18th Dynasty

The 18th Dynasty was a dynasty based in Thebes (and later Amarna) that was a period of relative peace within Egypt. This dynasty followed the 15th and 17th Dynasties, and was followed by the prosperous 19th Dynasty. It lasted from 1069 to 870 B.C., or 199 years. The occupants of this dynasty were Ahmose I, Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Thutmose II, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, Ay, Tutankhamen, and Horemheb.

The dynasty began when Ahmose I and his brother, the pharaoh Kamose, expelled the Hyksos of the 15th Dynasty and began their own dynasty. He ruled for 22 years, as did his son Amenhotep. After them, the sickly pharaoh Thutmose I ruled, but he died within a few years. Thutmose II ruled for fourteen years after 1022 B.C., but his reign was largely uneventful.

The next pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty was the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, who ruled for twenty years while her son Thutmose III was still a child. Thutmose then ruled for ten years, and most of his achievements in the traditional history actually belong to Menkheperre Piankhi. His descendants Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV ruled for two decades, combined, after his reign.

The next rulers of the dynasty began the Amarna period, starting with Amenhotep III. He ruled alongside Solomon of Israel, his brother-in-law. The next pharaoh was the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, who changed Egyptian religion to monotheism, and conquered Israel under the kings Rehoboam and Labaya/Jeroboam. The final pharaohs of the dynasty as it self-imploded were Ay, Tutankhamen, and Horemheb, who lost the territory of Israel to Asa of Judah.

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