Dedumose I

Dedumose I ruled Egypt during the late Thirteenth Dynasty, a closing stage of the Second Intermediate Period. He held power from approximately 1660 BC to 1650 BC, with dates uncertain by about thirty years. By this time, central authority had collapsed and his administration was based at Thebes rather than the traditional northern capital.

His reign occurred in an era of severe political fragmentation. The northern Delta was falling under the control of foreign Levantine leaders, while local rulers in the south struggled to maintain order. Dedumose I is often grouped among the final monarchs of the Thirteenth Dynasty, governing a shrunken realm limited mostly to Upper Egypt.

Historians recognise Dedumose I through contemporary Upper Egyptian records, including a commemorative stela recovered from Gebelein and graffiti left at Deir el-Bahari. No tomb or royal mummy has been identified.

Monuments

• Stela from Gebelein
• Graffiti at Deir el-Bahari

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Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.