Tourism Guidance Department,

Faculty of Tourism and Hotels,

Beni Suef University

History of Ancient Egypt

New Kingdom

By
Mohammed S. Tawfiq
Lecturer at Tourism Guidance Department
introduction

Ancient Egypt was one of the world’s great civilizations. It was blessed by a
moderately warm climate, a river that flooded regularly and fertilized the land
with soil carried by the floodwaters from the highlands of Ethiopia, and relative
isolation from foreign invaders for the first 10 centuries of its existence. The
people were hardworking, obedient to a government that ensured cooperation and
justice, and faithful to a pantheon of gods and goddesses who they believed
ensured their well-being in this life and after death.
The accomplishments of the ancient Egyptians are many and varied. They
pioneered in architecture, building comfortable homes as well as monumental
temples and tombs. Their builders devised every method of joining wood (scarce
even in ancient Egypt) known to carpentry, as well as methods of air-cooling
houses and even building latrines. 2
`

Their scribes developed one of the world’s first writing systems, which they
used to keep records and to create stories, poems, and religious texts.
They also developed an early system of numbers, which they used to survey
land, calculate taxes, and measure weight, distance, and time. Their artisans
developed techniques and tools for working with copper, tin, bronze, and
precious metals such as silver and gold. Their scientists explored astronomy,
engineering, and medicine, and their artists created sculptures ranging from
miniature figures found in tombs to the Great Sphinx of Giza, which rises 65
feet (20 m) above the bedrock out of which it was carved.

3
Ancient Egyptian dynasties

Since ancient times historians have customarily divided Egypt’s past by dynasties (ruling families), usually
numbering 30. Egypt’s history is generally divided into the following periods:
the Predynastic Period (to 3100 B.C.E.),
Early Dynastic Period (First–Second Dynasties, 3100– 2686 B.C.E),
Old Kingdom (Third–Sixth Dynasties, 2686–2181 B.C.E)
First Intermediate Period (Seventh–Tenth Dynasties, 2181–2040 B.C.E),
Middle Kingdom (Eleventh–twelves Dynasties, 2040–1750 B.C.E),
Second Intermediate Period (Thirteenth–Seventeenth Dynasties, 1750–1550 B.C.E),
New Kingdom (Eighteenth–Twentieth Dynasties, 1550–1069 B.C.E),
Third Intermediate Period (Twenty-first–Twenty-fourth Dynasties, 1069–715 B.C.E), and
Late Period (Twenty-fifth–Thirtieth Dynasties, 747–332). 4
The Second Intermediate Period (1750–1550 B.C.E)

The Second Intermediate Period (Thirteenth–Seventeenth Dynasties) is marked by the rule of a

migratory tribe, the Hyksos. The Hyksos are often depicted as invaders. In fact, they were
probably Semitic immigrants from Palestine whose numbers gradually grew until they managed
to seize control over parts of the Delta, though Egyptian pharaohs continued to rule the Nile
Valley. Egyptian daily life was enriched by Southwest Asian imports during this period: the
horse and the chariot; the upright loom for weaving; such musical instruments as the lyre, long-
necked lute, and tambourine; the hump-backed bull; and the olive and pomegranate trees.

The Hyksos were perceived as foreign conquerors, however, and their rule was deeply resented
by Egypt’s chroniclers because Egyptians expected foreign chiefs to pay tribute and not to rule
over them. By 1550 B.C.E. the Hyksos had been driven out of the Delta by the Seventeenth-
Dynasty pharaohs.
5
The New Kingdom,

The New Kingdom, the third glorious period in

the history of ancient Egypt, lasted from
Eighteenth to the Twentieth dynasties. This was
a whole new empire in which the expression
wsx n tASw, meaning “expanding Egypt’s
borders” first appeared in the phraseology of its
rulers.

