Smedes was an official during the reign of Ramesses XI of the 20th Dynasty. Smedes began his rule in Tanis. There he was the high priest of Amon and the viceroy of Lower Egypt. Hrihor was also a high priest of Amon and the viceroy of Upper Egypt. Together these two kept Ramesses XI in seclusion on his estates. Upon the death of Ramesses, Smedes and Hrihor divided Egypt among them, which started the Twenty-first Dynasty. As a native of Djede, Smedes could have no personal right to the throne. The only record of Smedes' reign is a damaged inscription on a pillar in a quarry at Gebelen.
Amenemnisu was the second ruler of the Twenty-first Dynasty. He is though to have ruled for 4 years possibly as the co-regent with Psusennes I.
Psusennes I was the third king of the Twenty-first Dynasty and is probably the best known of all this dynasty's kings. This is because of the discovery of his intact tomb during the excavation of Tanis. His mummy was found in the tomb and was that of an old man. Also is the tomb was a second burial chamber was for his sister and wife, Queen Mutnodjme. At some time later, her mummy and funerary objects were removed. King Amunemope's mummy and funerary objects were placed there after he was moved from another tomb that was not too far away. There were also several other mummies found in this tomb as well. These mummies were thought to have been placed here to be protected from the destruction of the other tombs around.
Amenope was the fourth king of the Twenty-first Dynasty. It is possible that he wrote one of the most famous Egyptian books of wisdom, known as the Instruction of Amenope. In this book, advice is offered to his son on integrity, honesty, self-control and kindness. He teaches that it is reliance on god that this tranquillity and the freedom from overanxiety can be attained.
Siamun is listed as the sixth king of the Twenty-first Dynasty. Very little is known about his reign except that he is the one who sealed up the great Der el-Bahri cache. He is believed to have reigned for seventeen years.
Psusennes II was the seventh and final king of the Twenty-first Dynasty. He is believed to have ruled for 14 years. There are inscriptions on monuments which are the only information showing his reign.
Shoshenq I was the first king of the Twenty-second Dynasty and ruled for twenty-one years. His name first appeared in a long inscription found at Abydos while he was the 'great chief of the Meshwesh, prince of princes.' His father was Nemrat, who was the son of the lady Mehetemwaskhe, died and Shoshenq asked the king at that time to allow a funerary cult to be built at Abydos in his honor. The king must have been the last Psusennes of the Twenty-first Dynasty. Shoshenq's son had married Psusennes' daughter, Makare. It is possible that the transition from the Twenty-first to the Twenty-second Dynasty was a peaceful one. Shoshenq's wife, Karoma, was the mother of Osorkon I who was Shoshenq's successor. Shoshenq did considerable building at home in Egypt. He added a new colonnaded forecourt with a triumphal gate that formed an extension of the hypostyle hall in the Amun temple. No work had been done at Karnak since the end of the Nineteenth Dynasty. He also had a successful campaign against the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel. His tomb is located at Tanis
Osorkon I is in the second king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. Between the reigns of Osorkon I and Takelot I, a Shoshenq II is often shown as a co-regent for a brief period of time.
Takelot I was the third king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. He was the successor to Osorkon I, but is shown to have had a co-regent, Sheshonq II, for a brief period before his reign began.
Shoshenq II is thought to have been the co-regent during the period between Osorkon I and Takelot I during the Twenty-second Dynasty. His mummy was found at Tanis in the tomb of Psusennes I.
Osorkon II was the fifth king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. There are inscriptions in the hypostyle hall of the Luxor temple that indicate that there was a very high inundation of the Nile during the third year of his reign. The inscription says, "All the temples of Thebes were like marshes." During his twenty-second year, he celebrated the Sed Festival. He built a granite gateway at the great temple at Bubastis and decorated the gateway with scenes of this festival. During his reign, there was weakness internally and there were threats from the Assyrians. Egypt's borders did not extend as far as they once had and tried to resist the increasing pressures from the east by joining the states of Palestine and Syria. It is possible that a co-regent ruled with Osorkon II named Harsiese, who was the high priest of Amun at Thebes. It is possible that Harsiese was the son of Osorkon. His tomb has been found at Tanis. It was constructed of large stones with several chambers inside. Several other bodies were found inside such as King Takelot II.
Takelot II was the sixth king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. He was the father to the high priest of Amun, Osorkon. This Osorkon was responsible for the longest inscription on the Bubastite Gate. According to his inscription, during the fifteenth year of Takelot's reign, there was warfare in the North and South and a great convulsion broke out in the land. The remains of Takelot II were found in a usurped sarcophagus from the Middle Kingdom in Tanis. His Canopic jars and ushabti-figures were found with him as well.
Shoshenq III was the seventh king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. He is thought to have ruled for fifty-two years. During the twenty-eighth year of his reign, an Apis bull was born. This is recorded on the Serapeum stela by a priest named Pediese. His tomb was found at Tanis and was similar in structure to those of Psusennes I and Osorkon II.
Pami was the eighth king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. He reigned for approximately six years following the fifty-two year reign of Shoshenq III. Pemay is translated to "The Cat".
Shoshenq IV was the ninth king of the Twenty-second Dynasty. The Serapeum stela of Pasenhor is dated as the thirty-seventh year of Shoshenq IV. This shows that he reigned at least this long. In the year 732, toward the end of his reign, an Assyrian, Tiglath-pileser III took Damascus and killed Rezin. He then captured many cities of northern Israel and took the people to Assyria. The Egyptian troops had at one time joined forces with Damascus, Israel and some other states to resist Shalmaneser III at Qarqar. There is no indication that Shoshenq IV made any attempt to help the former allies.
Osorkon IV was the tenth and final ruler of the Twenty-second Dynasty. During his reign, Hoshea, the king of Israel, sent messengers to Osorkon in Egypt. He was requesting help against Shalmaneser V. No help was sent. Samaria was captured and the Israelites were taken away to Assyria. There was also threats from Sargon II, who was the Assyrian king. To try to avoid an attack, Osorkon IV tried a rich gift and it apparently worked. The Assyrian king came no further.
Pedubaste I was the first king of the Twenty-third Dynasty. He is mentioned several times in the inscriptions at Karnak. Pedubaste is thought to have been the son of the high priest of Amun, Harsiese.
Tefnakht was the first king of the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. In the Piankhy stela, he is called the "chief of the West," "chief of Me," and "chief of Sais." He also gives himself titles as prophets and royal titles. It is thought that his vigorous expansionist activity was the cause of an invasion from the south.
Bakenranef was the second king of the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. His name was found on a vase that was found in an Etruscan tomb at Tarquinia which is located 100 kilometers northwest of Rome. Papyrus plants on the vase suggest the area of the Delta. He is shown in the company of gods and goddesses, such as goddess Neith of Sais.
