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 Ancient Egypt / New Kingdom /
20th Dynasty
Dynasty of Ancient Egypt 1186-1069 BCE, 117 years, consisting of 10 rulers. It is defined as part of the New Kingdom, representing its last period.
With the 20th Dynasty, the story repeats itself, and it is a weak dynasty compared to the strongest periods of the New Kingdom. The only notable king here is Ramses 3.
It is period of clear cultural decline, well reflected in kings no longer being able to prevent their ancestors' tombs from robbers. This is likely both to be a true decline for political institutions as well as a product of droughts and famine destroying much of the fabrics of the Egyptian society. Upon this, civil unrest and corruption spread across the nation.
The power of the late kings was strongly challenged by the High Priests of Amon at Thebes, who effectively became the rulers of Upper Egypt. In Lower Egypt a new nation would emerge, represented with the 21st Dynasty., ruling from Tanis. With this shift, the New Kingdom is defined to end, and a period either called Late Dynastic Period or Third Intermediate Period begins.
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