Theban High Priests of Amun (Twenty-first dynasty)
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While not regarded as a dynasty per se, the High Priests of Amun at Thebes were nevertheless of such power and influence that they were effectively the rulers of Upper Egypt from 1080 to c.943 BC, after this period their influence declined. By the time Herihor was proclaimed as the first ruling High Priest of Amun in 1080 BC--in the 19th Year of Ramesses XI--the Amun priesthood exercised an effective stranglehold on Egypt's economy. The Amun priests owned two-thirds of all the temple lands in Egypt and 90 percent of her ships plus many other resources.[1] Consequently, the Amun priests were, in reality, as powerful as Pharaoh, if not more. One of the sons of the High Priest Pinedjem I would eventually assume the throne and rule Egypt for almost half-a-decade as pharaoh Psusennes I while the Theban High Priest Psusennes III would take the throne as king Psusennes II--the final ruler of the 21st Dynasty.
[edit] Third Intermediate Period timeline
[edit] References
- ^ Peter Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames & Hudson Ltd., 1994. p.175