6
 18th Dynasty 1550-1295 BCE
Ahmose (Nebpehtyra)
Amenhotep I (Djerserkara)
Thutmose I (Aakheperkara)
Thutmose II (Aakheperenra)
Thutmose III (Menkheperra)
Queen Hatshepsut (Maatkara)
Amenhotep II (Aakheperura)
Thutmose IV (Menkheperura)
Amenhotep III (Nebmaatra)
Amenhotep VI / Akhenaten
Smenkhkara (Neferneferuaten)
Tutankhamun (Nebkheperura)
Ay (Kheperkheperura)
Horemheb (Djeserkheperura)
Ramessid Period 1295-1069 BCE
19th Dynasty 1295-1186 BCE
Rameses I (Menpehtyra)
Sety I (Menmaatra)
Rameses II (Usermaatra Setepenra)
Merenptah (Baenra)
Amenmessu (Menmira)
Sety II (Userkheperura Setepenra)
Saptah (Akhenra Setepenra)
Queen Taurset (Sitrameritamun)
20th Dynasty 1186-1069 BCE
Sethnakht (Userkhaura Meryamun)
Rameses III (Usermaatra Meryamun)
Rameses IV (Heqamaatra Setepenamun)
Rameses V (Usermaatra Sekheperenra)
Rameses VI (Nebmaatra Meryamun)
Rameses VII (Usermaatra Setepenra
Meryamun)
Rameses VIII (Usermaatra Akhenamun)
Rameses IX (Neferkara Setepenra)
Rameses X (Khepermaatra Setepenra)
Rameses XI (Menmaatra Setepenptah)
7
The Egyptian pharaohs of the Nile Valley who had succeeded in driving out the
Hyksos established their own dynasty (the Eighteenth), which united Egypt and
founded an empire. Once it had restored control over Nubia, its armies crossed the
Sinai into what we now call the Middle East. The areas of Syria and Palestine were
then composed of small, competing city-states, easy for the Egyptians to subdue but
hard to rule for long periods, especially once the Hittites rose to power around 1350
and challenged them. At this time the Egyptians controlled the world’s first empire,
stretching from Nubia to the Euphrates River in Asia. For the next century the tides of
war shifted between the Hittites and the Egyptians. At last, the two parties drew up a
defensive treaty sealed by a marriage in 1283 B.C.E. between Pharaoh Ramesses II
(1290–1224 B.C.E.) and the daughter of the Hittite king.
By the end of the century, however, Egypt faced invasions by Libyans from the west and
by the piratical “Sea Peoples,” whose identity remains a mystery, in the Mediterranean.
Egypt had to withdraw from its conquered lands in Nubia and Palestine. Although
Egyptians often blame foreign invaders for their misfortunes, it was rebellious viceroys
and generals, however, not Libyans or Sea Peoples, who brought the New Kingdom to
an end in 1069 B.C.E. The power of the pharaohs during the New Kingdom is evident in
their monumental art and their brief foray into theology. Ramesses II was especially
active as a patron of poets, sculptors, and architects, who wrote epics, carved colossal
statues (notably the four hewn out of the side of a cliff at Abu Simbel), and erected lofty
temples at his command. When sandstone replaced limestone as the main building
material, it became possible to span wider spaces. The eventual result was the creation of
such monuments as the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Great Temple of
Karnak, and the Luxor Temple of Amenophis III, all of which can be seen to this day by
visitors to the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor.
The founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty was Ahmose I, who after the disruption
caused by the Hyksos occupation united Egypt into one nation once more.
Sekenenra, one of the last rulers of the Seventeenth Dynasty, took secret measures
to consolidate his army in preparation for a war of liberation to repulse the Hyksos.
The Hyksos king Apophis, who ruled from Avaris in the north, and king
Sekenenra prepared the army to face the hyksos.

Kamose was succeeded by his brother Ahmose who was destined to be the liberator
of Egypt and the one who delivered the country from Hyksos domination.

The military expeditions and victories of Ahmose were recorded in the autobiogra-
phies of two professional soldiers: Ahmose son of Abana, who was an admiral in
the Egyptian navy, and Ahmose Pennekhbet, who originated in Nekheb, now al-
Kab, near Edfu.
Although Ahmose I belonged to the seventeenth dynasty, Manetho put him at the
head of a new dynasty, the eighteenth dynasty, which began his rule in 1570 BC

The most important events that happened during the reign of king Ahmose I were his
expeditions to Nubia and Phoenicia.

The 18th dynasty can be divided into several major subdivisions. The early Ahmosid
stage consists of Ahmoses (1558-1533), Amunhotpe I (1533-1512), Thutmose I
(1512-1500), Thutmose II (1500-1490), and Hatshepsut (1490-1569). Although there
were some military campaigns after the expulsion of the Hyksos, the period was
basically unmilitaristic in its outlook. Yet Thutmose I could have boasted that his
empire reached from the third cataract in the south to the Euphrates in the North."
Ahmose I

The founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty was Ahmose I, who after the
disruption caused by the Hyksos occupation united Egypt into one nation once
more.

