XXe Egyptian dynasty

The Pharaonic one is again a dynasty “thebaine” in the direction where the transition with was played in the middle of the city of the Amon god.

Sethnakht, then general of the armies of the country returns the capacity évinçant the last applicants to the throne of the family of Ramsès {{II}} of which the last years had particularly been disturbed. Undoubtedly anarchy threatened the balance of power and already of true dynasties of courtiers had embolisé the operation of the state. The priests had acquired a considerable capacity once again, manager for their benefit of immense grounds which were attached to the great divine fields. A military caste had been formed with progressive integration in this imperial company, in particular, mercenaries like the famous medjaï already enlisted with, but also the shardanes since Ramsès then Libyens starting from Mérenptah.

Sethnakht and its son, the future Ramsès {{III}} belonged to this military company and like Séthi and Ramsès nearly one century before them, had then taken again to the country in hand and had set up an energetic policy pacifying Nubie and taking again the initiative at the Close East.

Until Ramsès {{IV}}, the capacity was guaranteed by the royal administration which is reinforced and is spread on all the territory through many foundations and the gifts makes with the principal temples metropolises country.

The architectural activity is then concentrated on the Low-Egypt, continuing the work of Ramsès and of his/her son and Mérenptah successor with Héliopolis, Memphis, Bubastis and pi-Ramsès and Ramsès founds a new palate with Such el-Yahoudieh not far from Héliopolis.

Thèbes is not therefore abandoned and the temple jubilaire of Ramsès with Medinet Habou on western bank of the old capital becomes the dynastic foundation par excellence. This temple was to then form a new city with the Ramesséum still in activity and which it takes as a starting point on the architectural level. The Vallée of the Kings remains the necropolis royal and it is at this period that the village of Deir el-Médineh reaches its greater extension with the doubling of the teams and a funerary art worthy of the best craftsmen of Thèbes.

But it is as under Ramsès {{III}} as the first strike of the brotherhood took place, first index of changes in the Egyptian company which will be accentuated with the following reigns.

Ramsès {{III}} stops a new terrestrial and maritime invasion coming from Balkans, minor Asia and of Raising towards -1180: it is the Aegean Migration. They are the “Peuples of the Sea” of the Egyptian documents among which one counts of Troyens (Thekker) and the Philistines (Peleset) which also finished them by settling in the big cities of Egypt like Memphis or pi-Ramsès. These tribes will sweep the old kingdoms and city-State which had developed along the Aegean coast of Turkey, in Syria and in Lebanon to some extent carrying the blow of thanks to an old world whose Egypt had the memory. These geopolitical upheavals left the place to new powers which were reconstituted later starting from Assyrie, of Elam and Médie, while in the occident a new thalassocratie was born since Mycènes and occupied little by little the ground commercial of the Mediterranean that Crétois by their disappearance supplements and Phéniciens under the blow of ceaseless invasions gave up with their profit.

The victory of Ramsès {{III}} is the point of organ of its reign and he will seek to imitate in any sound illustrates predecessor the second of the name, including in the choice of the names of his sons of which the number was also very honourable. He wanted thus to guarantee the succession and to consolidate the dynasty, but the absence of choice of a first large royal wife with the profit of a policy of harem was right of its aspirations.

Thus at the beginning of the 20th dynasty the elements which will constitute the decline of the empire of Ramsès are already in place. The various classes which divide the country little by little will transform it awaking natural inclinations which opposed the Two Grounds since millenia and which only Pharaon could maintain in balance.

After Ramsès {{IV}}, the dynastic crisis settles and the various branches of the royal family even dispute the heritage of Ramsès, which itself died following a plot warped since the royal harem, with Thèbes.

All the successors will seek to imitate their glorious ancestor by adopting his name of crowning, but none will manage to slow down the profound changes which took place then. The end of the dynasty is marked by the scandals of plunderings of the necropolis thebaine, of which the Vallée of the Kings and the queens under Ramsès {{IX}} then under Ramsès {{XI}}. Undoubtedly the distance of the royal court which from now on had settled in Low-Egypt took part in the growing insecurity of the area thebaine increasingly threatened by incursions of the Libyan nomads. The royal capacity, more being ensured and being guaranteed, thus supported the rise of the clergy thébain which then extended its influence on all the High-Egypt, announcing the inevitable rupture which will lead to the collapse of the dynasty and the empire.

The continuation of the 20th dynasty sees the beginning of the III {{E}} period intermediate with in particular the rise of the Grands priests of Amon which do not hesitate to be made represent over the walls of the temple of equal footing with Pharaon, or to register their name in a cartouche forming thus almost a royal titulature.

It is the end of the Nouvel Empire, golden age of the Egyptian art. The literature is however not very original, it is satisfied to recopy works of the Average Empire. To mention however: the Book of Dead the . The spoken language at that time is the Néo-Egyptian in which a new literature is made up, in particular in love.

Pharaons of the 20th dynasty

Sethnakht (- 1186 to -1184)
Ramsès {{III}} (- 1184 to -1153)
Ramsès {{IV}} (- 1153 to -1147)
Ramsès {{V}} (- 1147 to -1143)
Ramsès {{VI}} (- 1143 to -1136)
Ramsès {{VII}} (- 1136 to -1129)
Ramsès {{VIII}} (- 1129 to -1126)
Ramsès {{IX}} (-1126 to -1108)
Ramsès {{X}} (- 1109 to -1099)
Ramsès {{XI}} (- 1099 to -1069)

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