Egypt

See: Regional Index; Egypt

Ruler Name	Start Year	End Year	Notes	Dynasty	Kingdom
Narmer	fl. c. 3150 BCE	?		1st Dynasty	Egypt
Hor-Aha	c. 3125 BCE	?	Possibly another name for Menes/Narmer, possibly son of Narmer.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Djer	?	?	Ruled for 54 years.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Djet	?	?	Ruled for 10 years.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Merneith	fl. c. 2950 BCE	?	Female, possibly first female pharaoh, though could be a regent for her son, Den.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Khasti	?	?	Ruled for 42 years.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Merybiap	?	?	Ruled for 10 years.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Semerkhet	?	?	Ruled for 8.5 years. Possibly a usurper.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Qa'a	c. 2916 BCE	?	Ruled for 34 years.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Sneferka	fl. c. 2900 BCE	?	No king list records Sneferka’s reign, but he is mentioned as king (with his name placed inside a serekh) on two extant inscriptions. He may have been a regional king or one who was ultimately forgotten due to the shortness of his reign. Alternatively, this may have been an alternate name for Qa’a or Semerkhet. Very short reign, correct chronological position unknown.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Horus Bird	fl. c. 2900 BCE	2890 BCE	Very short reign, correct chronological position unknown. Assumed reign ends when 1st Dynasty ended.	1st Dynasty	Egypt
Hotepsekhemwy	2890 BCE	2875 BCE		2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Nebra	2875 BCE	2861 BCE		2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Nynetjer	2861 BCE	c. 2818	Ruled between 43-45 years.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Ba	?	?	Possibly same person as Horus Bird.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Wnegsekhemwy	c. 2740 BCE	?		2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Wadjenes	c. 2740 BCE	?	Could be a crown prince or possibly Weneg-Nebty.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Nubnefer	?	?		2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Senedj	?	?	Ruled for possibly 47 years.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Peribsen	?	?	Ruled for possibly 17 years; There was some sort of upheaval in Egypt during this period, though the details are unknown. Sekhemib abandoned the Horus-name altogether and in place of it used a serekh (styled rectangle typically containing the Horus-name) topped with the symbol of the god Seth. His successor Khasekhemy or Khasekhehemui used a serekh topped by both the Horus and Seth symbols. Ultimately, this attempt at cultic fusion failed as by the beginning of the Third dynasty the serekh was again topped only with Horus.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Sekhemib	c. 2720 BCE	?	Possibly the same person as Seth-Peribsen.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkara I	?	?	Ruled 25 years according to Manetho, only known from the Ramesside king lists, no archaeological proof.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkasokar	?	?	Ruled for 8 years. Only known from Ramesside king lists, no archaeological proof. Old Kingdom legends claim he saved Egypt from a long-lasting drought.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Horus Sa	?	?	May have been short-form of Horus-Sanakht, Horus-Weneg, or Senedj. Correct chronological position unclear.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
---	?	?	Ruled for 11 years according to Turin Canon. Known only from Ramesside king lists, his "name" is actually a paraphrase pointing out that the original name of the king was already lost in Ramesside times.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Khasekhem/Khasekhemwy	2686 BCE	2668 BCE	Most scholars assert that Khasekhem and Khasekhemwy are, in fact, the same person. Khasekhem may have changed his name to Khasekehemwy after he reunited Upper and Lower Egypt following a civil war between the followers of the gods Horus and Seth. His serekh name is unique for presenting both Horus and Set. He was one of Egypt's first master builders, his funerary enclosure known as Shunet-ez-Zebib is a colossal mudbrick structure.	2nd Dynasty	Egypt
Djoser	2668 BCE	2649 BCE	Commissioned the first Pyramid, created by chief architect, Imhotep.	3rd Dynasty	Egypt
Nebka	fl. c. 2650 BCE	?		3rd Dynasty	Egypt
Sekhemkhet	2649 BCE	2643 BCE		3rd Dynasty	Egypt
Qahedjet	?	?	Possibly same person as Huni or archaistic representation of Thutmose III.	3rd Dynasty	Egypt
Khaba	2643 BCE	2637 BCE	Also possibly the same person as Huni.	3rd Dynasty	Egypt
Huni	2637 BCE	2613 BCE	Was previously thought to have built the pyramid of Meidum, but information has been found that links the pyramid to Sneferu instead.	3rd Dynasty	Egypt
Sneferu	2613 BCE	2589 BCE	Builder of the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid. Described as generous, pious, and accostable.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?		4th Dynasty	Egypt
