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 furthermore together constitute an era known as the ''Ramesside period''. This dynasty is generally considered to be the start of the decline of Ancient Egypt.
History
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.
20th Dynasty
A consistent theme of this dynasty was the loss of pharaonic power to the
High Priests of Amun.
Horemheb
Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab or Haremhab ( egy, ḥr-m-ḥb, meaning " Horus is in Jubilation") was the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1295 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319 BC and 1292 BC. ...
, a pharaoh of the
18th Dynasty, had restored the traditional
Ancient Egyptian religion and the priesthood of
Amun after their abandonment by
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
. 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
Setnakhte stabilized the situation in Egypt, and may have driven off an attempted invasion by the
Sea Peoples. He ruled for about 4 years before being succeeded by his son Ramesses III.
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.
Ramesses III is most famous for decisively defeating a confederacy of the Sea Peoples, including the
Denyen,
Tjekker,
Peleset,
Shardana
The Sherden ( Egyptian: ''šrdn'', ''šꜣrdꜣnꜣ'' or ''šꜣrdynꜣ'', Ugaritic: ''šrdnn(m)'' and ''trtn(m)'', possibly Akkadian: ''še-er-ta-an-nu''; also glossed “Shardana” or “Sherdanu”) are one of the several ethnic groups the Se ...
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
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
, as his subjects.
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
Deir el-Medina ( arz, دير المدينة), or Dayr al-Madīnah, is an ancient Egyptian workmen's village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom ...
), could not be provisioned.
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.
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. Ramesses expanded his father's
Temple of Khonsu
The Temple of Khonsu is an ancient Egyptian temple. It is located within the large Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, in Luxor, Egypt. The edifice is an example of an almost complete New Kingdom temple, and was originally constructed by Ramesses ...
at
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constru ...
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
Medinet Habu ( ar, مدينة هابو; Egyptian: ''Tjamet'' or ''Djamet''; cop, ''Djeme'' or ''Djemi'') is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Lu ...
.
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.
He also produced the Papyrus Harris I, the longest known
papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to ...
from Ancient Egypt, measuring in at 41 meters long with 1,500 lines of text to celebrate the achievements of his father.
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 KV9 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings was originally constructed by Pharaoh Ramesses V. He was interred here, but his uncle, Ramesses VI, later reused the tomb as his own. The layout is typical of the 20th Dynasty – the Ramesside period ...
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.
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.
Ramesses VI
Ramesses VI is best known for his tomb which, when built, inadvertently buried the tomb of pharaoh
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun (, egy, twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn), Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen () (), sometimes referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ...
underneath, keeping it safe from grave robbing until its
discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discove ...
by
Howard Carter in 1922.
Ramesses VII
Ramesses VII's only monument is his tomb,
KV1.
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.
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
The Abbott Papyrus serves as an important political document concerning the tomb robberies of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom. It also gives insight into the scandal between the two rivals Pawero and Paser of Thebes.
The Ab ...
. 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
Sobekemsaf ''(sbk-m-z3=f;'' “ Sobek is his protection”) is an ancient Egyptian theophoric name, popular during the Second Intermediate Period (mainly in the 17th Dynasty
The Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVII, alternatively 1 ...
, whose
mummy had been stolen.
Ramesses IX's
cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the f ...
has been found at
Gezer in
Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
, suggesting that Egypt at this time still had some degree of influence in the region.
Most of the building projects during Ramesses IX's reign were at
Heliopolis.
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.
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
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
, while
Smendes
Hedjkheperre Setepenre Smendes was the founder of the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt and succeeded to the throne after burying Ramesses XI in Lower Egypt – territory which he controlled. His Egyptian nomen or birth name was actually Nesba ...
controlled
Lower Egypt even before Ramesses XI's death. Smendes would eventually found the
Twenty-First dynasty at
Tanis
Tanis ( grc, Τάνις or Τανέως ) or San al-Hagar ( ar, صان الحجر, Ṣān al-Ḥaǧar; egy, ḏꜥn.t ; ; cop, ϫⲁⲛⲓ or or ) is the Greek name for ancient Egyptian ''ḏꜥn.t'', an important archaeological site in the ...
.
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
Usermaatre Akhenamun Ramesses VIII (also written Ramses and Rameses) or Ramesses Sethherkhepshef Meryamun ('Set is his Strength, beloved of Amun') (reigned 1130–1129 BC, or 1130 BC), was the seventh Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New ...
respectively. However, at this time Egypt was also increasingly beset by a series of droughts, below-normal flooding levels of the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...
, famine, civil unrest and official corruption – all of which would limit the managerial abilities of any king.
Pharaohs of the 20th Dynasty
The
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...
s 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.
Sites in the Valley of the Kings
/ref>
Timeline of the 20th Dynasty
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id:eon value:rgb(1,0.7,1) # light purple
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from: -1190 till: -1186 color:PA text:" Setnakhte (1190 BC
The 1190s BC is a decade which lasted from 1199 BC to 1190 BC.
Events and trends
* 1197 BC—The beginning of the first period (1197 BC–982 BC) according to Shao Yong's concept of the I Ching and history.
* 1194 BC—The beginning of the lege ...
– 1186 BC
Year 1186 ( MCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* January 27 – Constance of Sicily marries Henry (the future Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor).
* John the C ...
)"
from: -1186 till: -1155 color:PA text:"Ramesses III
Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III (also written Ramses and Rameses) was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He is thought to have reigned from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC and is considered to be the last great mona ...
