Pharaoh Timeline: Periods and Dynasties

The pharaonic era lasted about 3000 years, from the unification of Egypt around 3000 BC to the Roman conquest in 30 BC. It divides into three great kingdoms (Old, Middle and New Kingdom) separated by intermediate periods, preceded by the Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods and followed by the Late Period and the Greco-Roman period.

The periods at a glance

Period	Dates	Dynasties	Capitals and centres	In the directory
Predynastic Period & Dynasty 0	until c. 3000 BC	‘Dynasty 0’ and early petty kings	Abydos, Hierakonpolis	26
Early Dynastic Period	c. 3000–2700 BC	1st and 2nd Dynasties	Memphis	24
Old Kingdom	c. 2700–2200 BC	3rd to 6th Dynasties	Memphis	35
First Intermediate Period	c. 2200–2040 BC	7th to 10th and early 11th Dynasties	Memphis, Herakleopolis, Thebes	30
Middle Kingdom	c. 2040–1780 BC	late 11th and 12th Dynasties	Thebes, then Itjtawy (near el-Lisht)	19
Second Intermediate Period	c. 1780–1550 BC	13th to 17th Dynasties	Itjtawy, Avaris (Hyksos), Thebes	116
New Kingdom	c. 1550–1070 BC	18th to 20th Dynasties	Thebes, Memphis, at times Akhetaten (Amarna) and Pi-Ramesses	33
Third Intermediate Period	c. 1070–664 BC	21st to 25th Dynasties	Tanis, Bubastis, Sais; Thebes under the High Priests; Napata in Kush	75
Late Period	664–332 BC	26th to 31st Dynasties	Sais, Memphis	30
Greco-Roman Period	332 BC to 4th century AD	Argeads, Ptolemies, Roman emperors	Alexandria	69

How time is divided

The division into dynasties goes back to the Egyptian priest Manetho, who wrote a history of Egypt in the 3rd century BC. Egyptology still uses it as an aid to order and has added to it, for instance “Dynasty 0” before the 1st Dynasty. A dynasty is a sequence of rulers who were usually, but not always, related. Dates are estimates and differ by years or decades depending on the chronology used.

In between lie the three Intermediate Periods: phases in which the kingdom fell apart and sometimes several rulers reigned at the same time. That is why the 13th and 16th Dynasties list so many kings.

All dynasties

Greco-Roman Period 332 BC to 4th century AD

Argeads3 entries
Ptolemies32 entries
Roman emperors34 entries

Milestones of the periods

Predynastic Period & Dynasty 0 until c. 3000 BC

c. 3300–3200 BCTomb U-j at Abydos, which the excavator Günter Dreyer attributes to Scorpion I: more than 150 inscribed labels of bone and ivory, the oldest known written records in Egypt. Date and attribution are uncertain.
c. 3025 BCScorpion II is depicted wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, one of the earliest royal symbols.
c. 3000 BCNarmer Palette: the unification of the country is celebrated as the king’s victory over his enemies.

Early Dynastic Period c. 3000–2700 BC

c. 3000 BCMemphis, at the junction of Upper and Lower Egypt, becomes the capital of the united kingdom.
c. 2950 BCDjer leads campaigns into Nubia.
c. 2740 BCKhasekhemwy wages war in Lower Egypt and celebrates the reunification of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Old Kingdom c. 2700–2200 BC

c. 2700 BCStep Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, designed by Imhotep: the first monumental stone building of this size.
c. 2560 BCPyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx of Giza.
c. 2245–2180 BCPepi II reigns for more than 60 years; the administration is decentralised and the provincial governors (nomarchs) grow stronger.

First Intermediate Period c. 2200–2040 BC

c. 2180 BC8th Dynasty: many short-reigning kings at Memphis, most of them known only from king lists.
c. 2100 BCCoffin Texts: spells for the afterlife, once reserved for the king, now also appear on the coffins of officials.
c. 2080 BCThe ‘Teaching for King Merikare’ presents itself as the advice of a king of this period to his son, a classic of Egyptian wisdom literature.

Middle Kingdom c. 2040–1780 BC

c. 2040 BCMentuhotep II reunites the country and builds his mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari.
c. 1870 BCSenusret III secures the southern frontier with a chain of mighty fortresses in Nubia, such as those at Semna and Buhen.
c. 1795 BCSobekneferu reigns as the first female ruler of Egypt attested by contemporary evidence.

Second Intermediate Period c. 1780–1550 BC

from c. 1760 BC13th Dynasty: more than 60 kings, most with short reigns; the administration nevertheless carries on.
during this periodThe horse and chariot become established in Egypt and transform warfare.
c. 1545 BCThe Theban kings Seqenenre Tao and Kamose begin the war of liberation against the Hyksos; Seqenenre falls in battle.

New Kingdom c. 1550–1070 BC

c. 1540 BCAhmose I finally drives out the Hyksos and founds the New Kingdom.
1274 BCBattle of Kadesh between Ramesses II and the Hittites.
c. 1110 BCUnder Ramesses IX, tomb robbers from the Valley of the Kings stand trial; the court records survive.

Third Intermediate Period c. 1070–664 BC

c. 1070 BCDivision of the country: the kings reside at Tanis, while the High Priests of Amun rule in Thebes.
c. 728 BCThe Kushite king Piye conquers the whole of Egypt and records it on his Victory Stele.
663 BCThe Assyrians under Ashurbanipal sack Thebes.

Late Period 664–332 BC

664 BCPsamtik I reunites the country: the beginning of the ‘Saite Renaissance’.
525 BCThe Persian king Cambyses II conquers Egypt.
343 BCNectanebo II, the last native pharaoh, flees from the Persians.

Greco-Roman Period 332 BC to 4th century AD

332 BCAlexander the Great conquers Egypt and founds Alexandria in 331 BC.
237 BCConstruction begins on the Temple of Horus at Edfu, today the best-preserved temple in Egypt.
394 ADLast known hieroglyphic inscription: the Graffito of Esmet-Akhom in the temple of Philae.

Books on this topic

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Frequently asked questions

How long did the pharaonic era last?

About 3000 years: from the unification of Egypt around 3000 BC to the Roman conquest in 30 BC.

How many dynasties were there?

The list counts Dynasties 1 to 31; before them stands a “Dynasty 0” of early petty kings. The division goes back to the priest Manetho and is an aid to order, not an Egyptian term.

What are the three kingdoms?

The Old Kingdom (c. 2700–2200 BC), the Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1780 BC) and the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BC). In between lie the Intermediate Periods, in which the kingdom fell apart.

Which period do Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramesses II belong to?

All four belong to the New Kingdom: Hatshepsut, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun to the 18th Dynasty, Ramesses II to the 19th Dynasty.

Which period does Cleopatra belong to?

Cleopatra VII belongs to the Greco-Roman period and was the last ruler of the Ptolemies (51–30 BC).

When were the pyramids built?

The age of the pyramids is the Old Kingdom (c. 2700–2200 BC). The page on this period names the main pyramid builders.

Sources

Facts checked on 19 October 2026. Dates follow the list on this site and are estimates.

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