Khufu	2589 BCE	2566 BCE	Khufu is spoken of in early sources as being "third" of his family to rule, although there is no known record of a Pharaoh between Sneferu and Khufu. The supposition is that there might have been a very short reign of some elder brother of Khufu, whose inscriptions, name, and monuments have perished for one reason or another.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Kauab	?	?	Kauab was the eldest son of Khufu who may have ruled for a very short time after his father’s death. If so, he was quickly overthrown by his half-brother Djedefre.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Djedefre	2566 BCE	2558 BCE	It is believed that The Great Sphinx of Giza may have been built by Djedefre as a monument for his father (Khufu). He also built a pyramid in Abu Rawash, which is no longer extant due to the stones being taken by Romans for repurposing.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Khafre	2588 BCE	2532 BCE	Built the second largest pyramid in Giza, some believe he and not Djedefre built the Great Sphinx.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkaure	?	?	Third pyramid at Giza. There is a legend that his only daughter died of illness and he buried her in a golden coffin shaped as a cow.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Shepseskaf	2532 BCE	2504 BCE	Owner of the Mastabat el-Fara'un.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Dedefptah	2504 BCE	2500 BCE	Possibly Thamphthis.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
---	c. 2500 BCE	?	According to Manetho, is the last king of the 4th dynasty. Possibly fictional due to lack of archaeological evidence.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
---	c. 2530 BCE	?	Could be the builder of the unfinished Northern Pyramid of Zawyet el-Aryan. Also possibly fictional.	4th Dynasty	Egypt
Userkaf	2496 BCE	2491 BCE	Built the first solar temple at Abusir and a pyramid in Saqqara.	5th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	c. 2500 BCE	?		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Sahure	2490 BCE	2477 BCE	Built his pyramid in Abusir. Possibly same person as Thamphthis.	5th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferirkare I	2477 BCE	2467 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Shepseskare	2467 BCE	2460 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferefre	2460 BCE	2453 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Nyuserre	2453 BCE	2422 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkauhor	2422 BCE	2414 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Djedkare	2414 BCE	2375 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
Unas	2375 BCE	2345 BCE		5th Dynasty	Egypt
---	2345 BCE	2333 BCE		6th Dynasty	Egypt
Userkare	2333 BCE	2332 BCE		6th Dynasty	Egypt
Meryre	2332 BCE	2283 BCE		6th Dynasty	Egypt
Merenre I	2283 BCE	2278 BCE		6th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare	2278 BCE	2183 BCE	Possibly the longest-reigning monarch in human history at 94 years. However it is also possible that the dates should be 64 years.	6th Dynasty	Egypt
Merenre II	2183 BCE	2182 BCE		6th Dynasty	Egypt
Nietkrety	2182 BCE	2179 BCE	Female; Nitocris is the earliest of three women in Egyptian history who are clearly identified as pharaoh, the others being Hatshepsut and Cleopatra VII (Nefertiti is still debated, but if she was a pharaoh, she was not identified as female with her pharonic name). Nitocris is not mentioned in any contemporary inscriptions but she is mentioned in the king lists of Turin, and by Herodotus and Manetho. It is believed that she came into power when her brother (and possibly husband) Mentiemsaf Merenre was murdered. The story is that she invited his murderers to a banquet and then flooded the sealed banquet room with the Nile. Then, to avoid the wrath of the other conspirators, she committed suicide (apparently by running into a room of burning embers and flinging herself into the flames). She is followed by a number of kings who are unattested to in contemporary inscriptions but are listed by Manetho or other later chroniclers.	6th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferka	?	?	Listed by Manetho.	7th Dynasty	Egypt
Nefer	?	?	Listed by Manetho.	7th Dynasty	Egypt
Aba	?	?	Listed by Manetho.	7th Dynasty	Egypt
Netrikare	?	?	Listed by Manetho.	7th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkare	c. 2181 BCE	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare II	?	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare III	?	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Djedure	?	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare IV	?	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Sneferka	?	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Nykare	?	?		7th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare V	?	?		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkahor	?	?		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare VI (Wadjkare)	?	2173 BCE		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkamin	2173 BCE	2169 BCE		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Qakare Ibi	2169 BCE	2167 BCE		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkaure	2167 BCE	2163 BCE		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkauhor	2163 BCE	2162 BCE		8th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferirkare II	2162 BCE	2161 BCE		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Meryibre	2161 BCE	2160 BCE		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkare VII		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Nebkaure		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Setut		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Mery---		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Shed---		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
