The Pharaos

Pharaohs / Dynasty 22

Shoshenq IV

Pl. 150 · also Hedjkheperre Shoshenq IV

798 BC to 785 BC, about 13 years · Third Intermediate Period

Modern phonetic rendering, not a copy of an inscription

Shoshenq IV was a ruler of the Twenty-second Dynasty during the Third Intermediate Period, reigning from about 798 BC to 785 BC. His dates are uncertain by around five years. He succeeded his father, Shoshenq III, governing from the northern delta seat of Tanis.

Very little is known about his thirteen years on the throne. By the time of his accession, the central control of the Tanite monarchs had largely collapsed, leaving the dynasty with limited influence beyond the eastern Nile Delta. Rival dynasties and independent chiefdoms dominated the rest of Egypt, and Shoshenq IV left virtually no major architectural monuments. Scholars know of his existence primarily from brief surviving texts, such as the Nile level records carved on the quay at Karnak, which confirm his regnal years alongside local administrative records.

His burial site was presumably located at Tanis, but his tomb has never been found and no mummy is known. He was succeeded by Pami.

Monuments

  • Nile level texts at Karnak

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Dates are conventional and approximate. See method and sources.