A time-line of the ancient EgyptiansWorld News | Politics | History | Editor(Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |
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4000 BC: Egyptians trace their origins to the Mount Rwenzori range in East Africa 3500 BC: Egyptians invent the sail 3000 BC: Egyptians begin to measure time through a calendar based on the three natural cycles (the solar day, the lunar month and the solar year) 3100 BC: hieroglyphic writing in Egypt 3000 BC: the Egyptians worship the sun 2920 BC: pharaoh Menes/Aha conquers the north and unites most of Egypt, and builds the capital at Hiku-Ptah (Memphis), the site of the cult of Ptah (1st dynasty) 2900 BC: king Djer is buried at Abydos, the seat of the cult of Osiris, lord of the Underworld and husband of Isis, and his "mastaba" becomes considered the grave of Osiris 2890 BC: Hetepsekhemwy founds the second dynasty in Egypt 2800 BC: Egyptians begin mining in the Sinai 2700 BC: Egyptians write on papyrus 2660 BC: pharaoh Kasekhemwy completes the union of north and south Egypt, and builds the first fortress on the Nile, at Buhen 2649 BC: Zanakht founds the 3rd dynasty 2630 BC: Zanakht dies and is succeeded by Djoser 2620 BC: Imhotep, high priest of Ptah at Memphis and founder of Medicine, erects a pyramid made of stone at Saqqara (overlooking Memphis) for pharaoh Djoser ("step pyramid") 2611 BC: Djoser dies 2600 BC: poetry and music 2599 BC: Huni becomes pharaoh and builds the step pyramid of Maidun (completed by his successor Sneferu) 2575 BC: Sneferu founds the 4th dynasty ("old kingdom") and builds in Dahshur the first pyramid with straight sides ("red pyramid") 2551 BC: Sneferu dies and is succeeded by Khufu/Cheops 2550 BC: architect Hemon builds the "great pyramid" at Giza (146m tall) for pharoah Khufu/Cheops 2520 BC: Khephren becomes pharaoh 2515 BC: the Sphinx is built for pharaoh Khephren 2494 BC: Khephren dies 2465 BC: Userkhaf founds the 5th dynasty 2356 BC: Unas becomes pharaoh 2350 BC: religious texts are inscribed in the burial chamber of pharoah Unas/Wenis 2323 BC: Unas is murdered and Teti founds the 6th dynasty 2289 BC: Teti dies and his son Pepi I succeeds him 2255 BC: Pepi I dies and is buried in a pyramid, "Man-nefer-mare", which gives Hiku-Ptah its new name Men-nefer, or Memphis 2134 BC: Egypt splits into two smaller states (Memphis in the north and Thebes in the south) 2100 BC: Egyptian Book of the Dead 2061 BC: Nebhetepre Mentuhotep I becomes pharaoh in Thebes 2040 BC: Nebhetepre Mentuhotep I wins the civil war, reunites Egypt, makes Thebes the capital of all Egypt, establishes the 11th dynasty ("middle kingdom") and builds the mortuary complex of Deir el Bahri 2010 BC: Mentuhotep I dies and is succeeded by Mentuhotep II 2000 BC: the first obelisks are erected at Heliopolis (Cairo), the site of the cult of Ra/Atum 1991 BC: Amenemhet I seizes power (12th dynasty), moves the capital to Ith-Tawy (Lisht), south of Memphis, builds a huge pyramid at Its-Tway and builds the "Wall of the Prince" in the Sinai to protect Egypt from invasions 1975 BC: Amenemhet builds the pyramid of Hawara with its labyrinth 1962 BC: Amenemhet dies and Senusret I succeeds him, expanding the reign to the third cataract and building the fortesses at Semna and Kerma 1900 BC: ceremonies are held in Abydos to honor Osiris ("Osiris' mysteries") that recount the death and resurrection of the god 1844 BC: Amenemhet III becomes pharaoh and builds the "Labyrinth" at Harawa 1800 BC: "The Adventures of Sinuhe" 1797 BC: Amenemhet III dies and his dynasty begins to decline 1640 BC: An Asian population, the Hyksos, Semitic people from Palestine, seizes power in northern Egypt (the Delta), with capital in Avaris, and introduces the horse-driven chariot (15th and 16th dynasties) 1640 BC: the Egyptians still rule on south Egypt, maintaining their capital at Thebes, and Inyotef V founds the 17th dynasty 1550 BC: Ahmose I becomes pharaoh ("new kingdom", 18th dynasty) 1532 BC: Ahmose I of Thebes defeats the Hyksos at Avaris and expels them from Egypt 1530 BC: Work begins on the huge religious complex of Karnak to the god Amon at Luxor (Thebes) 1525 BC: Ahmose I dies and is succeeded by Amenhotep I 1520 BC: Amenhotep I orders the separation of mortuary temples and royal tombs at the necropolis outside Thebes 1504 BC: Amenhotep I dies and is succeeded by his brother-in-law Tuthmosis I, who campaigns all the way to Mesopotamia, makes Thebes the most imposing city of the kingdom and erects the Obelisk at the Karnak temple 1492 BC: Tuthmosis I dies and is the first pharaoh buried in a tomb cut in the rock at the necropolis outside Thebes ("Valley of the Kings") 1500 BC: the high priest of