H---		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
User---		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown		?		9th Dynasty	Egypt
Imhotep	?	2130 BCE	Ephemeral ruler, exact chronological position unknown.	9th Dynasty	Egypt
Nebhepetre	2040 BCE	2009 BCE	Egypt is reunified under his rule. For 10th and first half of 11th Dynasties, see Upper and Lower Egypt.	11th Dynasty	Egypt
Sankhkare	2009 BCE	1997 BCE		11th Dynasty	Egypt
Nebtawyre	1997 BCE	1991 BCE		11th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkhkare	?	?	Obscure pharaoh absent from later king lists, tomb unknown. Only attested in Lower Nubia, most likely a usurper at the end of the Eleventh Dynasty or early Twelfth Dynasty.	11th Dynasty	Egypt
Qakare	?	?	Obscure pharaoh absent from later king lists, tomb unknown. Only attested in Lower Nubia, most likely a usurper at the end of the Eleventh Dynasty or early Twelfth Dynasty.	11th Dynasty	Egypt
Iyibkhentre	?	?	Obscure pharaoh absent from later king lists, tomb unknown. Only attested in Lower Nubia, most likely a usurper at the end of the Eleventh Dynasty or early Twelfth Dynasty.	11th Dynasty	Egypt
Sehetepibre	1991 BCE	1962 BCE	Simultaneous with Senusret I.	12th Dynasty	Egypt
Kheperkare	1971 BCE	1926 BCE	Simultaneous with Amenemhet I and Amenemhet II.	12th Dynasty	Egypt
Nubkaure	1929 BCE	1895 BCE	Simultaneous with Senusret I.	12th Dynasty	Egypt
Khakheperre	1897 BCE	1878 BCE	Simultaneous with Amenemhet II.	12th Dynasty	Egypt
Khakaure	1878 BCE	1860 BCE		12th Dynasty	Egypt
Nimaatre	1860 BCE	1815 BCE		12th Dynasty	Egypt
Maakherure	1815 BCE	1807 BCE		12th Dynasty	Egypt
Sobekkare	1807 BCE	1802 BCE	Female; First known archaeologically attested female Pharaoh.	12th Dynasty	Egypt
Skehemre Khutawy	1802 BCE	1800 BCE	Founded the 13th Dynasty. His reign is well attested. Referred to as Sobekhotep I in dominant hypothesis, known as Sobekhotep II in older studies	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Mehibtawy Sekhemkare	1800 BCE	1796 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Nerikare	1796 BCE	1796 BCE	Attested on a Nile record from Semna.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sekhemkare	1796 BCE	1793 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
---	1795 BCE	1792 BCE	Buried in his pyramid in Southern Dashur.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Hotepibre (Sehotepibre)	1792 BCE	1790 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
---	c. 1790 BCE	1788 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Seankhibre	1788 BCE	1785 BCE	Attested in Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Semenkare	1785 BCE	1783 BCE	Attested in Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sehetepibre	1783 BCE	1781 BCE	Attested in Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sewadjkare I	1781 BCE	1781 BCE	Only found in Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Nedjemibre	c. 1780 BCE	1780 BCE	Only found in Turin canon; ruled 7 months.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Khaankhre	c. 1780 BCE	1777 BCE	Referred to as Sobekhotep II in dominant hypothesis, known as Sobekhotep I in older studies	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Renseneb	1777 BCE	1777 BCE	Ruled for 4 months.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Awybre	1777 BCE	1775 BCE	Famous for his intact tomb treasure and Ka statue.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sekhemrekhutawy	1775 BCE	1772 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Kjedkheperew	1772 BCE	1770 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sebkay	1770 BCE	1769 BCE	Possibly 2 kings, Seb and his son Kay.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sedjefakare	1769 BCE	1766 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Amu Sihornerjheryotef		?	Could be in Manetho or Turin. Bruce had them listed as the same reign dates as Sebkay. Couldn't find any other pharoah names that were close, so have them listed separately.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Khutawyre	c. 1766 BCE	c. 1765 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Userkare	c. 1765 BCE	c. 1761 BCE	Ruled for 4 years; "Khendjer" is, of all things, a Semitic name of Amorite origin, meaning “boar”.