TABLE OF DYNASTIES.
| Dynasty i.—Thinite. |
| Mena. | Hesepti. |
| Teta. | Merbap. |
| Atet. | Sememptah. |
| Ata. | Kebeh. |
| Dynasty ii.—Thinite. |
| Betau. | Uatnes. |
| Kakau. | Senta. |
| Bai-en-neter. | |
| Dynasty iii.—Memphite. |
| Tati. | Teta i. |
| Bebi. | Setes. |
| Nebka. | Neferkara. |
| Sersa. | Senefru. |
| Dynasty iv.—Memphite. |
| Khufu. | Menkaura. |
| Tetefra. | Aseskaf. |
| Khafra. | |
| Dynasty v.—Memphite. |
| Userkaf. | Userenra. |
| Sehura. | Menkauhor. |
| Kaka. | Tetkara. |
| Neferarkara. | Unas. |
| Dynasty vi.—Elephantine. |
| Teta ii. | Merienra ii. |
| Userkara. | Neterkara. |
| Pepi Meri-ra. | Menkara. |
| Merienra i. | Netakerti |
| Neferkara i. | (Nitocris). |
| Dynasty vii.—Memphite. |
| No records or names preserved. |
| Dynasty viii.—Memphite. |
| Neferkara ii. | Neferkahor. |
| Neferkara Nebi. | Neferkara v. |
| Tetkara. | Seneferka Annu. |
| Neferkara iii. | ... Kaura. |
| Merenhor. | Neferkaura. |
| Seneferka. | Neferkauhor. |
| Enkara. | Neferarkara. |
| Neferkara iv. | |
| Dynasties ix. and x. |
| (Heracleopolis.) |
| Probably contemporary with foregoing. |
| Names unknown. |
| Dynasty xi.—Theban. |
| Ten kings—amongst them the Antefs |
| and Mentuhoteps. |
| Egypt re-united under last two |
| kings of this dynasty: |
| Nebtaura. | Sankhkara. |
| Dynasty xii.—Theban. |
| Amenemhat i. | Amenemhat iii. |
| Usertesen i. | Amenemhat iv. |
| Amenemhat ii. | Sebeknefrura |
| Usertesen ii. | (Queen). |
| Usertesen iii. | |
| Dynasty xiii.—Theban. |
| Sebekhotep i. | |
| Six successors bearing same name. |
| Dynasty xiv.—Xoite. |
| Seventy-six kings ruling in 184 years. |
| Dynasties xv. and xvi. |
| The Hyksos Kings. |
| Dynasty xvii.—Theban. |
| Native rulers in the south—at |
| first tributary to Hyksos Kings. |
| War of liberation by— |
| Sekenenra. Taa-aa. Taa-ken. |
| Dynasty xviii.—Theban. |
| Aahmes. | Amenhotep iii. |
| Amenhotep i. | Amenhotep iv. |
| Thothmes i. | Khu-en-aten. |
| Thothmes ii. | Saanekht. |
| Hatasu. | Tutankh-amen. |
| Thothmes iii. | Ai. |
| Amenhotep ii. | Horus. |
| Thothmes iv. | |
| Dynasty xix.—Theban. |
| Rameses i. | Seti Menephtah ii. |
| Seti i. | Amenmeses. |
| Rameses ii. | Siptah. |
| Menephtah i. | Setnekht. |
| Dynasty xx.—Theban. |
| Rameses iii. |
| Ten or more successors of the same name. |
| Dynasty xxi.—Priest-Kings. |
| Her-hor. | Pinotem ii. |
| Piankhi. | Menkheperra. |
| Pinotem i. | Pinotem iii. |
| Dynasty xxii.—Bubastite. |
| Sheshenk i. | Sheshenk ii. |
| (Shishak.) | Takeleth ii. |
| Usarken i. | Sheskenk iii. |
| Takeleth i. | Pimai. |
| Usarken ii. | Sheshenk iv. |
| Dynasty xxiii.—Tanite. |
| Petubast. Usarken iii. Psemaut. |
| Dynasty xxiv.—Saite. |
| Bakenrenef. |
| Petty rulers in Delta. |
| Dynasty xxv.—Ethiopian. |
| Shebek | Taharak |
| (Sabaco). | (Tirhakah). |
| Piankhi. | Rutamen. |
| Nutmeramen. | |
| Dynasty xxvi.—Saite. |
| Psemtek i. (Psammetichus). |
| Nekau (Necho). |
| Psemtek ii. |
| Uahabra (Apries). |
| Aahmes ii. (Amasis). |
| Psemtek iii. |
| Dynasty xxvii.—Persian. |
| Cambyses and six successors. |
| Dynasty xxviii.—Saite. |
| Amyrtæus. |
| Dynasty xxix.—Mendesian. |
| Naifaaret i. | Psemant. |
| Haker. | Naifaaret ii. |
| Dynasty xxx.—Sebennyte. |
| Nekhthorheb (Nectanebo). |
| Tether. |
| Nekhtnebef. |
|
This list, with some slight variations, follows that given by Sir Erasmus Wilson as an appendix to ‘Egypt of the Past.’
DECIPHERMENT OF THE HIEROGLYPHS.
The idea long prevailed that the hieroglyphic characters were ideographic—i.e. that they represented ideas, not sounds; and any attempt at decipherment was hopeless. Before the end of last century, however, a hint had been thrown out that the characters might prove to be phonetic—i.e. representing sounds like the letters of our ordinary alphabets. And a further suggestion had been offered that the words enclosed within ovals might be the names of royal personages. But unless some means existed of comparing those names with the same names written in a known language, not a single hieroglyph could be read. The discovery of the Rosetta stone in 1799 supplied the means required. On that stone was engraved an inscription in three characters—the hieroglyphic, the demotic or popular Egyptian, and the Greek. Scholars, however, turned their attention at first rather to the comparison of the demotic and the Greek, as the idea still prevailed that the hieroglyphs were not phonetic. It happened, also, that the beginning of the hieroglyphic and the end of the Greek inscription were wanting, which added greatly to the difficulty of comparing the texts. Thus ‘the seals of the mysterious book were still unclosed’ when Champollion began his labours. He succeeded in identifying the names of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, and by comparing them with each other and with their Greek counterparts he identified ten letters which were clearly phonetic. The first and second characters in the king’s name were found in their right places in that of the queen, and the initial letter of Cleopatra did not occur in the name of Ptolemy, etc. By the examination and comparison of other proper names other letters were determined, and a phonetic alphabet gradually acquired. But the formidable task remained of examining, reducing to order, and deciphering the vast mass of characters that were still unread.