Iah mesu
iꜤh-msi(w)
Ahmose (Iah is born)

Neb pehty Ra
nb-pḥti-rꜤ
The possessor of the might of Ra
12
He was the son of prince Seqnenre Tao II. This prince who started the
war against the Hyksos and his mother was Queen Ah-hotep. Probably she
acted as a coregent with Ahmos while he was still young.
His brother was prince Kamos who achieved the first victory against the
Hyksos.
The oldest royal ushabti was found for Ahmos.
Probably he was at the age of 35 or 40 when he died.
He was buried at Draa' Aboul-naga in the Thebian necropolis but the
location of his tomb is not known. His mummy had been found in the royal
cache at Deir Al-Bahari (DB 320) in 1881.

The Egyptians of the 19th dynasty appreciated the patriot aspect of

Ahoms and his role in freeing the land of Egypt from the foreign occupation
of the Hyksos, so they had written his name with the names of Mina (Narmar)
and Montuhotep II in the temple of Ramesses II at Thebes.
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Amenhotep I

Amenhotep heqa Waset

imn-ḥtp ḥḳꜢ-wꜢst
Amun is satisfied, ruler of Thebes

Ahmose I was succeeded in about by his son Amenhotep I Djeserkare,

who inherited a strong and peaceful country and continued to consolidate
and strengthen his father’s achievements. His rule lasted for 20 years.

He was ruled with helpful of his mother Ahmose Nefertari. They were 14
worshiped after the death as protector gods for the west.
He married Queen Ahmos-Meret-Amun. He inherited the character of his father
king Ahmos. According to Ahmos son of Ebana he led a military expedition
towards Kush in Nubia as well as Syria and Libya.

He has numerous buildings which were reused in later periods. Probably he

initiated the building works at the Karnak through his marble chapel. Beside, tomb
of Inini who was an architect lived during his reign was described as the chief of
all works at Karnak.

The exact location of his tomb is unknown. Two tombs were suggested to belong
to him; the first one was at Draa' Abou Al-Naga, while the second one is a small
undecorated tomb in the Valley of the Kings carrying number (KV 39). Probably
king Amenhotep I was the first king who separated the mortuary temple from the
tomb.
15
After his death he was defied by the workers of the Theban necropolis
who made offerings to him.

He restored the monuments of the early kings like the tomb of King
Nebhebetre Montuhotep II from the 11th dynasty at Deir Al-Bahari.

His mummy was found in the royal cache at Deir Al-Bahari (DB 320).

He left no son to be his successor. He was followed by a powerful

man called Thutmose I.

16
▪ From Bubastis (Tell Basta), reused in
the temple of Bastet, Egypt. (The
British Museum, London).
17
Thutmosis I
Thutmosis I. He ruled for only nine years, but his reign, was noted for three military
expeditions to Nubia and the northeast (Palestine). In contemporary records he described these
campaigns as a great delight to his soul, because he was consolidating his country.

In order to prove his rightness in ruling, he was married from the daughter of king Amenhotep,
her name was Ahmose.
He extended the southern boundary of his empire to the Fourth Cataract in
Kush, where he appointed a native ruler who was given the title Sa nswt m
kash, ‘Son of the king in Kush’. He extended his northeastern operations to
the neighboring countries of Asia in order to check the advance of the Mittani
(Northern Syria and Northern Iraq) and secure the Egyptian borders and trade
routes. Thutmosis enjoyed great success in his campaigns, and found much
pleasure in hunting, especially elephant. He was proud of his achievements for 18
his country and the state of security and prosperity he maintained in Egypt.
He directed his attentions towards the east. In the second
year of his reign he led his armies and succeeded in extending the Egyptian
domination till the Euphrates River founding the first Egyptian empire in the
east of Asia. There he left a memorial victory stela mentioned that he had
reached the inverted river which was the Euphrates because its water sources
came from the north to the south not like the Nile River.

“Anini” mentioned that King “Thutmose the First” assigned him to choose
a place to dig his grave, and his choice fell on a place in the Valley of the
Kings, subsequently it became the chosen place for the burial of the new
kingdom kings

19
His Buildings:

He erected great temple at Karnak instead of the modest one that dated
to the 12th dynasty and he erected two granite obelisks in front of it..

Among his monuments is a scarab showing him riding his chariot and
subduing his enemy. This scarab is displayed in the British Museum.
His mummy was found in the royal cache at Deir Al-Bahari (DB 320).

20
Thutmosis II Akheperenre

Thutmosis II was not the son of the ‘Great Royal Wife’ but of a secondary
wife named Mutnefret; however, he married his half-sister “Hatshepsut
Maetkare” and with her had one child, the princess Nefrure. Apart from an
expedition to Nubia to suppress a minor uprising, his reign was peaceful and
uneventful.