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Smenkhkare	c. 1759 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sehetepkare	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Meribre	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sekhemresewadjtawy	1755 BCE	1751 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Khasekhemre	1751 BCE	1740 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Menwadjre	c. 1739 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Khaneferre	1740 BCE	1730 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Merhotepre	1730 BCE	c. 1725 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Khahotepre	c. 1725 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Wahibre	1725 BCE	1714 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Merneferre	1714 BCE	1691 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Merhotepre	1691 BCE	1689 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sankhenre	c. 1689 BCE	c. 1672 BCE	Attested in Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Mersekhemre	1672 BCE	1669 BCE	Possibly the same person as Neferhotep II.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sewadjkare II	1669 BCE	1664 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Merkawre	1664 BCE	1662 BCE		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	c. 1662 BCE	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?	Names lost in a lacuna of the Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Mer---re	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Merkheperre	fl. c. 1660 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Merikare/Merkare	fl. c. 1660 BCE	?	Attested in Turin canon.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Unknown	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sewadjare	c. 1655 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
---mosre	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Ibi---maatre	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Hor------webenre	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Se---kare	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Seheqenre	fl. c. 1650 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
---re	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Se---enre	c. 1649 BCE	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferhotep II	?	?	Could be in Manetho or Turin. Bruce had them listed as after Hori, but couldn't find any Neferhotep II in any dynasty. Possibly one of the "Unknowns"?	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sobekemsaf I	?	?	Could be in Manetho or Turin. Bruce had them listed as after Hori, but couldn't find any other Sobekemsaf in this dynasty. Possibly one of the "Unknowns"?	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Mentuemsaf	?	?	Could be in Manetho or Turin. Bruce had them listed as after Hori, but couldn't find any other Mentuemsaf in any dynasty. Possibly one of the "Unknowns"?	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Djedhotepre	fl. c. 1654 BCE	?	Unknown position, possibly from 16th dynasty.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Djednefrerre	?	?	Unknown position, possibly from 16th dynasty.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Sewahenre	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Mershepsesre	?	?		13th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkhaure	?	?	Possibly a king of the Abydos Dynasty.	13th Dynasty	Egypt
Nebpehtire	1570 BCE	1546 BCE	Simultaneous with Amenhotep I.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Djeserkare	1551 BCE	1524 BCE	Simultaneous with Ahmose I.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Aakheperkare	1525 BCE	1518 BCE		18th Dynasty	Egypt
Aakheperenre	1518 BCE	1504 BCE		18th Dynasty	Egypt
Maatkare	1503 BCE	1450 BCE	Hatshepsut, who dressed herself in the Pharaoh’s regalia and has herself depicted on statuary as a man, ushered in a brief golden age of peace and prosperity. Her ships traveled to Phoenicia, Anatolia and the mysterious land of Punt (probably on the Horn of Africa). Her stepson/nephew Thutmose III abandoned her peaceful legacy, defaced her monuments, and carved out a Levantine empire with a series of brutal campaigns culminating in the Battle of Megiddo against a coalition of Canaanite kings in 1473 BCE.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkheperre	1498 BCE	1483 BCE	Under his step-mother.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Aakheperrure	1453 BCE	1419 BCE		18th Dynasty	Egypt
Menkheperure	1419 BCE	1386 BCE		18th Dynasty	Egypt
Nebmaatre	1386 BCE	1349 BCE	Simultaneous with Akhnaten.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Neferkheperure Waenre	1350 BCE	1336 BCE	Simultaneous with Smenkhkare.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Ankhkeperure	1335 BCE	1334 BCE	Some scholars have postulated that Smenkhkare was in fact Akhnaten’s wife Nefertiti (Nefernefruaten). Alternatively, he may have been a younger brother, son, or son-in-law of Akhnaten. Whoever he/she was, Smenkhkare moved the capital back to Thebes and abandoned the worship of Aten. The fate of the Aten-cultists is unknown; some theories state that they existed underground for centuries thereafter and even that they may have influenced the development of early Israelite monotheism.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Ankhkheperuremery Neferkheperure	1335 BCE	1334 BCE	This is known to be a female pharaoh, most likely Nefertiti.