Ancient Egypt - Macedonian, Ptolemaic, 332-30 BCE | Britannica

ancient Egypt

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
Introduction to ancient Egyptian civilization
- Life in ancient Egypt
- The king and ideology: administration, art, and writing
- Sources, calendars, and chronology
- The recovery and study of ancient Egypt
The Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods
- Predynastic Egypt
- The Early Dynastic period (c. 2900–c. 2544 bce)
  - The 1st dynasty (c. 2900–c. 2730 bce)
  - The 2nd dynasty (c. 2730–c. 2590 bce)
  - The 3rd dynasty (c. 2592–c. 2544 bce)
The Old Kingdom (c. 2543–c. 2120 bce) and the First Intermediate period (c. 2118–c. 1980 bce)
- The Old Kingdom
  - The 4th dynasty (c. 2543–c. 2436 bce)
  - The 5th dynasty (c. 2435–c. 2306 bce)
  - The 6th dynasty (c. 2305–c. 2118 bce)
  - The 7th and 8th dynasties (c. 2150–c. 2118 bce)
- The First Intermediate period
  - The 9th dynasty (c. 2118–c. 2080 bce)
  - The 10th (c. 2080–c. 1980 bce) and 11th (c. 2080–c. 1940 bce) dynasties
The Middle Kingdom (c. 1980–c. 1760 bce) and the Second Intermediate period (c. 1759–c. 1539 bce)
- The Middle Kingdom
  - The 12th dynasty (c. 1939–c. 1760 bce)
  - The 13th dynasty (c. 1759–c. 1630 bce) and 14th dynasty (c. 1759–c. 1530 bce)
- The Second Intermediate period
  - The 15th (c. 1630–c. 1530 bce) through 17th (c. 1630–c. 1540 bce) dynasties
  - The end of the Second Intermediate Period
The New Kingdom (c. 1539–c. 1077 bce)
- The 18th dynasty (c. 1539–c. 1292 bce)
  - Ahmose
  - Amenhotep I
  - Thutmose I and Thutmose II
  - Hatshepsut and Thutmose III
  - Amenhotep II
  - Thutmose IV
  - Foreign influences during the early 18th dynasty
  - Amenhotep III
  - Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)
  - The aftermath of Amarna
  - Ay and Horemheb
- The Ramesside period (19th and 20th dynasties) (c. 1292–c. 1077 bce)
  - Ramses I and Seti I
  - Ramses II
  - Merneptah
  - Last years of the 19th dynasty
  - The early 20th dynasty: Setnakht and Ramses III
  - Ramses IV
  - The later Ramesside kings
Egypt from 1076 bce to the Macedonian invasion
- The Third Intermediate period (c. 1076–723 bce)
  - The 21st dynasty
  - Libyan rule: the 22nd and 23rd dynasties
  - The 24th and 25th dynasties
- The Late period (664–332 bce)
- Egypt under Achaemenid rule
  - The 27th dynasty
  - The 28th, 29th, and 30th dynasties
  - The second Persian period
Macedonian and Ptolemaic Egypt (332–30 bce)
- The Macedonian conquest
- The Ptolemaic dynasty
- The Ptolemies (305–145 bce)
- Dynastic strife and decline (145–30 bce)
- Government and conditions under the Ptolemies
  - Administration
  - Economy
  - Religion
  - Culture
Roman and Byzantine Egypt (30 bce– 642 ce)
- Egypt as a province of Rome
- Administration and economy under Rome
- Society, religion, and culture
- Egypt’s role in the Byzantine Empire
- Byzantine government of Egypt
- The advance of Christianity

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Travel down the Nile to discover important ancient Egyptian cultural sites such as the Pyramids of Giza

Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Khufu

Egyptian hieroglyphic numerals

Egyptian hieratic numerals

Egyptian Book of the Dead

King Tut's discoverer

historical map of Egyptian sites from Predynastic to Byzantine times

historical map of sites in the Nile delta region

For Students

Al-Jizah. Giza Necropolis, Giza Plateau, Cairo, Egypt. Side view of Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) rising in the background. The sides of all three of the Giza pyramids are astronomically oriented to be north-south, east-west (see notes)

Pop Quiz: 18 Things to Know About Ancient Egypt

Read Next

Sunset over the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.

Were All Egyptian Pharaohs Buried in Pyramids?

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Olduvai Gorge or Olduwai Gorge, Tanzania, Africa (eastern Serengeti Plain) Where fossil remains of more than 60 hominins provides the most continuous known record of human evolution. Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey made discoveries here. Archaeology

7 Amazing Historical Sites in Africa

Cleopatra hieroglyphic carving the Ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Wall of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.

What Did Cleopatra Look Like?

This extremely well preserved Egyptian mummy is that of a man who lived during the Ptolemaic Period. His name, written hastily, can be read as either Pachery or Nenu; in the collection of the Musee du Louvre, Paris, France.

7 Surprising Uses for Mummies

Discover

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics

10 Best Hockey Players of All Time

Panama Canal infographic

Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal

Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and autodidact.

6 Interesting Facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan

Four year old boy with grandfather and father lighting Hanukkah menorah. Photo taken on: December 21st, 2009

Which Is Correct: Hanukkah or Chanukah?

Colorful winter sunset

What's the Difference Between a Solstice and an Equinox?

Coriander leaves, fresh green cilantro on wooden background, herbs

Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?

In the autumn of 332 bce Alexander the Great invaded Egypt with his mixed army of Macedonians and Greeks and found the Egyptians ready to throw off the oppressive control of the Persians. Alexander was welcomed by the Egyptians as a liberator and took the country without a battle. He journeyed to Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert to visit the Oracle of Amon, renowned in the Greek world; it disclosed the information that Alexander was the son of Amon. There may also have been a coronation at the Egyptian capital, Memphis, which, if it occurred, would have placed him ...(100 of 35061 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.