The periods are a modern framework. But the Egyptians themselves kept lists of their kings, and these lists are the backbone of the chronology. They also show us something important: which kings later Egyptians chose to remember.
Key idea
Ancient king lists give rulers in order, sometimes with the length of each reign. The main ones are the Palermo Stone (Old Kingdom annals), the Turin King List (a papyrus with reign lengths), and the lists carved at Abydos, Karnak and Saqqara. None is complete, and some leave rulers out on purpose.
| List | Made | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Palermo Stone | 5th Dynasty | fragments of a stone slab recording kings year by year: floods, festivals, statues made |
| Karnak list | reign of Thutmose III | a chamber at Karnak with images of earlier kings receiving offerings |
| Abydos list | reign of Seti I | a wall in Seti I's temple at Abydos with 76 royal names, from Menes to Seti |
| Saqqara tablet | reign of Ramesses II | a list in the tomb of an official, Tjuneroy |
| Turin King List | reign of Ramesses II | a papyrus, now in hundreds of fragments, giving reign lengths and even rival kings |
Why it works
The carved lists were not history books. At Abydos, Seti I and his son stand offering to the names of the earlier kings, the ancestors whose spirits received offerings in the temple. Only kings counted as rightful belonged there. Hatshepsut, a woman who ruled as king, and the Amarna kings, linked to Akhenaten's break with the old gods, were left out.
Worked example: Spot the gap
The Abydos list names Amenhotep III and then Horemheb. Using the timeline, which kings who really ruled are missing between them?
- After Amenhotep III came Akhenaten, then a short reign or two (including Smenkhkare), then Tutankhamun and Ay.
- Horemheb came after Ay.
- So the list skips the whole Amarna group.
Answer: Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun and Ay.
The Turin King List is different: an administrative papyrus that tried to list every ruler with his years, months and days, and even includes kings the temple lists ignore. Sadly it was broken into hundreds of pieces before it reached Turin, and many entries are lost.
Common mistake
Treating a king list as complete. Lists leave out rejected rulers, skip whole periods, and sometimes list rival kings who ruled at the same time as if they came one after another. A check: compare at least two lists and the monuments of the kings themselves.