2181–2160 BCE
7th and 8th Dynasties of Egypt
2181–2160 BCE
The 7th and 8th Dynasties are the shadowy bridge between the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period. Later king lists preserve names and short reigns, but the sequence and even the split between the two dynasties are uncertain.
Kings of this phase are thought to have ruled from Memphis with diminishing authority while regional governors gained independence. Evidence comes mostly from provincial tombs and later lists, not from royal monuments.
- Dates
- 2181–2160 BCE
- Rulers profiled
- 1
Rulers of the 7th and 8th Dynasties
Every ruler profile in the archive for this dynasty, in the order used by the chronology. Each name links to a full profile with dates, background, sources and illustrations.
Major monuments
- Pyramid Text traditions
- provincial elite tombs
- surviving king lists
Key events
- Political fragmentation after the Old Kingdom
- rise of regional centres.
Reading the evidence
The separation of Dynasties 7 and 8 and the number of kings remain uncertain; later tradition is not a contemporary record.
Sources: Shaw (2000); UCL Digital Egypt; Metropolitan Museum chronology. See the full bibliography.