According to Manetho, after the Sixth Dynasty, the Seventh Dynasty rose to the throne. Consisting of 70 kings, it ruled for 70 days. It seems unlikely that this actually happened. This can be logically explained only by stating that a group of 70 persons from the country's elite including priests, scribes, high-rank officials, and possibly princes formed a council that ruled the country as a group of 70 rulers. Nevertheless, this type of administrative system was new in Egypt. For this reason, the Seventh Dynasty ended immediately after 70 days because the Egyptians would have never accepted these conditions.

The origin of the Seventh Dynasty was Memphis, where the seat of their rule was erected. From the time of their third ruler, a new royal family started in Memphis. This was the Eighth Dynasty, whose founder was Ntry-k3-R'. Meanwhile, a powerful family formed the Ninth Dynasty at Ihnasya, whose founder was Akhtoy (Khety I). The most convincing opinion which is accepted by most scholars is that the Seventh Dynasty took Memphis as the capital. The Dynasty's rule only lasted for a few months. It was succeeded by another 15-king royal family that started a new dynasty tacking Memphis as its center.