Egyptian statue of a Libyan soldier
The name Libyan already exists in ancient Egypt (r3 bw, translated as Ri-b-ou, La-bu or Li-bu) to refer to one of the major Berber tribes that settled west of the Nile Delta. These entered the Egyptian orbit on several occasions during the Old Kingdom (2700-2200 BC) and the Middle Kingdom (2040-1780 BC), becoming tributaries of the Pharaohs.
During the New Kingdom (1530 - 1080 BC), the Libyan tribes alternated periods of conflict with their Egyptian neighbors and periods of subjugation, during which they provided mercenaries to work in the army and personnel for the administration. In fact, at the end of the 13th century BC, Pharaoh Merneptah erected a monument boasting of his victory and repelling a great wave of invasion by the mysterious Sea Peoples. And their Libyan allies: Al-Libo, the Meshwash, and Cyprus. The kihik. During the reign of Setnect (1186 - 1184 BC) and Ramesses III (1184 - 1153 BC), the Libyan tribes were defeated again and many of their members were deported to Egypt as prisoners of war, to work as mercenaries in the army. These groups gradually integrated into the Egyptian system, providing an increasing number of senior figures working in the administration.
Of Libyan origin, he was probably the first prophet of Amun-Herehor who, during the collapse of the state that he witnessed - during the reign of Ramesses, established his royal and priestly dynasty. One of Herihor's sons, Hedekheperstepenre, became king of Upper and Lower Egypt under the name Samandus in 1069 BC, founding the Twenty-First Dynasty.
In 945 BC, another man of Libyan origin, Hedjekhebra-Setpenra, descended from the Meshwesh tribe, declared himself pharaoh in Bubasti as Sheshenq I. After expelling Herihor's descendants from Lower Egypt and Thebes, Sheshenq founded the Twenty-Second (945 - 717 BC) and Twenty-Third (818 - 728 BC) Dynasties, called the Libyan Dynasties, which divided power in Egypt, in the same period. Approximately, with the 24th Dynasty of Shepseser-Tefnakht, leader of the Libo and High Lord of the West. All of these dynasties were finally eliminated with the rise of the Nubian Dynasty (780-656 BC), which despite its name was actually formed by the Libyan descendants of Herihor.
Source: Italian Encyclopedia Institute