He constructed a temple at Karnak and another funerary temple to the northern

east of Habu temple on the west bank of the nile. Following the premature
death of Thutmosis II, his son by a minor wife, Thutmosis III Menkheperre,
inherited the throne of Egypt. Since he was a child, his stepmother Hatchepsut
became his co-regent and the country’s ruler. 21
He made successful military campaigns in Syria and Nubia to restore
order as being mentioned in short inscription from the temple of Deir
AlBahari and a rock inscription at Aswan.

During his reign he announced his son Thutmose as his successor.

Probably he felt the ambitious feelings and desires of his wife and sister
Hatshepsut to dominate the throne.

His Death:

He died in the thirties of his age. After his death, he was buried in the
Valley of the Kings. His mummy was found at Deir Al-Bahari royal
cache (DB 320).

22
Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut, the elder daughter of the 18th-dynasty king Thutmose I and his
consort Ahmose, was married to her half-brother Thutmose II, son of the lady
Mutnofret. Since three of Mutnofret’s older sons had died prematurely, Thutmose
II inherited his father’s throne about 1492 BCE, with Hatshepsut as his consort.
Hatshepsut bore one daughter, Neferure, but no son. When her husband died about
1479 BCE, the throne passed to his son Thutmose III, born to Isis, a lesser harem
queen. As Thutmose III was an infant, Hatshepsut acted as regent for the young
king.
Hatshepsut's reign was generally a peacefully one, during which the country
prospered. A trading mission to the mysterious land of Punt is often considered
as one of the most important accomplishments of this remarkable queen-
turned-king and was left very well documented in her funerary temple at Deir 23
el-Bahari.
After the death of her husband Thutmose II, his son Thutmose III from a secondary
wife Isis ascended the throne. He was still young so he was placed under the regency
of his step mother and aunt in the same time Hatshepsut.

As a regent the name of Hatshepsut used to be inscribed near the name of king
Thutmose III. In a stela, Hatshepsut was shown making offerings to god Amun and
king Thutmose III was following her.

After two to five years it seems that Hatshepsut dominated the throne. She placed
Thutmose III under her shadow and declared herself as the sole ruler. Since the
traditions required that the ruler must be a male not a female so Hatshepsut made
some procedures to gain acceptance as queen of Egypt
24
represented in:
Queen "Hatshepsut" undoubtedly relied on the priests of Amun to be able to rule Egypt,
especially on the high priest "Habu Sanab".It also relied on the assistance of a group of
senior statesmen, the most important of whom was the business manager "Sinmut", who
at the same time held the position of minister.
The story of divine birth
Divine birth is a story used in royal propaganda by some Egyptian kings to prove their
legitimacy in ruling the country. They made sure that their rule was sacred. In agreement
with the higher priests, the king claims that he is the son of the deity to persuade people
that the king has divine blood in his veins. Kings of the 5th Dynasty first used this. The
Westcar papyrus tells the story of the birth of the first three kings of this dynasty,
Userkaf, Sahure, Neferirkare, from the sun god Ra, to prove their legitimacy. This idea
developed more during the New Kingdom, especially the Eighteenth Dynasty.
During the Greco-Roman period, divine birth develops into dedicated shrines through
birth houses known as Mamizi.
The female king (Queen) Hatshepsut recorded on the walls of her temple in Deir el-
Bahari the events of her divine birth. The god Amun is portrayed in a human form when
he came to inseminate her mother, who then gave birth to Hatshepsut. This proves that 25
she has the right to rule and ascend the throne.
Queen Hatshepsut claimed that she
is the divine daughter of Amun the
supreme god of Egypt. She
invented a story that god Amun
took the form
of her father Thutmose I and
entered the room of her mother
Ahmos. He
told Ahmos that he got from her a
daughter called Hatshepsut who
will
inherit the throne of Egypt. The
details of the divine birth of
Hatshepsut
were displayed on the mortuary
temple of the queen at Deit Al-
Bahari.
26
She took kingly titles like king of Upper and Lower Egypt. Before
being a queen she was described as the great royal wife.
(4) She dressed and posed like men that she was represented while wearing
the nms headdress, the false royal beard, the kilt Sndyd. In her depictions,
she was represented with body of a man not a woman. A scene from the
Karnak shows the Queen as a male kneeling before god Amun.
She made for herself sphinxes statues.

The successive kings considered her as usurper to the throne, so her

name had not been mentioned in many kings' lists like the Abydos and the
Karnak lists
27
▪ Among her important achievement, she sent a commercial expedition to the land of Punt (Somalia or
Djibouti nowadays) in the ninth year of her reign.

