Third Intermediate Period
Osorkon the Elder (Osochor)
21st Dynasty (Tanite) · 1069-945 BCE
Reign begins984 BCE
Reign ends978 BCE
Dynasty span1069-945 BCE
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The first Libyan pharaoh
Osorkon the Elder remains a highly mysterious figure whose existence was only confirmed in 1963. He was the son of Shoshenq, a great chief of the Meshwesh (a powerful Libyan tribe). He ruled for eight years. His ascension marks a significant cultural shift: a member of a once-feared Libyan tribe—the sworn enemies of the New Kingdom pharaohs—was now recognized as the legitimate pharaoh of Egypt.