Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
Aidan Dodson’s The Libyan Pharaohs of Egypt is a detailed reappraisal of one of the most complex periods of ancient Egyptian history. Drawing on his long-standing expertise in Egyptian royal history, Dodson presents a richly illustrated, clear and balanced synthesis that will appeal equally to scholars and the informed general reader.
Beginning with the turmoil at the close of the New Kingdom, the volume traces developments from the 10th to the 7th centuries BC. Dodson interprets the emergence of Libyan pharaohs in northern Egypt and the establishment of Libyan dynasties as a process marked by continuity as much as change, one that appears to have been largely peaceful in character. These rulers adopted traditional pharaonic titulary, patronised major cults, and governed through established administrative structures, even as political authority became increasingly regional in its expression. He not only analyses the complex succession of these rulers at a time when power was divided between Tanis and Thebes, but also carefully sifts the evidence for regional potentates operating from other emerging centres of authority, including Herakleopolis, Hermopolis, and the southern Delta.
The eventual eclipse of the Libyan dynasties came as Egypt became increasingly entangled with external powers. Nubian rulers from Kush asserted control in the south before advancing northwards, and later Assyrian intervention further destabilised existing regimes. This prolonged period of fragmentation was finally brought to an end in the 7th century BC with the rise of the Saite Dynasty, which restored political unity and re-established central authority across Egypt.
In its concluding section, the volume offers an insightful survey of the shifting academic perspectives on the Third Intermediate Period over the past 200 years, followed by an interpretation of current scholarly opinion. Dodson’s own assessment is characteristically measured, reminding us that the history of this period remains provisional and open to revision. As he observes, ‘Egyptian history remains a network of “working hypotheses”, liable to adjustment at any time’, a sentiment that neatly encapsulates both the challenges and the continuing vitality of research into Egypt’s Libyan age.
You can win a copy of this book in our photo competition here.
REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW
The Libyan Pharaohs of Egypt: Their Lives and Afterlives
by Aidan Dodson
American University in Cairo Press, 2025
ISBN978-1-649-03310-9
Hardback, £29.99
