Historical Figures
Rulers known from their monuments, and the scholars whose work revealed them.
Ruler
- NarmerKing of late Dynasty 0 or the early First Dynastyc. 3100 BCE
- King ScorpionA late Predynastic rulerc. 3150 BCE
- DjetKing of the First Dynastyc. 2950 BCE
- MerneithMother of King Den, First Dynastyc. 2950 BCE
- DenKing of the First Dynastyc. 2950 BCE
- PeribsenKing of the Second Dynastyc. 2750 BCE
- KhasekhemwyLast king of the Second Dynastyc. 2700 – 2686 BCE
- Djoser (Netjerikhet)King of the Third Dynastyc. 2667 – 2648 BCE
- SneferuFounder of the Fourth Dynastyc. 2613 – 2589 BCE
- KhufuFourth Dynasty king, builder of the Great Pyramidc. 2589 – 2566 BCE
- MenkaureKing of the Fourth Dynastyc. 2532 – 2503 BCE
- UnasLast king of the Fifth Dynastyc. 2375 – 2345 BCE
- Pepi IIKing of the Sixth Dynastyc. 2278 – 2184 BCE
- Intef II (Wahankh)Theban king of the Eleventh Dynastyc. 2112 – 2063 BCE
- Mentuhotep II (Nebhepetre)Reunifier of Egypt and founder of the Middle Kingdomc. 2055 – 2004 BCE
- Amenemhat IFounder of the Twelfth Dynastyc. 1985 – 1956 BCE
- Senusret IKing of the Twelfth Dynastyc. 1956 – 1911 BCE
- Senusret IIIKing of the Twelfth Dynastyc. 1870 – 1831 BCE
- Amenemhat IIIKing of the Twelfth Dynastyc. 1831 – 1786 BCE
- SobekneferuLast ruler of the Twelfth Dynastyc. 1777 – 1773 BCE
- KhyanHyksos king (Fifteenth Dynasty)c. 1600 BCE
- Apepi (Apophis)Hyksos king (Fifteenth Dynasty)c. 1590 – 1550 BCE
- Seqenenre TaoKing of the Seventeenth Dynasty at Thebesc. 1560 BCE
- KamoseLast king of the Seventeenth Dynastyc. 1555 – 1550 BCE
- Ahmose IExpeller of the Hyksos and founder of the Eighteenth Dynastyc. 1550 – 1525 BCE
- HatshepsutQueen who ruled as king, Eighteenth Dynastyc. 1473 – 1458 BCE
- Thutmose IIIWarrior king of the Eighteenth Dynastyc. 1479 – 1425 BCE
- Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV)King of the Eighteenth Dynastyc. 1352 – 1336 BCE
- TutankhamunKing of the Eighteenth Dynastyc. 1336 – 1327 BCE
- Ramesses IIKing of the Nineteenth Dynastyc. 1279 – 1213 BCE
- Ramesses IIIKing of the Twentieth Dynastyc. 1184 – 1153 BCE
- Psusennes ITwenty-first Dynasty king at Tanisc. 1039 – 991 BCE
- Shoshenq IFounder of the Twenty-second Dynasty, of Libyan descentc. 945 – 924 BCE
- PiyeKing of Kush, conqueror of Egyptc. 747 – 716 BCE
- TaharqaKing of the Kushite Twenty-fifth Dynastyc. 690 – 664 BCE
- Psamtik IFounder of the Twenty-sixth (Saite) Dynasty664 – 610 BCE
- Necho IIKing of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty610 – 595 BCE
- Amasis (Ahmose II)King of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty570 – 526 BCE
- Cambyses IIPersian king, conqueror of Egypt525 – 522 BCE
- Darius IPersian king (Twenty-seventh Dynasty)522 – 486 BCE
- Nectanebo IILast native-born king of Egypt360 – 343 BCE
- Alexander the GreatKing of Macedon who ended Persian rule in Egypt356 – 323 BCE
- Ptolemy I SoterFounder of the Ptolemaic dynasty305 – 282 BCE
- Ptolemy V EpiphanesThe king honoured on the Rosetta Stone204 – 180 BCE
- Cleopatra VIILast ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty51 – 30 BCE
- Augustus (Octavian)First Roman emperor, who annexed Egypt in 30 BCE30 BCE – 14 CE
- HadrianRoman emperor who toured Egypt in 130 CE117 – 138 CE
- DiocletianRoman emperor who reorganised the empire284 – 305 CE
- ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAsCommander of the Arab conquest of Egyptc. 573 – 664 CE
- Ahmad ibn TulunFounder of the Tulunid dynasty835 – 884 CE
- Jawhar al-SiqilliFatimid general who founded Cairo969 – 992 CE
- Saladin (Salah al-Din)Founder of the Ayyubid dynastyc. 1137 – 1193
- Shajar al-DurrSultana of Egypt in 1250 CE1250 – 1257
- BaybarsMamluk sultan1260 – 1277
- Sultan al-Nasir HasanMamluk sultan who built Cairo’s largest madrasa1347 – 1361
- Sultan Selim IOttoman sultan who annexed Egypt1512 – 1520
- Tumanbay IILast Mamluk sultan1516 – 1517
- ʿAbd al-Rahman KatkhudaGrandee and builder in Ottoman Cairoc. 1714 – 1776