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Nebkheperure	1334 BCE	1354 BCE	"King Tut" is possibly the best known of the Pharaohs today, despite his young age (he ascended to the throne at age 9), brief reign and lack of any accomplishments whatsoever, because his opulent tomb was discovered intact. He is usually listed as the son of Smekhkare but this is uncertain; he may have been Akhnaten’s son (which, if Smekhkare was in fact Nefertiti, is not mutually exclusive with the former possibility), a younger brother of Akhnaten, or a cousin. His name was originally “Tutankhaten” but with the reversion to the old gods his name was changed to invoke Amun instead of Aten. There are theories that Tutankhamun may have been murdered by one or both of his two chief advisors, Ai and Horemheb, who both reigned after him as Pharaoh. Though currently science has shown that Tutankhamun was very physically deformed and in bad health when he died.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Kheperkheprure	1325 BCE	1321 BCE	Ai was probably the brother of Tiye, Amenhotep III’s queen and the mother of Akhnaten. Interestingly, some scholars believe that Ai and Tiye’s father Yuya, an advisor to both Amenhotep III and Akhnaten, was not Egyptian, but Semitic, and that “Yuya” may itself be an Egyptian version of the Semitic name “Yusef” or Joseph (yet another Biblical-Joseph-candidate). Yuya had the unique distinction of being given the title “Beloved Father of Pharaoh” by Amenhotep III, a title borne by no other individual in Egyptian history.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Djeserkheperure Setpenre	1321 BCE	1293 BCE	Was a general during the Amarna period, destroyed many of the Amarna monuments.	18th Dynasty	Egypt
Menpehtire/Paremessu	1291 BCE	1290 BCE	Paremessu was a military commander under Horemheb. Near the end of his reign, Horemheb adopted Paremessu as his designated heir, and the latter changed his name to the now-familiar “Ramses”. In addition to being commander and vizier, Ramses was also the High Priest of Amun. As king, he reopened neglected trade routes to the copper-producing regions of the Sinai and the Negev, asserted political control over the squabbling Canaanite principalities.	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Menmaatre	1291 BCE	1278 BCE	Though better known as the father of Ramses portrayed by Sir Cedric Hardwicke in The Ten Commandments, Seti’s reign was impressive in its own right. He engaged in large scale building projects throughout Egypt and adopted the epithet “Repeater of Births” to mark a new renaissance in Egyptian culture.	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Usermaatre Setpenre/Ozymandias	1279 BCE	1212 BCE	Ramses II is the pharaoh who is the best candidate for the opponent of Moses. While Rameses’ great “victory” over the Hittites at Kadesh was highly exaggerated (the battle ended in a stalemate and peace treaty) the economic and political accomplishments of his extraordinarily long reign are hard to ignore. And ignore them was something Ramses did not do; he placed his name and visage on so many monuments that locals call him “the Coca-Cola Pharaoh” after that beverage’s ubiquitous logo. Ramses II is the king most often identified with the unnamed adversary of Moses in the Book of Exodus. Ramses had something on the order of 80 sons and an uncounted number of daughters during his nearly seven decades on the throne; by the time he died his heir Merneptah was on the later side of middle age but another probable son, Setnakht, was in his prime some twenty years after Ramses’ death.	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Banenre	1212 BCE	1202 BCE	Merneptah recorded a campaign against various Canaanite kings on his probably-exaggerated victory stele; the inscription, however, is invaluable to Biblical scholars because it records a battle against a tribe called “Israel”.	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Menmire Setpenre	1202 BCE	1199 BCE	Probably a usurper, suggested son of Merneptah, possbily ruled in opposition to Seti II.	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Userkheperure	1199 BCE	1197 BCE		19th Dynasty	Egypt
Sekhaenre/Akhenre	1197 BCE	1191 BCE		19th Dynasty	Egypt
Satre Merenamun	1191 BCE	1190 BCE	Female; Simultaneous with Bay the Kingmaker as regents.	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Bay the Kingmaker	1193 BCE	1190 BCE	Simultaneous with Twosret as regents; Opposed by Setnakhte; Bay was a scribe who became co-regent for Siptah with the latter’s stepmother Twosret. He called himself "The Kingmaker" and "The Self-Made", implying that he usurped the throne for himself after Twosret’s death. The sequence is not entirely clear. The first Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty, Setnakht ("[the god] Set is Victorious"), who was probably a younger son of Ramses II, refers to himself as "Driver-out of the usurper."	19th Dynasty	Egypt
Userkhaure	1190 BCE	1186 BCE		20th Dynasty	Egypt
Usermaatre Meryamun	1186 BCE	1155 BCE		20th Dynasty	Egypt
Usermaatre/Heqamaatre Setpenamun	1155 BCE	1149 BCE		20th Dynasty	Egypt

Footnotes