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. Its mainly Theban rulers are contemporary with the Hyksos of the Fifteenth Dynasty and succeed the Sixteenth Dynasty, which was also based in Thebes. The chronology of the 17th dynasty is very uncertain and the king lists provide little help.

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.

Origins

The founder of the dynasty was Rahotep and most scholars consider his dynasty to have been native to Egypt.

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.

War with the Hyksos

While under the Hyksos rule, the kings of the 17th dynasty revived the cult of Osiris, they rebuilt temples, and they established military control over the religious site, Abdju. This was the beginning of their campaign for reunification.

The first wave of attacks launched toward the southern flank was led by King Seqenenre Tao, who was killed in the battle. His son, Kamose, succeeded him as the leader. After securing the southern flank, Kamose took to the North to fight more of the Hyksos. Despite little sustained opposition, he failed to take more land in the north and died suddenly after just 2 years at the throne. He left no sons behind to succeed him and his brother, Ahmose I, came to power at 10 years old.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Dynasty XVII Kings of Egypt

! style="width:120px" |Nomen (personal name)!! style="width:120px" |Prenomen (throne name) !! style="width:120px" |Horus-name !!style="width:50px" |Image!! align="center" |Reign!! |Burial !! |Consort(s)

!Comments

|-

|Rahotep || Sekhemre-wahkhaw || Wahankh || 70px|| c. 1585 BC || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? ||

|

|-

|Sobekemsaf I || Sekhemre-wadjkhaw || Hetepnetjeru || frameless|70px|| 7 years || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? || Nubemhat

|

|-

|Sobekemsaf II || Sekhemre-shedtawy || (unknown) || Statuette Sobekemsaf Petrie b|70px|| || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? Tomb was robbed during the reign of Ramesses IX || Nubkhaes

|

|-

|Intef V || Sekhemre-wepmaat || Wepmaat || Louvre 122006 050|70px|| 2-3? years || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? ||

|

|-

|Intef VI || Nubkheperre || Neferkheperu || 70px|| 3-8? years ||Dra' Abu el-Naga' || Sobekemsaf

|

|-

|Intef VII || Sekhemre-heruhermaat || (unknown) || 70px || || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? || Haankhes

|

|-

|Ahmose the Elder || Senakhtenre || Merymaat || 70px|Relief Senakhtenre by Khruner|| 1-2 years || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? || Tetisheri

|

|-

|Tao || Seqenenre || Khaemwaset || 70px || c. 1560 (4 years) || Dra' Abu el-Naga'? || Ahmose Inhapy <br/> Sitdjehuti <br/> Ahhotep I

|Died in battle against the Hyksos

|-

|Kamose || Wadjkheperre || Khahernesetef || 70px|Sarcophage-Kamose|| 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.

Family tree

thumb|The political situation in the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt (<abbr>c.</abbr> 1650 – c. 1550 BC)

Comparison of regnal lists

This dynasty does not appear often on surviving Egyptian king lists, however five kings are recorded on the Karnak King List, dated to the reign of Thutmose III. Three kings are also listed in the kings scene of TT2, dated to the reign of Ramesses II. More names may have originally appeared in the missing sections of the kings lists.

{| class="wikitable"

!Historical Pharaoh

!Karnak King List

!TT2

|-

|Rahotep

|(Sekhem)re Wahkhaure

|

|-

|Sobekemsaf I

|Sekhemre Wadjkhau

|

|-

|Intef VI

|Nubkheperre

|

|-

|Senakhtenre Ahmose

|Senakhtenre

|Sekhentnebre

|-

|Seqenenre Tao

|Seqenenre

|Seqenenre

|-

|Kamose

|

|Wadjkheperre

|}

The dynasty likely appeared on the Turin King List but the section containing the dynasty is heavily fragmented and very little survives. There were originally sixteen kings named after the Sixteenth Dynasty, but it is unknown if all of these kings were indeed part of the seventeenth dynasty, and one of the two first kings may have been Senebkay, who may have been part of a completely different dynasty.

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! colspan="2" |Turin King List

|-

|User..ra ...

| rowspan="2" |Possibly Senebkay.

|-

|User...

|-

|Eight missing names

|–

|-

|...hebra ...

|–

|-

|Missing name

|–

|-

|Missing name

|Reigned for 2 years.

|-

|Missing name

|Reigned for 4 years.

|-

|Missing name

|Reigned for 3 years.

|-

|...nra ...

|Reigned for 3 years.

|}

See also

  • List of pharaohs

References

  • Kings of the Second Intermediate Period: University College London
  • Daniel Polz, The Territorial Claim and the Political Role of the Theban State at the End of the Second Intermediate Period: A Case Study in Irene Forstner-Müller, Nadine Moeller (editors), The Hyksos Ruler Khyan and the Early Second Intermediate Period in Egypt: Problems and Priorities of Current Research. Proceedings of the Workshop of the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Vienna, July 4–5, 2014, pp.217-233