Researchers have determined that the 18th Dynasty held power in Egypt for approximately 250 years. It began with the reign of Ahmose I, who expelled the Hyksos, and produced famous Pharaohs such as Tutankhamun.
For millennia, Ancient Egypt was governed by dynasties, formed either by hereditary succession or by rulers inheriting power from predecessors. However, the 18th Dynasty held power the longest, lasting approximately 250 years, according to Live Science.
Researchers established its chronological limits using historical records and radiocarbon dating. The dynasty began around 1550 BCE when Pharaoh Ahmose I expelled the Hyksos—a people from Asia who had controlled part of Egypt for over a century.
His successors significantly expanded the state’s borders: the Egyptian Empire stretched from Sudan to Syria. Among the famous rulers of this dynasty is Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered by British archaeologists in 1922.
Historians note that the concept of “dynasties” only appeared in the 3rd century BCE when the Egyptian priest Manetho described the country’s history in Greek. According to his classification, the 18th Dynasty was the longest continuous ruling house.
However, periods of foreign rule were even longer. For instance, the Ptolemies ruled Egypt for over 300 years after Alexander the Great’s conquest, and the country was then under the control of the Roman and Byzantine Empires for nearly seven centuries until it was seized by the Arab Caliphate in the 7th century.
Experts stress that the history of Egyptian dynasties demonstrates not only the evolution of internal power but also the influence of external states that played a crucial role in the region’s fate.
