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The King Lists of Egypt

A concise look at how ancient Egyptians recorded their rulers and how later scholars reconstructed their chronology.

Chapters

• 0:07 Why Egypt kept king lists
• 1:34 The major Egyptian king lists
• 4:49 Greek synthesis: Manetho
• 5:40 Interpretation and legacy

On-screen text

• 0:07 Why Egypt kept king lists
• 0:14 Why Egypt kept king lists
• 0:31 Lists as political legitimacy The Institute's interpretation · J. H. Taylor, *Royal Annals and King Lists* (1992)
• 0:49 Abydos King List: 76 ancestors Historical record · Abydos King List, Temple of Seti I, Abydos (c. 1290 BCE)
• 1:07 Karnak List: 42 kings Historical record · Karnak King List, Temple of Amun, Karnak (c. 1200 BCE)
• 1:25 Saqqara Tablet: Old Kingdom kings Historical record · Saqqara Tablet, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (c. 1800 BCE)
• 1:34 The major Egyptian king lists
• 1:41 The major Egyptian king lists
• 1:58 Abydos King List: 76 ancestors Historical record · Abydos King List, Temple of Seti I, Abydos (c. 1290 BCE)
• 2:16 Deliberate omissions of certain dynasties The Institute's interpretation · K. A. Kitchen, *The King Lists of Ancient Egypt* (1996)
• 2:34 Ramesses II offers to ancestors Historical record · Abydos King List, relief showing Ramesses II offering
• 2:52 Turin Canon: papyrus fragment Historical record · Papyrus Turin 2009, Egyptian Museum, Turin (discovered 1824)
• 3:10 Regnal years recorded in years, months, days Historical record · Turin Royal Canon, column 5, lines 12‑15
• 3:28 Fragmentary nature forces reconstruction The Institute's interpretation · J. von Beckerath, *The Turin King List* (1997)
• 3:46 Palermo Stone: royal annals Historical record · Palermo Stone, Museo Archeologico Regionale, Palermo (c. 2450 BCE)
• 4:04 Events: floods, dedications, campaigns The Institute's interpretation · T. G. H. James, *The Palermo Stone* (1975)
• 4:22 Saqqara Tablet: Old Kingdom kings Historical record · Saqqara Tablet, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (c. 1800 BCE)
• 4:40 Karnak List: 42 kings Historical record · Karnak King List, Temple of Amun, Karnak (c. 1200 BCE)
• 4:49 Greek synthesis: Manetho
• 4:56 Greek synthesis: Manetho
• 5:13 Manetho’s Greek dynastic scheme Historical record · Manetho, *Aegyptiaca* (3rd c. BC), fragments preserved by Josephus and Africanus
• 5:31 Manetho’s reign lengths debated The Institute's interpretation · G. W. B. Griffith, *Manetho and Egyptian Chronology* (1970)
• 5:40 Interpretation and legacy
• 6:17 Which rulers are shown here?
• 6:24 Lists legitimize the ruler's divine lineage The Institute's interpretation · J. H. Taylor, *Royal Annals and King Lists* (1992)
• 6:34 Regional agendas shape selections The Institute's interpretation · A. B. Lloyd, *Egyptian King Lists: A Comparative Study* (2005)
• 8:02 Together they shape Egypt’s remembered past The Institute's interpretation · A. B. Lloyd, *Egyptian King Lists: A Comparative Study* (2005)

Sources

Historical record: Abydos King List, Temple of Seti I, Abydos (c. 1290 BCE) · Karnak King List, Temple of Amun, Karnak (c. 1200 BCE) · Saqqara Tablet, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (c. 1800 BCE) · Abydos King List, relief showing Ramesses II offering · Papyrus Turin 2009, Egyptian Museum, Turin (discovered 1824) · Turin Royal Canon, column 5, lines 12‑15 · Palermo Stone, Museo Archeologico Regionale, Palermo (c. 2450 BCE) · Manetho, *Aegyptiaca* (3rd c. BC), fragments preserved by Josephus and Africanus

The Institute's interpretation: J. H. Taylor, *Royal Annals and King Lists* (1992) · K. A. Kitchen, *The King Lists of Ancient Egypt* (1996) · J. von Beckerath, *The Turin King List* (1997) · T. G. H. James, *The Palermo Stone* (1975) · G. W. B. Griffith, *Manetho and Egyptian Chronology* (1970) · A. B. Lloyd, *Egyptian King Lists: A Comparative Study* (2005)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 235 s of CPU.