The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt

by Aidan Dodson, Dyan Hilton

"Excellent biographical history of ancient Egypt’s royal families from the Early Dynastic period to Egypt’s absorption into the Roman Empire. . . . Highly recommended."—Choice This groundbreaking book illuminates the lives of some 1,300 kings, queens, princes, and princesses of ancient Egypt, unraveling family relationships and exploring the parts they played in politics, cultural life, and religion.

The authors begin with a basic summary of the structure of the pharaonic state, including the nature of ancient Egyptian kingship itself, and then introduce key members of the royal family. This is followed by a chronological survey of the royal family from c. 3100 BC to the last Cleopatra. For each dynasty, or significant part of a dynasty, the authors provide an historical overview of the period, a summary listing of the kings, and a discussion of their families’ relationships.

This superb biographical history of ancient Egypt is handsomely illustrated with hundreds of photographs, line drawings, and genealogical trees. 90 color and 210+ black-and-white illustrations.

Genres: History, Egypt, Egyptology, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Reference, Archaeology

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2004

About the author

Aidan Dodson is Honorary Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Bristol, UK, was Simpson Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo in 2013, and Chair of the Egypt Exploration Society during 2011–16. Awarded his PhD by the University of Cambridge in 1995, he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2003. He is the author of some twenty-five books, including Sethy I, King of Egypt: His Life and Afterlife (AUC Press, 2019), Rameses III, King of Egypt: His Life and Afterlife (AUC Press, 2019), Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age to Age of Heresy (AUC Press, paperback edition, 2016), Afterglow of Empire: Egypt from the Fall of the New Kingdom to the Saite Renaissance (AUC Press, paperback edition, 2020), Poisoned Legacy: The Fall of the 19th Egyptian Dynasty (AUC Press, paperback edition, 2016), Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (AUC Press, paperback edition, 2018), and Monarchs of the Nile (AUC Press, paperback edition, 2015). Professor Dodson has also written on naval history from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present day.

Reviews

[Michael O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for those who are really into Egyptology. A niche book, this is not the type of book that might appeal to a wide audience, but for those who are looking for a reference that lists all of Ancient Egypt's many rulers and dynasties, it is very good for that purpose.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of reference book I love to spend hours poring over, opening it at random and absorbing the information.

The authors follow Manetho's ancient organization of Egyptian history into 31 dynasties - from Narmer (c. 3150 BC) to Darius III (332 BC) and also the Macedonian Dynasty that ruled until Rome conquered the Nile Valley in 30 BC. Despite the fact that this schema is very artificial and arbitrary, it remains the framework upon which modern Egyptology rests and just about the only organizing principle general readers are familiar with.

Each dynastic account is divided into three sections: Historical Background, which gives a brief overview of the period; Royal Family, which attempts to unravel the complex genealogies of the Pharaohs; and Brief Lives, which lists the known members of the dynasty and their probable relationships to the kings and their roles in society.

And - no - there are no space aliens or Atlantean engineers carving the Sphinx 10,000 years ago.

Some random impressions:

One, Egypt is old! When Solon, the Athenian lawgiver and poet, visited Egypt c. 600 BC, he was as far removed from the 1st Dynasty as we are from him (i.e., c. 2500 years). The so-called New Kingdom period began 800 years before Rome was founded in (traditionally) 753 BC.

Two, while I'm astonished at how much we know about Egypt's earliest history, there's still much to learn.* For example, we have a fairly complete list of 1st and 2nd dynasty kings but we have few clues as to what they did or even how long they reigned. There's an approximate date for Narmer at 3150 BC but the only reign dates the authors felt confidant enough to give were those of the last king of the second dynasty, Khasekhemwy, 2611-2584.

Many of the "Brief Lives" entries are little more than, for example, "Khenterka Depicted as a child in the tomb of his mother, Meresankh III" or "Nysuheqat (KSon)** Owner of tomb 964 H8 at Helwan."

I would love to have a copy of this for my very own but - sadly - I must return it soon to the library so that others might learn a little bit about this fascinating civilization.

* E.g., this recent news item about the discovery of 17 "lost" pyramids.

** There's an interesting chart listing the various titles used throughout Egyptian history. "KSon" refers to a sa-nesu, a King's Son, most often just what it implies - the biological offspring of the Pharaoh - but it could also be an honorific and has been found associated with royal granddaughters.

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Takes readers through each of the ancient dynasties. Tons of pictures and zillions of sources.

[Simba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not perhaps brilliantly written, but style is sacrificed for information. A fascinating book which I would recommend for anyone interested in the history of Egypt, and one of the most informative books that a child could read.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3 1/2 if I could. While the book only touches briefly on the actual history of Egypt, it does do a good job of presenting, to the best of scholarly knowledge, the often-tangled genealogy of the pharaohs, and it has certainly whetted my apatite for more.

[Helen West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly informative. Loved it.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was a different sort of book to the ones that Aidan Dodson has written since but a very detailed sourcebook nonetheless.