- ʿAli Bey al-KabirGrandee who sought Egypt’s independence1728 – 1773
- Napoleon BonaparteCommander of the French campaign in Egypt1798 – 1799
- Muhammad Ali PashaGovernor of Egypt and founder of its last ruling dynasty1769 – 1849
- Ibrahim PashaCommander of Muhammad Ali’s armies1789 – 1848
- Khedive IsmailGrandson of Muhammad Ali, builder of khedival Cairo1863 – 1879
- Ahmad ʿUrabiLeader of the ʿUrabi revolution1841 – 1911
- Lord Cromer (Evelyn Baring)British consul-general in Egypt1883 – 1907
- King FaroukLast king of Egypt1936 – 1952
- Muhammad NaguibFirst president of the Republic of Egypt1953 – 1954
- Gamal Abdel NasserLeader of Egypt from 1954 to 19701918 – 1970
- Anwar SadatPresident of Egypt from 1970 to 19811918 – 1981
- Hosni MubarakPresident of Egypt from 1981 to 20111928 – 2020
- Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein TantawiHead of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, 2011–20122011 – 2012
- Mohamed MorsiPresident of Egypt, 2012–20132012 – 2013
- Abdel Fattah el-SisiPresident of Egypt since 20142014
Archaeologist
- W. M. Flinders PetrieBritish archaeologist (1853–1942)1853 – 1942
- James E. QuibellBritish archaeologist (1867–1935)1867 – 1935
- Gertrude Caton-ThompsonBritish archaeologist (1888–1985)1888 – 1985
- Günter DreyerGerman Egyptologist (1943–2019)1943 – 2019
- Walter B. EmeryBritish Egyptologist (1903–1971)1903 – 1971
- Auguste MarietteFrench archaeologist (1821–1881)1821 – 1881
- George A. ReisnerAmerican archaeologist (1867–1942)1867 – 1942
- Howard CarterBritish archaeologist (1874–1939)1874 – 1939
- Guy BruntonBritish archaeologist (1878–1948)1878 – 1948
- Manfred BietakAustrian archaeologist, born 19401940
- Ludwig BorchardtGerman Egyptologist (1863–1938)1863 – 1938
- Pierre MontetFrench Egyptologist (1885–1966)1885 – 1966
- Gaston MasperoFrench Egyptologist (1846–1916)1846 – 1916
- Bernard GrenfellPapyrologist who uncovered the Oxyrhynchus papyri with Arthur Hunt1869 – 1926
Scholar
- Manetho of SebennytosEgyptian priest who wrote a history of Egypt in Greekc. 285 BCE
- EratosthenesScholar and head of the Library of Alexandriac. 276 – 194 BCE
- HypatiaPhilosopher and mathematician of Alexandriac. 355 – 415 CE
- Ibn KhaldunHistorian and social thinker who lived in Cairo1332 – 1406
- ʿAbd al-Rahman al-JabartiHistorian of eighteenth-century Cairo1753 – 1825
- Rifaʿa Rafiʿ al-TahtawiPioneer of translation and modern education in Egypt1801 – 1873
- Ahmed ZewailNobel Prize-winning chemist1946 – 2016
Figure
- ImhotepHigh official under Djoserc. 2667 BCE
- HarkhufGovernor of Elephantine and expedition leader, Sixth Dynastyc. 2280 BCE
- AnkhtifiProvincial governor in southern Egypt, First Intermediate Periodc. 2130 BCE
- TjetjiTreasurer under Intef II and Intef IIIc. 2100 BCE
- Khnumhotep IIGovernor at Beni Hasan, Twelfth Dynastyc. 1890 BCE
- SithathoryunetPrincess of the Twelfth Dynastyc. 1880 BCE
- Ahhotep IQueen, mother of King Ahmosec. 1560 BCE
- Ahmose son of EbanaSoldier and naval officer from Elkabc. 1550 BCE
- NefertitiGreat Royal Wife of Akhenatenc. 1352 BCE
- KaromamaGod’s Wife of Amun (Divine Adoratrice), Twenty-second Dynastyc. 870 BCE
- UdjahorresnetPriest and physician of Saisc. 530 BCE
- Antony the GreatOne of the first hermits of the Egyptian desertc. 251 – 356 CE
- PachomiusFounder of communal monasticismc. 292 – 348 CE
- Athanasius of AlexandriaBishop of Alexandriac. 296 – 373 CE
- Shenoute of AtripeAbbot of the White Monastery at Sohagc. 348 – 465 CE
- Ferdinand de LessepsFrench diplomat who obtained the Suez Canal concession1805 – 1894
- Saʿd ZaghlulLeader of the 1919 revolution and the Wafd1859 – 1927
- Huda ShaʿrawiPioneer of the Egyptian women’s movement1879 – 1947
- Talʿat HarbFounder of Bank Misr1867 – 1941
- Mahmud MukhtarSculptor of "Egypt’s Awakening"1891 – 1934
- Umm KulthumEgypt’s most celebrated singerc. 1904 – 1975
- Naguib MahfouzNobel Prize-winning novelist1911 – 2006