Herakleopolitan Dynasties

The 9th and 10th Dynasties were dynasties based at Herakleopolis, whose pharaohs mainly contested territory in northern Upper Egypt alongside the 11th Dynasty. They followed the 7th and 8th Dynasties, and was followed by the 11th Dynasty. The dynasties lasted from ca. 1575 to 1471 B.C., or about 100 years. The occupants of these dynasties were Khety I, Neferkare VII, Khety II, Neferkare VIII, Khety III, and Merikare.

The 9th Dynasty began with Khety I, the nomarch of Herakleopolis during the 7th and 8th Dynasties. Though the power at this time was technically focused at Memphis, it was beginning to recentralize around Herakleopolis and Thebes. Thus, Khety I became pharaoh of Lower Egypt and parts of Upper Egypt near the end of his reign, around 1571 B.C. His rule was followed closely by that of Neferkare VII, who began the rivalry between his dynasty and the 11th as Intef I started to gain more territory close to that of this dynasty.

After Neferkare, Khety II was the fourth pharaoh of these dynasties who contested the territories of northern Upper Egypt with Intef II. He was the last powerful ruler of the 9th Dynasty, and the dynasty collapsed soon after his reign. The founder of the next dynasty, the 10th, in the same spot was Neferkare VIII. He continued to battle the 11th Dynasty to the south.

The longest-lived king of these dynasties was Khety III, who made peace with his rivals to the south around 1490 B.C. Mentuhotep II never forgot his insults earlier in his reign, however, and conquered Lower Egypt, killing Merikare, in 1471 B.C. This ended the Herakleopolitan dynasties.

The evidence for the revised history can be found at Displaced Dynasties. Evidence regarding this dynasty can be found here.