▪ She had many monuments represented in:

(1) A mortuary temple at Deir al-Bahari which was designed by the architect Senmut.
(2) Two obelisks at the Karnak.
(3) The red chapel at the Karnak.
(4) A triple shrine at the Luxor temple.
(5) A temple for the lioness goddess Bakhet at Beni Hasan called Establ Antar. In this temple, she
inscribed that she restored the temples from the damages caused by the Hyksos.
(6) A temple at Elephantine.

While Hatshepsut was wife of king Thutmose II, she was having a tomb at the Valley of the Queens
which is not finished. As a ruler her main tomb was in the Valley of the Kings (KV 20). Her tomb was
erected by
Habuseneb.
 It was said that Thutmose III hated her and destroyed many monuments for her.
 Her sarcophagus is displayed in the Cairo Museum. 28
29
Recently it is announced in the 27th of July 2007 the discovery of the mummy of queen
Hatshepsut.
The story begins when the National Geographic gave Egypt 5 millions dollars as
donation for establishing a DNA lab to examine the Egyptians mummies.

This DNA lab was established in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. Among the
mummies there was a mummy for a woman which had been found in year 1903 lied on
the ground in tomb number 60 in the Valley of the kings. This mummy is said to be the
mummy of queen Hatshepsut for two reasons :
(1) The DNA of the mummy resembles the DNA of the mummy of the grandmother of
queen Hatshepsut.
(2) There is a tooth which had been found in the canopic box of queen Hatshepsut which
is fitted to its place inside the mouth of the mummy.
* The mummy gives idea that Hatshepsut died at the age of fifty because of cancer. She
suffered from obesity and diabetic.
* Probably the priests of the 21st and the 22nd dynasties had moved the mummy of
Hatshepsut to tomb number 60 for security reasons. 30
Thutmosis III

When Hatshepsut disappeared from the political stage the then adult Thutmosis
III was faced with a rebellion that threatened Egypt's hold on Syria-Palestine.
Like his grandfather before him, Thutmosis III embarked on a series of military
campaigns in Syria-Palestine and in Nubia that reinforced Egypt's control over
both areas. Rather than executing the vassals that had rebelled against him,
Thutmosis III confirmed them in their power, ensuring himself of their loyalty
by bringing their heirs back to Egypt, not just as hostages, but also to "educate"
them so that, when they would succeed their fathers, they too would remain
loyal to Egypt. The success of this policy is shown by the fact that Thutmosis
III's successors would rely more on diplomacy and trade than solely on military
power to maintain their empire.
31
He was the 6th king of Egypt's 18th Dynasty, one of the greatest military leaders in
antiquity, and among the most effective and impressive monarchs in Egypt's history.
His throne name, Thutmose, means 'Thoth is Born', while his birth name, Menkhperre,
means 'Eternal are the Manifestations of Ra'.

King Thutmose III is the Son of King Thutmose II from a Secondary queen named Isis
The principal wife of king Thutmose III was Meret Re Hatshepsut and he got from her
his son Amenhotep II. He also had several minor queens from Egypt and other
countries.

There is an opinion which mentions that he married princess Neferure the

daughter of Hatshepsut when he was still young. After the death of Thutmose II, he
succeeded his father on the throne. But since Thutmose III was still young, so he was
placed under the regency of his step mother and aunt queen Hatshepsut.

32
After the death of Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose III gained the thrown of Egypt, he
ruled for about 24 years as a sole king.

The Royal Propaganda

There is a story about Thutmose III which was recited by the priests of Amun. The
story said that Thutmose III was attending a ceremony for god Amun. The priests
were carrying the statue of Amun and walking but when they passed near Thutmose
the statue became heavy which caused the priests stop. Then the statue looked at
Thutmose. After this event, the priests said that the look of Amun at Thutmose III
means that Amun had chosen Thutmose III as king of Egypt. Of course this story is
considered sort of royal propaganda to assure the right of Thutmose III for the
throne.

33
The Relation between Thutmose III and Hatshepsut

There is an opinion that king Thutmose III took revenge from queen
Hatshepsut through erasing her images and destroying her monuments. He
walled the obelisks which were erected by Hatshepsut at Karnak. There is
another opinion that there was a good relation between Thutmose III and
Hatshepsut because:
(1) During the reign of Hatshepsut, she did not try to get rid of Thutmose
III. On the other hand Thutmose III did not revolt against her.
(2) There is a scene in the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut which
shows Thutmose III while leading the funerary procession of Hatshepsut.
(3) Thutmose III erected his mortuary temple beside the temple of
Hatshepsut at Deir Al-Bahari.
(4) Thutmose III completed some building projects for Hatshepsut like the
34
triple shrine at Luxor temple.
Military Campaigns
In his time as pharaoh, Thutmose III would lead 17 successful military
campaigns in 20 years. He ordered the details of his victories to be inscribed
at the Temple of Amun at Karnak and they are considered the most extensive
records of ancient Egyptian military campaigns extant. His first is his most
famous – The Battle of Megiddo – and is the one described in the most
exacting narrative. His later campaigns lose this form and are given with less
detail, appearing more as lists of spoils than narratives of the king's victories.

