Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt

The Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVII, alternatively 17th Dynasty or Dynasty 17) was a dynasty of pharaohs that ruled in Upper Egypt during the late Second Intermediate Period, approximately from 1580 to 1550 BC.^[1] Its mainly Theban rulers are contemporary with the Hyksos of the Fifteenth Dynasty and succeed the Sixteenth Dynasty, which was also based in Thebes.

Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt
c. 1580 BC–c. 1550 BC
Sarcophagus of Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef, Louvre Museum
Capital	Thebes
Common languages	Egyptian language
Religion	ancient Egyptian religion
Government	Absolute monarchy
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 1580 BC
• Disestablished	c. 1550 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Sixteenth Dynasty of Egypt Abydos Dynasty Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt

In March 2012, French archeologists examining a limestone door in the Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak discovered hieroglyphs with the name Senakhtenre, the first evidence of this king dating to his lifetime.^[2]

The last two kings of the dynasty opposed the Hyksos rule over Egypt and initiated a war that would rid Egypt of the Hyksos kings and began a period of unified rule, the New Kingdom of Egypt.

Kamose, the second son of Seqenenre Tao and last king of the Seventeenth Dynasty, was the brother of Ahmose I, the first king of the Eighteenth Dynasty.

Some mainstream scholars have suggested that the Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt had Nubian ancestry due to the expanded presence of Nubians in Egypt during that time period and the craniofacial evidence from X-ray examination of Seqenenre Tao who displayed strong affinities with contemporary Nubians. Donald Redford explicitly argues that Egyptians "entered into the service of the king of Kush" between seventeenth and sixteenth centuries BC, citing historical texts along with archaeological evidence that showed an increased Nubian presence from the third Cataract on the Nile as far north as Deir Rifeh. Redford summarises that a shared "community of interest" existed which coincided with the influx of Nubian pottery and weapons in Upper Egypt.^{[3][4] [5]} There is no conclusive evidence that the founder of the dynasty, Rahotep, was of Nubian origin however and the dynasty is recognized as a native Egyptian dynasty by many scholars.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]}

Pharaohs of the 17th Dynasty

The Pharaohs of the 17th Dynasty ruled for approximately 30 years. Known rulers of the 17th Dynasty are as follows:^[1]

Dynasty XVII Kings of Egypt

Nomen (personal name)	Prenomen (throne name)	Horus-name	Image	Reign	Burial	Consort(s)	Comments
Rahotep	Sekhemre-wahkhaw	Wahankh		c. 1585 BC
Sobekemsaf I	Sekhemre-wadjkhaw	Hetepnetjeru		7 years		Nubemhat
Sobekemsaf II	Sekhemre-shedtawy	(unknown)			Robbed during the reign of Ramesses IX	Nubkhaes
Intef V	Sekhemre-wepmaat	Wepmaat			Dra' Abu el-Naga'?
Intef VI	Nubkheperre	Neferkheperu			Dra' Abu el-Naga'	Sobekemsaf
Intef VII	Sekhemre-heruhermaat	(unknown)			Dra' Abu el-Naga'?	Haankhes
Ahmose	Senakhtenre	Merymaat		1 year		Tetisheri
Tao	Seqenenre	Khaemwaset		c. 1560 (4 years)	Dra' Abu el-Naga'?	Ahmose Inhapy Sitdjehuti Ahhotep I	Died in battle against the Hyksos
Kamose	Wadjkheperre	Khahernesetef		1555 to 1550 BC (5 years)	Dra' Abu el-Naga'	Ahhotep II?

Finally, king Nebmaatre may have been a ruler of the early 17th Dynasty.^[17]

Pharaonic Family tree

Sobekemsaf I

Nubemhat

Sobekemsaf II

Nubkhaes II

Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef

Nubkheperre Intef

Sobekemsaf

Sekhemre-Heruhirmaat Intef

See also

• List of pharaohs

References

1. Shaw, Ian, ed. (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 481. ISBN 0-19-815034-2.
2. "A Pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty identified at Karnak". CFEETK – Centre Franco-Égyptien d'Étude des Temples de Karnak. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11.
3. F. J. Yurco. "'Were the ancient Egyptians black or white?'". Biblical Archaeology Review. (Vol 15, no. 5, 1989): 35–37.
4. Bruce., Redford, Donald (2006). From slave to pharaoh : the black experience of ancient Egypt. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 35–37. ISBN 978-0-8018-8544-0. OCLC 843428071.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. Keita, S. O. Y. (September 2022). "Ideas about "Race" in Nile Valley Histories: A Consideration of "Racial" Paradigms in Recent Presentations on Nile Valley Africa, from "Black Pharaohs" to Mummy Genomest". Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections.
6. "A new dynasty emerged in Thebes out of a local branch of the Thirteenth Dynasty. It was founded by Rahotep, who took Wahankh as his Horus name."Grimal, Nicolas (1994). A History of Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell (July 19, 1994). p. 187.
7. "In between the Hyksos kingdom, in the Delta and Middle Egypt, and the Kingdom of Kush, south of the 1st cataract, was squeezed the only “true” Egyptian dynasty, the 17th in Thebes."Van de Mieroop, Marc (2021). A History of Ancient Egypt. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 136.
8. "The conflict came to a head in a confrontation between the Hyksos and the native Theban rulers (Dynasty 17)"David, Rosalie (2007). Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt Revised. Oxford University Press. p. 33.
9. "In the south, Nubians entered Egypt to serve under the Theban rulers of the Seventeenth Dynasty (1640–1550 B.C.E.), who would rise up to restore a united land."Bunson, Margaret (2002). Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Facts on File Library of World History). Facts on File. p. 383.
10. "SEVENTEENTH DYNASTY. An upper Egyptian Succession (c.1665-1509) of local rulers in the Theban area."Redford, Donald (200). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt: 003. Oxford Univ Pr. p. 273.
11. "(Fifteenth Dynasty) in the eastern Delta was perceived to be a foreign occupation by the Egyptian Seventeenth Dynasty that ruled in Thebes"Noll, K.L. (2002). Canaan and Israel in Antiquity: An Introduction. Sheffield Academic Press. p. 123.
12. "The revolution by the Egyptian native Seven- teenth Dynasty against the Hyksos resulted in a subsequent campaign"Dumper, Michael (2006). Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO (2006). p. 105.
13. "until they were eventually dispelled by a rival , native dynasty from Thebes Tubb, Jonathan N. (1999). Canaanites (Volume 2) (Peoples of the Past). University of Oklahoma Press. p. 62.
14. "and the Second lntermediate Period saw an Egyptian dynasty ruling from Thebes, while the Palestinian Hyksos ruled the north"Tyldesley, Joyce (2007). Egypt: How a Lost Civilisation Was Rediscovered. BBC Books. p. 14.
15. "while an indigenous Seventeenth Dynasty ( ca. 1650–1552 BCE ) ruled over Thebes ."Modrzejewski, Joseph Meleze (1995). Jews of Egypt from Rameses II to Emperor Hadrian. T&T Clark. p. 7.
16. "but there was also a native 17th dynasty ( ca 1640 - ca1540 ) in Thebes"Castleden, Rodney (1995). The Concise Encyclopedia of World History. Parragon Book Service. p. 191.
17. K. S. B. Ryholt, Adam Bülow-Jacobse, The political situation in Egypt during the second intermediate period, c. 1800-1550 B.C., pp 168, 170, 171, 179, 204, 400

External links

• Kings of the Second Intermediate Period: University College London

Preceded by 16th Dynasty

Dynasty of Egypt 1585−1550 BC

Succeeded by 18th Dynasty