How many pharaohs were there?

In ancient Egypt, there were about 170 pharaohs, 163 male pharaohs, and 7 female pharaohs, that ruled over a period of c.3080 years. Egyptologists, who study ancient Egypt, believe that Menes is traditionally considered the first pharaoh of Ancient Egypt and is identified by the majority of Egyptologists as the same person as Narmer.

 

What Does the Term ‘Pharaoh’ Mean?

How many pharaohs were there? Pharaoh is the common term used to refer to the monarchs of ancient Egypt. They ruled from the First Dynasty (circa 3150 BCE) until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Republic in 30 BCE. In the early dynasties, ancient Egyptian kings held up to three titles: the Horus, the Sedge and Bee, and the Two Ladies or Nebty name. The Golden Horus, nomen, and prenomen titles were added later.

 

The ancient Egyptians believed that their pharaoh served as a connection between the gods and the world’s people. After the pharaoh passed away, he was revered as a god, taking on the identity of Osiris, the father of Horus and the god of the afterlife. The divine powers and position of the pharaoh were passed on to his son, who became the new pharaoh.

 

The pharaoh’s divine status was symbolized in various ways: the cobra on his crown was believed to spew flames at his enemies, he was thought to have the ability to defeat thousands of enemies on the battlefield, and he was considered all-powerful, with complete knowledge and control over nature and fertility.

 

The Divine Authority of Egypt’s Ancient Kings

Pharaohs were the kings of ancient Egypt. It has sometimes been said that the ancient Egyptians believed their kings to be divine, but it was the power of kingship that the king embodied rather than the individual himself that was divine. The Egyptians believed their pharaoh was the intermediary between the gods and the human world. After death, the pharaoh was considered holy and transferred his sacred powers and position to his son, the new pharaoh. The pharaoh’s authority was absolute, and he ruled by royal decree.

 

List of Egyptian pharaohs

Ramesses the Great was the most powerful king of the New Kingdom’s 19th Dynasty. He was celebrated for his extensive building projects, including cities, temples, and monuments, as well as his notable lack of modesty.

 

Queen Nefertari, known as “the most beautiful of them all,” was one of the most beloved queens of ancient Egypt, reigning during the 19th Dynasty, circa 1290–1255 BC. She was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II, known as Ramesses the Great, and played a significant role in Egyptian history and culture.

 

 

Tutankhamun is one of the most famous kings of Ancient Egyptian pharaohs. He was the youngest pharaoh in the history of Egypt, assuming the throne in 1332 BC at the age of nine or ten, and he died before reaching the age of twenty.

 

King Tuthmosis the Third, who ruled Egypt from 1479 until he died in 1425 BC, is called “Napoleon of ancient Egypt.”; during the first 22 years, he ruled alongside his stepmother, Queen Hatshepsut, and after her death, he established the largest empire witnessed in ancient Egypt. His military conquests contributed to the great wealth of the country, as it transformed him into a national hero.

 

Akhenaten ruled Egypt for 17 years, from 1353 to 1336 B.C., and is historically famous for being the pharaoh who called for the worship of the god Aten, but after his death, the country returned to worship the ancient goddess, and his wife, Nefertiti, also occupies great historical fame, so that he was said that he was his partner in governance.

 

King Menkaura was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period, around 26th century BCE. His pyramid is Giza’s third smallest. According to a narrative, Menkaura buried his only daughter in a golden cow-shaped coffin when she passed away from a disease.

 

King Khafre, also known as Chephren in Greek, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period, reigning in the 26th century BCE. He built the second-largest pyramid in Giza. Some academics believe that he, rather than Djedefra, is the designer of the Great Sphinx. His burial complex was the biggest on the plateau of Giza.

 

King Khufu, Constructed the Giza Pyramid Great. Greek writers portray Khufu as a brutal despot; Egyptian sources, on the other hand, speak of him as a giving and devout emperor. In the Westcar Papyrus, he is the primary character. Because the first papyri with imprints date from Khufu’s reign, it’s possible that ancient Greek writers thought Khufu composed books to try and honor the gods.

 

Sneferu

ruled for 48 years, which gave him enough time to construct the Red, Bent, and Meidum pyramids. According to some academics, he was interred in the Red Pyramid. It was long believed that King Huni, rather than Sneferu, was the creator of the Meidum Pyramid. Sneferu is described in ancient Egyptian records as a devout, giving, and even accommodative monarch.

The first pharaoh of Egypt

“Mina”: (from 3201 to 3101 BC) Menes, who is also known as “Narmer“, was the legendary first king of unified Egypt. He joined Upper and Lower Egypt in a single centralized monarchy and established ancient Egypt’s first Dynasty according to tradition. Menes is also credited with irrigation works and founding the capital, Memphis.

The last Egyptian pharaoh

“Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt, is perhaps the most renowned female ruler in history. However, her Roman adversaries portrayed her in a negative light due to her political aspirations, lavish lifestyle, and especially her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.”