Ancient Egyptian Kings & Queens – A complete dynasty lists from the old kingdom to the last Pharaoh of Egypt and detailed stories of some of the most famous rulers.
List of Egyptian Dynasties
Egyptian Pharaohs Crowns, Headdresses and Regalia
When the king sat on his throne wearing all of his symbols of office—the crowns, scepters, and other ceremonial items—the spirit of the great god Horus spoke through him. These symbols of authority included a crook and a flail. The crook was a short stick curved at the top, much like a shepherd’s crook. The flail was a long handle with three strings of beads.
Crowns and headdresses were mostly made of organic materials and have not survived but we know what they looked like from many pictures and statues. The best known crown is from Tutankhamun’s golden death mask.
The White Crown represented Upper Egypt, and the Red Crown, Lower Egypt (around the Nile Delta). Sometimes these crowns were worn together and called the Double Crown, and were the symbol of a united Egypt.
There was also a third crown worn by the kings of the New Kingdom, called the Blue Crown or war helmet.
This was called the Nemes crown (shown above) and was made of striped cloth. It was tied around the head, covered the neck and shoulders, and was knotted into a tail at the back.
The brow was decorated with the “uraeus,” a cobra and vulture.
Officials called “viziers” helped the king govern. The viziers acted as mayors, tax collectors, and judges. Other high officials who served the king included a treasurer and an army commander.
Ancient Egyptian Anecdotes
The Ancient Egyptians in their own words
Illustrated Papyri translations edited for the modern reader.