Amon in Thebes becomes more important than the high priest of Ptah in Memphis and the high priest of Ra/Atum in Heliopolis (Cairo) 1479 BC: Tuthmosis III becomes pharaoh and reorganizes the empire according to an efficient military bureaucracy 1458 BC: Tuthmosis III defeats the Mitannis and conquers Syria, the peak of Egyptian power 1450 BC: Egyptians use the sundial 1391 BC: Amenhotep III becomes pharaoh and builds the palace complex at Malkata (near Thebes) and the temple of Amon at Luxor 1353 BC: Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) becomes pharoah, married to Nefertiti, and builds the new capital at Amarna, north of Thebes, dedicated to the god Atum, banishing all other gods 1333 BC: a child, Tutankhamon, becomes pharaoh 1323 BC: Tutankhamon is killed at 19 and is buried in the "Valley of the Kings" at Thebes 1319 BC: general Horemheb becomes pharaoh, destroys Amarna, re-establishes order in Egypt and moves the capital back to Memphis 1307 BC: Horemheb dies and his Amon high priest Ramesses I becomes pharaoh (19th dynasty) and moves the capital to his hometown of Avaris 1306 BC: Ramesses I dies and is succeeded by his son Seti I 1300 BC: Egyptians build a canal connecting the Nile and the Red Sea 1290 BC: Seti I dies, having built the largest tomb in the "Valley of the Kings" and the largest monument at Abydos, and his son Ramesses II succeeds him, married to Nefertari 1275 BC: the Egyptian king Rameses II fights against the Hittite king Muwatalli at the city of Kadesh in Syria 1250 BC: Ramesses II transfers the capital to Pi-Ramesse in the delta, builds two temples at Abu Simbel, the Colossus at Memphis, the Hypostyle Hall of the Karnak temple at Luxor, and a huge tomb at Thebes 1224 BC: Ramesses II dies 1196 BC: Sethnakhte founds the 20th dynasty 1194 BC: Sethnakhte dies and his son Ramesses III becomes pharoah and builds the temple at Medinet Habu (near Thebes) 1069 BC: the high priests of Amon usurp the title of king and split Egypt in two, the north with capital in Tanis (on the Mediterranean Sea) ruled by the 21st dynasty and the south with capital in Thebes ruled by the priests of Amon 926 BC: Palestine is invaded by pharoah Shoshenk 720 BC: the Nubian king Piankh/ Piye of Kush (Sudan) conquers the various kingdomds of Egypt and founds the Nubian dynasty 710 BC: Piankh's successor Shabaka moves the capital from Napata to Thebes 699 BC: Nubian king Tirhakah/Taharqa (son of Piankh) ascends to the throne of Egypt and moves the capital to Memphis 671 BC: the Assyrians defeat Tajarqa and capture the Egyptian capital of Memphis 664 BC: Taharqa withdraws to Napata and builds the Nuri pyramid, the first pyramid in a thousand years 610 BC: Neko II becomes king of Egypt and starts building a canal from the Red Sea to the Nile but never completes it 605 BC: Nebuchadnezzar II leads the Babylonians to conquer Carchemish and defeat the Egyptian army 525 BC: Cambyses of Persia conquers Egypt at the battle of Pelusium 5## BC: The Persians complete Neko II's canal 404 BC: Amyrtaios of Sais expels the Persians (28th, 29th and 30th dynasties) 343 BC: the Persians conquer Egypt again (31st dynasty) 332 BC: Alexander the Great conquers Egypt 331 BC: Alexander founds Alexandria in Egypt 323 BC: Alexander dies at Babylon and Ptolemy inherits Egypt 312 BC: Ptolemy's general in Syria, Seleucus Nicator, establishes a kingdom ranging from Syria in the west to India in the east and founds the Seleucid dynasty 307 BC: Ptolemy I creates the library of Alexandria (Museum) 300 BC: Ptolemy I builds the Pharos of Alexandria 283 BC: Ptolemy dies 198 BC: the Seleucids under Antiochus III conquer Palestine from the Ptolemaics 196 BC: the Rosetta Stone is carved in both Greek and Egyptian 51 BC: Cleopatra VII Ptolemy becomes queen of Egypt (last of the Greek monarchs) 31 BC: Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony are defeated by Augustus 30 BC: Cleopatra commits suicide and Egypt becomes a province of the Roman empire 145 AD: the astronomer Ptolemy of Alexandria publishes the "Almagest" that summarizes the geocentric theory 250 AD: Diophantus of Alexandria writes the "Arithmetica", a treaty on the solution of algebraic equations and on the theory of numbers 394 AD: the last hieroglyph is inscribed at Philae 395 AD: Egypt is assigned to the eastern Roman empire (Byzantium) 600 AD: Alexandria has 200,000 inhabitants 641 AD: Egypt is conquered by the Arabs and forced to convert to Islam 642 AD: the Arabs destroy the library of Alexandria See the timeline of the Roman empire See the timeline of the ancient Near East See the timeline of the Arabs |
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| (Copyright © 1999 Piero Scaruffi) |