Thutmose III ruled for 54 years , after his death, he was buried in tomb KV 34
in the Valley of the Kings. When Victor Loret discovered the tomb in 1898, he
found carved sarcophagus and some remains of statues.
The mummy of king Thutmose III was found in the great royal cache at
Deir Al-Bahari (DB 320).

35
The monuments of Tuthmosis III
His reign was not only focused on military conquest, however, as his patronage of the arts shows. Thutmose
III commissioned upwards of 50 temples, numerous tombs, monuments, and contributed more significantly
to the Temple of Amun at Karnak than any other pharaoh. His renovations and additions to the Karnak
temple, in fact, are among the most significant in that they preserve the names of past kings (whose
monuments he would sometimes remove in his renovations) and provide narratives of his own campaigns
and initiatives which have proven to be extremely important to scholars in the study of the culture.

▪ Standing Statue of Tuthmosis III

▪ Tomb of Tuthmosis III
▪ The edditions of Tuthmosis III at Karnak temple (He rebuilt the Hypostyle Hall of Thutmose I,
the Festival Hall Ax mnw, the 6th and the 7th pylons, erected two obelisks and the sacred lake).
▪ At Deir AI-Bahary, he erected a mortuary temple between the mortuary temples of queen
Hatshepsut and King Montuhotep II. He also made a rock cut sanctuary for goddess Hathor
▪ At Elephantine, he built a temple for goddess Satet.

36
37
AMENHOTEP II

Son of Thutmose III of Dynasty 18 and Meryetre Hatshepsut.

He appears to have been named as coregent by his father and succeeded
as sole ruler in 1425 BC.
Upon his accession, he faced a revolt in his Asiatic domains, which he
ruthlessly crushed, exhibiting the remains of the rebels as far south as
Nubia.
Amenhotep II was buried in tomb KV35 in the Valley of the Kings, and
his body was recovered from his tomb in 1898, along with the remains
of other rulers who had been buried there in a royal cache.
His mortuary temple at Thebes is in ruins, but some foundation deposits
have been recovered. It was excavated in 1896 by Flinders Petrie and
since 1998 by an Italian expedition. 38
He grew up in on the military way. According to a stela found at Giza, he was a
sport man with perfect body and physical fitness. He was also talented in using
military weapons like the arrows. He was skilled in using the arrows while riding
his chariot. He was also interested in taming horses in Memphis.

After the death of king Amenhotep II a struggle

happed around the throne between his sons until
Thutmose IV succeeded in obtaining the kingship.

39
King Thutmose IV

8th king of the 18th Dynasty, Thutmosis IV had a short reign, of about 9 years
and he died at the age of 30. he was the son of Amenhotep II
He fought in Syria and Nubia to suppress revolutions.
He was the first king who painted himself in the war scenes upon the chariot.
It is sought that he established peaceful relations with the Mitannian
king Artatama, who had been successful against the Hittites.

His Family:
He married a foreign princess named Mutemwia in order to consolidate the-
peaceful relation between Egypt and Mitani.
He got from the Mitannian princess his son and heir Amenhotep III.
40
The Dream Stela:
In the first year of the reign of Thutmose IV, he placed a stela known as the “Dream Stela”
between the paws of the sphinx. The inscription tells that the royal son Thutmose went to
hunt in the desert at midday. Then he felt tired so he slept under the shadow of the sphinx
which represented the sun god Horemakhet at that time. While he was sleeping he got a
dream that the sun god appeared to him. The sun god asked Thutmose to look at him because
he as Horemakhet was his father. He told Thutmose that he will give him the kingship of
Egypt and will let him wear the double crown if he cleared the sands from around him body.
When Thutmose awaked he cleared the sands around the body of the sphinx and gained the
throne of Egypt.
This story had been made as a sort of propaganda to consolidate the position of Thutmose IV
upon the throne. Beside, it seems that Thutmose IV want to gain the side of the priests of Re
against the domination of the priests of Amun.

