Seventh Dynasty of Egypt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seventh Dynasty of Egypt
c. 2181 BC–{{{year_end}}}
Capital	Memphis
Common languages	Egyptian language
Religion	ancient Egyptian religion
Government	Absolute monarchy
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 2181 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Sixth Dynasty of Egypt Ninth Dynasty of Egypt Tenth Dynasty of Egypt

The Seventh Dynasty of Egypt is a period in ancient Egyptian history. It is thought to have marked the start of the First Intermediate Period around 2181 BC. However, historians are not sure if this dynasty truly existed.

The main source of information about the Seventh Dynasty comes from a historian named Manetho. He wrote a history of Egypt called Aegyptiaca in the 3rd century BC. In his book, the Seventh Dynasty seems to represent a time of chaos rather than a real line of kings. Because there is so little information about this dynasty, many experts, like Jürgen von Beckerath and Toby Wilkinson, believe it might be a made-up story.

However, in 2015, an Egyptologist named Hracht Papazian suggested that the Seventh Dynasty was real. He believes it included kings who are usually thought to belong to the Eighth Dynasty.

Was the Seventh Dynasty Real?

Some Egyptologists, like Hracht Papazian, think that we might be relying too much on Manetho's writings. They believe this could make us misunderstand the end of the Old Kingdom in Egypt.

Papazian suggests that we should look again at whether the Seventh Dynasty existed. He thinks that some kings usually placed in the middle of the Eighth Dynasty should actually be part of the Seventh Dynasty.

The Eighth Dynasty is better known. We have more ancient records and archaeological finds for it. Because of this, some experts combine the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties. They see them as one group of kings who ruled right after the Sixth Dynasty.

Possible Kings of the Seventh Dynasty

Since the Seventh Dynasty's existence is debated, modern experts often ignore it. Or, they combine it with the Eighth Dynasty.

In 2015, Hracht Papazian suggested a list of rulers. He believes these kings, usually seen as part of the mid-Eighth Dynasty, actually belonged to the Seventh Dynasty. This list comes from the Abydos King List, an ancient record of Egyptian pharaohs.