 The Pharaohs
In this section, I'll catalogue the Pharaohs who ruled Egypt during the period
covered by the game, ie the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, spanning nearly two millenia
from 2686BC to 1069BC. There is more information to be found in the General History section. Of course, the start is always
good place to start (as my history teacher used to say), so let's begin with:
The Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom lasted
between 2686BC and 2181BC, and was a period of great change for Egypt. The
governmental system was refined and made more efficient, and the concept of kingship being
related to divinity gained prominence. During this time we also see the construction
of the pyramids at Giza, as well as some elsewhere in Egypt. There was no single
royal line in the Old Kingdom - in fact, there were 4 dynasties:
The 3rd Dynasty: 2686 - 2613
(5 Pharaohs)
The 4th Dynasty: 2613 - 2498 (6 Pharaohs)
The 5th Dynasty: 2498 - 2345 (9 Pharaohs)
The 6th Dynasty: 2345 - 2181 (4 Pharaohs)
And the Pharaohs were as
follows:
| Name |
Dates |
Notes |
| . |
|
|
| The
3rd Dynasty |
| Sanakhte |
2686 - 2668 |
|
| Djoser |
2668 - 2649 |
Brother of Sanakhte. Probably extended
Egyptian rule as far south as Aswan and was responsible for building the Step Pyramid of
Saqqara |
| Sekhemkhet |
2649 - 2643 |
Built unfinished step pyramid at Saqqara |
| Khaba |
2643 - 2637 |
Built "Layer Pyramid" a mile south
of Giza |
| Huni |
2637 - 2613 |
Perhaps built Meydum pyramid |
| . |
|
|
| The
4th Dynasty |
| Snefru |
2613 - 2589 |
Son-in-law of Huni. Built 2 pyramids at
Dahshur - "Red Pyramid" and "Bent Pyramid", and the probably builder
of the Meydum Pyramid. |
| Khufu (Cheops) |
2589 - 2566 |
Built Great Pyramid at Giza. |
| Djedefre |
2566 - 2558 |
First Pharaoh to call himself the son of the
Sun god. |
| Khafre |
2558 - 2532 |
Built Second Pyramid at Giza and (perhaps) the
Great Sphinx |
| Menkaure |
2532 - 2504 |
Built Third Pyramid at Giza (smallest) |
| Shepseskaf |
2504 - 2500 |
|
| . |
|
|
The
5th Dynasty |
| Userkaf |
2498 - 2491 |
Married the half-sister of Shepseskaf.
Built the solar temple of Abu-Gurob. |
| Sahure |
2491 - 2477 |
|
| Neferirkare |
2477 - 2467 |
|
| Shepseskare |
2467 - 2460 |
|
| Neferefre |
2460 - 2453 |
|
| Niuserre |
2453 - 2422 |
|
| Menkauhor |
2422 - 2414 |
|
| Djedkare |
2414 - 2375 |
|
| Unas |
2375 - 2345 |
Built 1st pyramid to have decorated inside
walls. |
| . |
|
|
| The
6th Dynasty |
| Teti |
2345 - 2333 |
Moved pyramids back to Saqqara. Probably
murdered by a bodyguard. |
| Pepi I |
2333 - 2283 |
|
| Merenre |
2283 - 2278 |
|
| Pepi II |
2278 - 2184 |
Long reign resulted in decentralisation.
Central rule broke down on his death. |
|