His Buildings:
He completed the construction of the temple located near the sphinx.
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King Amenhotep III

Amenhotep III was the son of Thutmosis IV from his minor wife
Mutemwiya, the daughter of the king of Mittani. Amenhotep III was father of
two sons Thutmosis and Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) from his Great Royal Wife
Ty, who played an important role by supporting her husband and her son
Akhenaten.
The details of the divine birth of king Amenhotep III were mentioned in the
Luxor Temple.
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In the second year of his reign he married Ty the daughter of the high priest and the military leader
“Yuya” from Ekhmem. Her mother named “Tuya” who worked in the royal house and she carried the
title of the singer of Hathor.

Amenhotep III got from Ty 6 children; 4 daughters named Sitamun, Henuttaneb, Nebetiah and Isis and
two sons named Thutmose and Amenhotep. Thutmose worked as a sem-priest but he died early. The
second son Amenhotep became the heir to the throne. His reign was distinguished with peaceful and
calmly, he lived very luxurious life, during his reign Egypt reaches the peak of the greatness.

He lived his life to enjoy himself, he interested to marry the beautiful girls from different countries,
and he neglected the internal and external affairs of Egypt.
We knew from the Amarna letters, that the king Amenhotep III sent letters to the Mittanian king asked
him to send a beautiful girl to marry her.

King Amenhotep III had many wives; some are foreign princesses and he married them for diplomatic
and political reasons and to keep peace with the other countries. However he numerous wives but
Queen Tye was considered the principal and favored wife to her husband.

During his reign New style of documents appeared represented in the scarabs.
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Queen Tye
Queen Tye enjoyed powerful personality beside she was wise and clever that she acted as an
adviser for her husband King Amenhotep III and her son king Akhenaton. She was also active
in the administration field. She was mentioned in the feign records that after the death of her
husband Amenhotep III that she received a letter from the king of Mitani who wished to have
good relation with her son as he had with king Amenhotep III.
(1) Since she was the beloved wife of her husband, Amenhotep III dedicated many shrines for
her as well as a temple at Nubia.
(2) Among the important scenes of Queen Tye are the representation of her son Akhenaton
while receiving her in his capital Akhet-Aten as well as the scene which depicted her while
having launch with her son and his wife Nefertiti.
(3) Probably she died in the twelfth year of the reign of her son Akhenaton because she was
depicted for the last time with her granddaughter Meketaton.
(4) After her death, it was believed that she was buried in the royal tomb of her son Akhenaton
at Tell Al-Amarna because a fragment of her sarcophagus was found. On the other hand, a
mummy for an old woman was found alongside the mummy of king Amonhotep III in his tomb 44
in the Valley of the Kings.
The monuments of King Amenhotep III
- The third pylon at the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak.
- A big scarab near the sacred lake.
- The temple of Luxor. In one of its rooms he depicted the scenes of his
divine birth in which he claimed that his father is god Amun.
- The mortuary temple in the west bank of Thebes in which nothing remains
except the so called colossal statues of Memnon.
- A huge palace at Malkata.
- Other buildings in Hermopolis (temple for Thoth), Memphis, Bubastis,
Letopolis (for goddess Nekhbet), Heliopolis and Elephantine (temple for
Khnum).
- A temple at Soleb in Nubia.
- His tomb in the valley of the kings in which he was buried. 45
King Akhenaten

Birth name of king:

Coronation name of king:

46
During the Eighteenth Dynasty the pharaoh Akhenaton (1353–1335 B.C.E.) challenged
ancient Egypt’s polytheism by instituting a cult of sun worship centered on Aten to the
exclusion of all other gods. Akhenaton closed all temples devoted to the worship of other
gods, destroyed their statues, and held their profits. New temples were built at Karnak for
the worship of Aten, followed by a whole city at Amarna. This new city became the home
of a revolutionary school of Egyptian painting that represented men and women with
rounded bodies and more natural poses than the stylized portraits typical of ancient Egypt in
other periods. A noted example is the Head of Akhenaton’s queen Nefertiti.

Only the pharaoh’s family could participate in the new rituals for Aten; other Egyptians
continued worshiping Amun, Osiris, and their other gods in their homes, a practice that
Akhenaton tried unsuccessfully to ban.
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Akhenaten was one of the most famous kings in the ancient Egyptian history, because he
invited the people to worship only one god (monotheism).

Akhenaten was a younger son of Amenhotep III and Queen Ty. The eldest son, and the
successor of Amenhotep III called Thutmose, but Thutmosis died and the next heir for the
throne was a prince Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)

There was much debates around whether Amenhotep IV shared his father in the throne or
not. But we have an evidence told us that, Akhenaten shared power with his father for at
least 8 years. The evidence came from the inscriptions found in the Luxor tomb of Vizier
Amenhotep Huy.

