TANITE DYNASTY

21st dynasty of Egypt (1075945 BC), whose name is derived from that of the city of Tanis in the Nile River delta, which Smendes (Nesubanebdet), the first king of the dynasty, made his capital. The seven Tanite kings usually exercised control over the strong priesthood of Thebes in Upper Egypt, but the district of Cush was probably independent. Egyptian hegemony over Palestine and Syria weakened under the Tanites, and thus small, thriving kingdoms developed in these areas.