or s o ye a rs , du r i ng t he reig n of R a m s e s X I (r. c a. 110 0 – c a. 1070
b.c.e.). In about 1087 b.c.e. the governor of Nubia rebelled
and attacked Upper Egypt, driving all the way to Th ebes.
Ramses XI and his army made a vigorous counteroff ensive,
driving the rebel army back south of Elephantine, perhaps to
the town of Miam in Wawat. Even so, Egypt did not regain
control of Nubia, a land that had been part of Egypt for about
500 years, and the loss of access to southern trade routes seri-
ously damaged Egypt’s economy.
THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD
(CA. 1070–CA. 712 B.C.E.)
Ramses XI died without an heir, resulting in the founding of
the Twenty-fi rst Dynasty (ca. 1070–ca. 945 b.c.e.). Th e fi rst
pharaoh of the new dynasty, Smendes (r. ca. 1070–ca. 1044
b.c.e.), was a vigorous ruler, and he led military campaigns
in the Near East to enforce Egyptian dominance in that re-
gion. His successors found it increasingly diffi cult to hold the
nation together. Th e Twenty-second Dynasty (ca. 945–ca. 712
b.c.e.) was founded by a man of Libyan descent, Shoshenq I
(r. ca. 945–ca. 924 b.c.e.), who peacefully succeeded to the
throne. Th e Twenty-second Dynasty saw the development
of confl icts among governors of diff erent regions, and some
governors disputed the authority of the central government.
Shoshenq III (r. ca. 835–ca. 783 b.c.e.) tried to maintain con-
trol of the country by appointing members of his family to
be governors and giving each of them the title of king. Th ere-
aft er the family members bickered with one another and the
country continued to fragment.
Th e last pharaoh of the Twenty-second Dynasty was Os-
orkon IV (r. ca. 735–ca. 712 b.c.e.), who ruled from the city of
Tanis, in the Nile Delta. By this time Egypt had broken apart.
Th e Twenty-third Dynasty (ca. 828–ca. 712 b.c.e.) ruled from
the city of Leontopolis, which was at that time called Taremu,
and the 24th Dynasty (ca. 724–ca. 712 b.c.e.) ruled from the
city of Sais, both in the Nile Delta.
For a short time Egypt was reunited by the Twenty-
fi ft h Dynasty (ca. 780–ca. 657 b.c.e.), which was composed
of kings from Kush, the Nubian kingdom to Egypt’s south.
Th ese kings followed Egyptian traditions of religion and gov-
ernment, and they saw themselves as Eg ypt’s only rightful re-
maining royal line. Th e dynasty probably was established by
Alura (r. ca. 780–ca. 770 b.c.e.) in the Nubian city of Napata.
His successor, Kashta (r. ca. 770–ca. 750 b.c.e.), began the Nu-
bian takeover of Egypt. Kashta’s son Piye (r. 750–712 b.c.e.)
led an army into Egypt to secure Th ebes so that the Nubian
kings could worship there. Piye continued beyond Th ebes to
Hermopolis, then known as Wenu, where he met the army of
the Twenty-fourth Dynasty pharaoh Tefnakht (r. ca. 724–ca.
717 b.c.e.) and defeated it. Tefnakht withdrew to Sais in the
Nile Delta, and Piye secured his dominance all the way north
to Heliopolis, then known as On, northeast of Memphis. Lo-
cal rulers swore fealty to him and he took on all the regal
trappings, duties, and titles of an Egyptian pharaoh.LATE PERIOD (712–332 B.C.E.)
Th e Late Period traditionally starts with the reign of Piye’s
successor, Shabaka (r. ca. 712–ca. 698 b.c.e.), a dynamic pha-
raoh who united the Nile Delta with the rest of Egypt. He
and his successors tried to rule Egypt as traditional pharaohs.
Th ey defended the country’s interests in the Near East, built a
great fl eet to patrol the Mediterranean, and constructed great
public works. When Assyria became a formidable military
power, the Twenty-fi ft h Dynasty tried to fi nd ways to op-
pose it. In about 674 b.c.e. Assyria attacked Egypt and was
defeated by the forces of Taharqa (r. ca. 690–664 b.c.e.), but
around 671 b.c.e. Assyria attacked again, driving its way into
Memphis. Taharqa withdrew into Nubia. Th e last pharaoh
of the Twenty-fi ft h Dynasty was Taharqa’s heir, Tantamani
(r. ca. 664–ca. 657 b.c.e.), who recaptured all of Egypt before
being soundly defeated by the Assyrians, who exacted cruel
reprisals all the way to Th ebes.Colossi of Ramses II and his wife at entrance to Karnak Temple;
Ramses II completed this complex of temples and monuments, which
was begun and developed by rulers of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ca.
1550–ca. 1307 b.c.e.) to glorify the god Amun-Re. (© Board of Regents
of the University of Wisconsin System)
empires and dynasties: Egypt 395