Narmer were the same man. Others argue for Narmer's successor Aha.
Who ruled Egypt the longest?
Pepi II, if Manetho's figure of about 94 years is right. Some scholars think his reign was shorter. The longest well-documented reign is Ramesses II's, 66 years.
Is there a list of all the pharaohs?
No complete list survives from Egypt. The Abydos king list of Seti I names 76 kings up to himself, and Egyptologists today know about 170 by name. The site's pages on the timeline and on how many pharaohs there were go through the count.
Is there an egyptian rulers timeline by period?
Historians group the dynasties into nine periods, from the Early Dynastic Period around 3000 BC to the Ptolemaic Period that ended in 30 BC. The site's pharaohs timeline article gives each period with its dates.
Glossary
- dynasty
- A line of kings counted together, usually one family. Egyptologists number Egypt's kings in about 30 dynasties, following the priest Manetho.
- hieroglyphs
- The picture signs of ancient Egyptian writing, used from about 3200 BC to AD 394. A sign can stand for sounds, for a whole word, or for the kind of thing a word means.
- Middle Kingdom
- The age when Egypt was united again, about 2055 to 1650 BC. Its texts became the classic form of the language that later scribes copied.
- New Kingdom
- Egypt's age of empire, about 1550 to 1069 BC, the time of Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramesses II.
- Old Kingdom
- The age of the pyramid builders, about 2686 to 2181 BC, from the 3rd to the 6th Dynasty.
- papyrus
- A writing sheet made from strips of the papyrus reed laid in two crossing layers and pressed. Sheets were glued into long rolls.
- pharaoh
- The king of Egypt. The word comes from per-aa, "great house", a name for the palace that came to mean the king himself in the New Kingdom.
- pyramid
- A royal tomb with four sloping sides meeting at a point, built in the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza is the largest.
- Pyramid Texts
- The oldest religious spells of Egypt, carved in the burial rooms of pyramids from the reign of Unas, around 2350 BC, on.
- regent
- Someone who rules for a king who is too young. Hatshepsut ruled so for the boy Thutmose III before she was crowned king herself.
- serekh
- A frame showing the front of a palace, with a king's Horus name written above it and the Horus falcon on top. The oldest royal names are written in serekhs.
- tomb
- A burial place: a pit, a mastaba, a pyramid or rooms cut into rock. Its chapel was where the family brought offerings.
People in this article
- Narmer c. 3000 BC
- Djoser c. 2667–2648 BC
- Sneferu c. 2613–2589 BC
- Khufu c. 2589–2566 BC
- Khafre c. 2558–2532 BC
- Menkaure c. 2532–2503 BC
- Unas c. 2375–2345 BC
- Teti c. 2345–2323 BC
- Pepi II c. 2278–2184 BC
- Mentuhotep II c. 2055–2004 BC
- Amenemhat I c. 1985–1956 BC
- Senusret I c. 1956–1911 BC
- Senusret III c. 1870–1831 BC
- Amenemhat III c. 1831–1786 BC
- Khyan c. 1610–1590 BC
- Apepi c. 1590–1550 BC
- Seqenenre Tao c. 1560–1555 BC
- Kamose c. 1555–1550 BC
- Ahmose I c. 1550–1525 BC
- Amenhotep I c. 1525–1504 BC
- Thutmose I c. 1504–1492 BC
- Thutmose III c. 1479–1425 BC
- Hatshepsut c. 1473–1458 BC
- Amenhotep III c. 1390–1352 BC
- Akhenaten c. 1352–1336 BC
- Tutankhamun c. 1336–1327 BC
- Horemheb c. 1323–1295 BC
- Seti I c. 1294–1279 BC
- Ramesses II c. 1279–1213 BC
- Merneptah c. 1213–1203 BC
- Ramesses III c. 1184–1153 BC
- Psusennes I c. 1039–991 BC
- Shoshenq I c. 945–924 BC
- Taharqa c. 690–664 BC
- Psamtik I c. 664–610 BC
- Darius I c. 522–486 BC
- Nectanebo II c. 360–343 BC
- Alexander the Great c. 332–323 BC
- Ptolemy V c. 205–180 BC
- Cleopatra VII c. 51–30 BC
Sources
More to read
- Champollion and the day hieroglyphs were read again Champollion and hieroglyphics: how he read the script in 1822, from Ptolemy's cartouche to the name of Ramesses, and what his letter to Dacier showed.
- How to read a stela, line by line How to read an Egyptian stela in hieroglyphics: the rounded top, the scene, the offering formula, the owner's name and family, read from the right end.
- Ptahshepses and Sabu: the Saqqara tombs the Czech mission dug out again Saqqara discovery 2026: Miroslav Bárta's Czech mission re-excavates the tombs of Ptahshepses and his father Sabu and finds the chapel of Sabu's wife.