(1186 BC
Year 1186 ( MCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
* January 27 – Constance of Sicily marries Henry (the future Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor).
* John the C ...
– 1155 BC
The 1150s BC is a decade which lasted from 1159 BC to 1150 BC.
Events and trends
*1159 BC—The Hekla 3 eruption triggers an 18-year period of climatic worsening. (estimated date, disputed)
* 1154 BC—Death of King Menelaus of Sparta (estima ...
)"
from: -1155 till: -1149 color:PA text:" Ramesses IV (1155 BC
The 1150s BC is a decade which lasted from 1159 BC to 1150 BC.
Events and trends
*1159 BC—The Hekla 3 eruption triggers an 18-year period of climatic worsening. (estimated date, disputed)
* 1154 BC—Death of King Menelaus of Sparta (estima ...
– 1149 BC
The 1140s BC is a decade which lasted from 1149 BC to 1140 BC.
Events and trends Significant people
* Tiglath-Pileser I, king of Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write sever ...
)"
from: -1149 till: -1145 color:PA text:" Ramesses V (1149 BC
The 1140s BC is a decade which lasted from 1149 BC to 1140 BC.
Events and trends Significant people
* Tiglath-Pileser I, king of Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write sever ...
– 1145 BC
The 1140s BC is a decade which lasted from 1149 BC to 1140 BC.
Events and trends Significant people
* Tiglath-Pileser I, king of Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ...
)"
from: -1145 till: -1137 color:PA text:" Ramesses VI (1145 BC
The 1140s BC is a decade which lasted from 1149 BC to 1140 BC.
Events and trends Significant people
* Tiglath-Pileser I, king of Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ...
– 1137 BC
The 1130s BC is a List of decades, decade which lasted from 1139 BC to 1130 BC.
{{Decadebox BC, 113 Events and trends
* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.
* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary Kings ...
)"
from: -1137 till: -1130 color:PA text:" Ramesses VII (1137 BC
The 1130s BC is a List of decades, decade which lasted from 1139 BC to 1130 BC.
{{Decadebox BC, 113 Events and trends
* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.
* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary Kings ...
– 1130 BC
The 1130s BC is a List of decades, decade which lasted from 1139 BC to 1130 BC.
{{Decadebox BC, 113 Events and trends
* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.
* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary Kings ...
)"
from: -1130 till: -1129 color:PA text:"Ramesses VIII
Usermaatre Akhenamun Ramesses VIII (also written Ramses and Rameses) or Ramesses Sethherkhepshef Meryamun ('Set is his Strength, beloved of Amun') (reigned 1130–1129 BC, or 1130 BC), was the seventh Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New ...
(1130 BC
The 1130s BC is a List of decades, decade which lasted from 1139 BC to 1130 BC.
{{Decadebox BC, 113 Events and trends
* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.
* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary Kings ...
– 1129 BC
The 1120s BC is a decade which lasted from 1129 BC to 1120 BC.
{{Decadebox BC, 112 Events and trends
* 1126 BC— Thymoetes, legendary King of Athens, dies childless after a reign of 8 years. He is succeeded by his designated heir Melanthus of Py ...
)"
from: -1129 till: -1111 color:PA text:" Ramesses IX (1129 BC
The 1120s BC is a decade which lasted from 1129 BC to 1120 BC.
{{Decadebox BC, 112 Events and trends
* 1126 BC— Thymoetes, legendary King of Athens, dies childless after a reign of 8 years. He is succeeded by his designated heir Melanthus of Py ...
– 1111 BC
The 1110s BC is a decade which lasted from 1119 BC to 1110 BC. Events and trends
* 1115 BC— Tiglath-Pileser I becomes king of Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major an ...
)"
from: -1111 till: -1107 color:PA text:" Ramesses X (1111 BC
The 1110s BC is a decade which lasted from 1119 BC to 1110 BC. Events and trends
* 1115 BC— Tiglath-Pileser I becomes king of Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major an ...
– 1107 BC
The 1100s BC is a List of decades, decade which lasted from 1109 BC to 1100 BC.
Events and trends
* 1104 BC—Foundation of Cadiz, Spain.Strabo, ''Geographica'' 3.5.5
* c. 1100 BC—Maya Calendar counts time from this point.
* 1100 BC—Tiglath- ...
)"
from: -1107 till: -1077 color:PA text:" Ramesses XI (1107 BC
The 1100s BC is a List of decades, decade which lasted from 1109 BC to 1100 BC.
Events and trends
* 1104 BC—Foundation of Cadiz, Spain.Strabo, ''Geographica'' 3.5.5
* c. 1100 BC—Maya Calendar counts time from this point.
* 1100 BC—Tiglath- ...
– 1077 BC)"
barset:skip
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.
Gallery of images
File:Weihrauchopfer RamsesIII aus KV11.jpg, Ramesses III
Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III (also written Ramses and Rameses) was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He is thought to have reigned from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC and is considered to be the last great mona ...
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. Above is a scene from KV1, open since antiquity.
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. He began KV4 but later abandoned the tomb. 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.
See also
''Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...
'' is a historical novel by Bolesław Prus, set in Egypt at the end of the Twentieth Dynasty, which adds two fictional rulers: Ramesses XII and Ramesses XIII. It has been adapted into a film of the same title.
References
{{Authority control
States and territories established in the 12th century BC
States and territories disestablished in the 11th century BC
20
New Kingdom of Egypt
12th century BC in Egypt
11th century BC in Egypt
12th-century BC establishments in Egypt
2nd-millennium BC disestablishments in Egypt
20
Late Bronze Age collapse