kingdom · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt

837 BCE – 735 BCE (approx.) · capital Thebes

A rival Libyan line of kings in Upper Egypt, born from the civil wars that broke up the Twenty-second Dynasty.

Origins

Around 837 BCE, amid conflict in the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt, Pedubast I proclaimed himself king and was recognised at Thebes. Manetho linked the dynasty with Tanis, while earlier scholars placed it at Leontopolis; many Egyptologists now see it as a mainly Theban and Upper Egyptian line, but its extent is debated.

Rule and society

The dynasty shared power with the Bubastite kings and local Libyan chiefs, each controlling cities and temples. Osorkon III and his son Takelot III ruled as co-regents and placed family members as high priests and as God's Wife of Amun at Thebes. Royal monuments are few, but Theban inscriptions record Nile flood levels and priestly appointments by year of each king.

Decline and legacy

Around 735 BCE Thebes passed under the Kushite Empire. Shepenupet I, daughter of Osorkon III and God's Wife of Amun, adopted Amenirdis I, sister of the Kushite king Piye. Rudamun's line ended as minor rulers, and Iuput II of Leontopolis submitted to Piye.

Lineage

Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt 943 BCE – 720 BCETwenty-third Dynasty of Egypt

Connections (1)

Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt was conquered by Kushite Empire735 BCE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/twenty-third-dynasty-of-egypt
MLA: “Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/twenty-third-dynasty-of-egypt. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/twenty-third-dynasty-of-egypt.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/twenty-third-dynasty-of-egypt (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