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Hatshepsut (or Hatchepsut, Semitic pronunciation: [hætˈʃɛpsut]), meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies, was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful female pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty.
Although records of her reign are documented in diverse ancient sources, Hatshepsut was once described by early modern scholars as only having served as a co-regent from about 1479 to 1458 BC, during years seven to twenty-one of the reign previously identified as that of Thutmose III. It is now known that Hatshepsut assumed the position of pharaoh, and her reign as king is usually given as twenty-two years since Manetho assigns her a reign of 21 years and 9 months. The date of her death is known to have occurred in 1458, which implies she became pharaoh circa 1479 BC.
Ahmose I (sometimes read as Amosis I and meaning The Moon is Born) was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of King Tao II Seqenenre, and brother of the last King of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose. Sometime during the reign of his father or grandfather, Thebes rebelled against the Hyksos, the rulers of Lower Egypt. When he was seven his father was killed in battle, and when he was about ten his brother died of unknown causes, after reigning only three years. Ahmose I assumed the throne after the death of his brother, and upon coronation he became known as Neb-pehty-re (The Lord of Strength is Re).
During his reign he completed the conquest and expulsion of the Hyksos from the delta region, restored Theban rule over the whole of Egypt, and successfully reasserted Egyptian power in its formerly subject territories of Nubia and Canaan. He then reorganized the administration of the country, reopened quarries, mines, and trade routes, and began massive construction projects of a type that had not been undertaken since the time of the Middle Kingdom. This building program culminated in the construction of the last pyramid built by native Egyptian rulers. Ahmose's reign laid the foundations for the New Kingdom, under which Egyptian power reached its peak. His reign is usually dated to about 1550–1525 BC.
Smenkhkare (meaning "Strong is the Soul of Ra") was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, successor of the heretic Akhenaten, and predecessor of Tutankhamun. He is thought to have ruled Egypt for two full years from 1336 BC to 1334 BC, although his independent reign may have been as short as a few months. Tutankhamun's reign began immediately after Smenkhkare's death. Smenkhkare may have become Akhenaten's co-regent for a few years before Akhenaten's death but certainly ruled Egypt for a period independently because a Year 3 date from his reign is attested within the Tomb of Pere, who was a minor Priest of Amun. This implies that after Akhenaten's death, Smenkhkare sought an accommodation with the Amunist factions in Egypt.
The identity of Smenkhkare is somewhat mysterious. Egyptologists do not even agree whether he was a man or a woman – although the position that he was a man is traditional, and more common. The difficulty is that Smenkhkare shares some names with Nefertiti, wife of Akhenaten, and it is possible that Nefertiti is Smenkhkare, as it is not unheard of Ancient Egypt for women to become Pharaohs.
Unas (also Wenis, Oenas, Unis, or Ounas) was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, the last king of the Fifth dynasty. He is said to have lived from 2375 BC to 2345 BC.
He built a small pyramid at Saqqara, close to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the interior of which is decorated with religious texts known as the Pyramid Texts. These texts were used in the Sixth Dynasty royal tombs, but Unas' are the first known, and contain verses not included in the later versions. He probably had no sons, so the Fifth dynasty came to an end after his death. His successor, Teti, married his daughter, Iput, in order to legitimize his rule and founded the 6th dynasty.
Sneferu, also spelt as Snefru or Snofru (in Greek known as Soris), was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt, reigning from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC. The father of Egypt's most famous pyramid builder, Khufu, Sneferu was actually more prolific than his heir, being responsible first for completing his father-in-law Huni's pyramid at Meidum, transforming it from a step pyramid to a true pyramid, the first of its kind. He then went on to build his own step pyramid there. These were followed by the famous Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, and finally, the Red Pyramid. A small pyramid at Seila, near Meidum, is also believed to have been built at his command. While the pyramids built under Sneferu are individually smaller than the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the total volume of stone used in Sneferu's monuments is the largest of all pharaohs. Despite the construction of such monuments, relatively little is known about his reign. From an inscription on the Palermo stone, it is evident that the Egyptians had already begun to import high-quality woods from abroad, as the inscription states that King Sneferu sent forty ships to acquire cedar from Lebanon. It is also known that he built boats used to transport goods and for military purposes to such places as the Sinai, Nubia, and Libya. Some of the court life from that time is evoked in the Westcar Papyrus, written sometime during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. Tradition ascribes that Sneferu was a wise and just ruler.