Akhenaten ruled about 17 years; 6 years at Thebes, 11 years at Tell – Al Amarna.

Amenhotep IV was crowned in Thebes and there he started his reign. He married Nefertiti,
who played an important role by supporting her husband. She born 6 daughters.

Akhenaten was interested with the solar cult, and he adopted the cult of Aten one of the
48
solar shapes.
Akhenaten spent his childhood in the Heliopolis school, to educate the principals of the
solar cult. And of course he didn't prepare to be a warrior king, because there was his eldest
brother Thutmosis who prepared to be the successor after the death of Amenhotep III.

The conflict between Akhenaten and the priests of Amun:

In the beginning of reign did not repress (prevent) the worship of Amun, and the High
Priest of Amun was still active in the fourth year of his reign, and practices his rituals.

He acted like any other king, he made offerings to the great god Amun. And he started to
build a temple dedicated to Aten at the Eastern Karnak. This Temple of Amenhotep IV was
called the Gem pa aten “The Aten is found”.

And he tried to convince the priests of Amun to accept the new god “Aten” and refused
any other god. But the priests of Amun didn’t accept this idea, He declared, that the god
Aten is the god of the Egyptian Empire. From this moment, the conflict between the king
and the priests of Amun fired.
49
 So that Amenhotep IV took many decisions, which are:
1.He changed his name from Amenhotep, which means (Amun is satisfied), into
Akhenaten, which means (the benefit of Aten).
2.He ordered his followers to build a new capital at Tell al-amarna, called (Akht-Aten),
which means (horizon of Aten).
3.He decided to left and migrates from Thebes to the new capital at Tell al-amarna, and he
accompanied his family, officials, soldiers and followers. And he neglected all the internal
and external affairs of Egypt, we knew that from the Amarna letters.

The principals of the new cult of Aten:

1.Truth (Maat), was the base of this cult, Akhenaten asked the people to represent every
things in the real shapes, he asked the people No Hypocrisy, so that this base influenced in
the art, the artisans began to depict the king and his family in the real attitude in the daily
life.
2.Aten was the sole god worshiped all over the Empire states, (monotheism), there was no
50
god worshiped beside Aten.
3.There was no statue for Aten, but Aten was the hidden power behind the solar disc.
4.Akhenaten was the link between the god Aten and the people, he considered him self the
son of Aten, he was the only one know every thing about this cult.
5.Aten was the main source of life, to all creatures, animals, fishes, plants and people.
6.There was no wife or son for Aten.
7.There was no roof (ceiling) for the temples of Aten. To enable the people to enjoy and
benefit with the sun rays.
8.A lot of hymns were written to praise god Aten
Finally we don’t know how the king Akhenaten died, but suddenly he disappeared from
the history, and the people didn’t mourn him a lot.
The Egyptologists started to search about the mummy of Akhenaten to analysis it to
recognize the reason of death. May be the mummy of Akhenaten was buried in the royal
tomb at Tell Al -Amarna, but after the migration from Tall Al-Amarna, the mummy was
transported to Thebes.
When the Egyptologists discovered tomb (No. 55), they found 3 mummies, in the
beginning they thought that one of them belongs to Akhenaten, but this thought was wrong.
After few days they found coffin involve mummy of Akhenaten in bad condition of
51
preserving
Why the cult of Aten didn’t continue after the death of Akhenaten?

1. The city of Tell Al-Amarna (center cult of Aten)

was abandoned after the death of Akhenaten.

2. The Egyptian people weren’t convinced by this cult,

and they couldn’t imagine that one god could have
all epithets of the gods.

3. The mediator (Akhenaten) between the people and

the god died, and the people didn’t know any thing
about the god Aten.

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King Tutankhamun

After the death of Akhenaton his successor, Tutankhamun (r. 1333–1323

B.C.E.), gave up this early attempt at monotheism, restored the temples, and
revived the rites familiar to the priests and the people. By a quirk of fate,
Tutankhamun would become the most famous pharaoh in the modern world.
His tomb in the Western Desert was almost untouched by grave robbers. In
1923 the tomb, with its contents largely intact, was found by archaeologists.
This discovery has added greatly to our knowledge and understanding of
ancient Egypt. Aside from Tutankhamun’s death mask, the tomb contained
coffins within coffins, fine furniture, guardian statues, papyri containing
protective spells, decorated chests, and 143 golden objects wrapped in various
parts of his mummy.
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