Manetho’s King List
Manetho was an Egyptian priest from Heliopollis. Under the patronage of Ptolemy I, he started to compile an Egyptian history, titled Aegyptika. It was written in Greek and finished c.271 BCE. He attempted to describe Egyptian history from its inception to Alexander the Great. His original work was lost, however, and all we know is from short transcripts and summaries done by Christian historians in later centuries. A few different translations of his work exist:
- Josephus Flavius, from the first century CE
- Sextus Julius Africanus, third century CE
- Eusebius of Cesarea, third/fourth century CE
- George Syncellos (a Byzantine historian) from the eighth century CE.
Mistakes made in translation and by copiers reduces the value of Manetho’s work as historical documentation. Most of the dates simply don’t match.
However, Manetho is the basis for most of our chronologies and naming conventions for Egyptian pharaohs. His king list is often referenced by egyptologists, but many of them reject the dating and time periods for the pharaohs as “fanciful” — there seems to have been some political hay to be made by exaggerating the reigns of some of the kings and minimizing others.
The entire concept of “dynasty” comes from Manetho, who broke apart the kings into reasonably logical groups — by location or family or other identifying feature.
1st Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Menes | 62 | 30 |
| Athothis | 57 | 27 |
| Kenkenes | 31 | 39 |
| Wenefes | 23 | 42 |
| Usafais | 20 | 20 |
| Miebis | 26 | 26 |
| Semempses | 18 | 18 |
2nd Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Boethos | 68 | – |
| Kaiechos | 39 | – |
| Binothris | 47 | – |
| Thias | 17 | – |
| Sethenes | 41 | – |
| Chaires | 17 | – |
| Nefercheres | 25 | – |
| Sesochris | 48 | 48 |
| Cheneris | 30 | 30 |
| Necherophes | 28 | 28 |
3rd Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Necherofes | 28 | – |
| Tosorthios | 29 | – |
| Tyreis | 7 | – |
| Mesochris | 17 | – |
| Suphis | 16 | – |
| Toserfasis | 19 | – |
| Aches | 42 | – |
| Sephouris | 30 | 48 |
| Kerferes | 26 | – |
4th Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Soris | 28 | – |
| Suphis | 63 | – |
| Suphis | 66 | – |
| Mencheres | 63 | – |
| Ratoises | 25 | – |
| Bicheris | 22 | – |
| Sebercheres | 7 | – |
| Tamphtis | 9 | 48 |
5th Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Usercheres | 28 lat | – |
| Sephres | 13 lat | – |
| Nepherchres | 20 lat | – |
| Sisires | 7 lat | – |
| Cheres | 20 lat | – |
| Rathures | 44 lata | – |
| Mencheres | 9 lat | – |
| Tencheres | 44 lata | – |
| Onnos | 33 lata | – |
6th Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Othoes | 30 lat | – |
| Phios | 53 lata | – |
| Methusuphis | 7 lat | – |
| Phiops | 99 lat | – |
| Menthesupis | 1 rok | – |
| Nitocris | 12 lat | – |
12th Dynasty
| Pharaoh | Flavius/Africanus | Eusebius |
| Amemenes | 16 lat | – |
| Sesonchosis | 46 lat | – |
| Ammanemes | 38 lat | – |
| Sesostris | 48 lat | – |
| Lachares | 8 lat | – |
| Ameres | 8 lat | – |
| Ammenemes | 8 lat | – |
| Skemiophris | 4 lata | – |
18th Dynasty
| Flavius | Africanus | Busebius |
| Tethmosis 25/4 | Amos | Amoses 25 |
| Chebron 13 | Chebros 13 | Chebron 13 |
| Amenophis 20/7 | Amenophthis 24 | Amophis 21 |
| Amessis 21/9 | Amensis 22 | – |
| Mephres 12/9 | Misaphres 13 | Memphres 12 |
| Mephramuthosis 25/10 | Misphragnuthosis 26 | Misphamuthosis 26 |
| Thmosis 9/8 | Tuthmosis 9 | Tuthmosis 9 |
| Amenophis 30/10 | Amenophis 31 | Amenopthis 31 |
| Orus 36/5 | Orus 37 | Orus 28 |
| Acencheres 12/1 | Acherres 32 | Achencheres 16 |
| Rathotis 9 | Rathos 6 | – |
| Acencheres I 12/5 | Chebris 12 | Acherres 8 |
| Acencheres II 12/3 | Acherres 12 | Cherres 15 |
| Harmais 4/1 | Amesis 5 | Amais 5 |
| Ramesses ¼ | Ramesses 1 | – |
| Harmesses Miamen 66/2 | – | Ramesses (Aegyptus) 68 |
| Amenopthis 19/6 | Amenophath 19 | Amenophis 40 |
| Sethos 59 | Sethos 51 | Sethos 55 |
| Rampses 66 | Rapsaces 61 | Rampses 66 |