Egypt's New Kingdom
In 1545 B.C Egypt's New Kingdom began. During this time huge palaces, monuments, and temples once again were erected throughout Egypt. A campaign of foreign conquests followed and Egypt became a world power for many centuries. Many historians believe that it was during the New Kingdom that eh Hebrew people Jacob's descendants were removed from their homes to serve the Egyptians as slaves. Certainly there was a need for slaves because of the massive building programs. Later also during the New Kingdom Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt in what is know as the Exodus. Egypt was recovering from the Exodus when a pharaoh tried to introduce a new form of worship to the Egyptians. This almost destroyed this county and shortly afterward Egypt was conquered by the Assyrians. In 670 B.C. the New Kingdom came to an end.
Egyptians regain their freedom
After nearly a hundred years of the Hyksos domination a young Egyptian prince named Ahmose I drove the Hyksos from Egypt. The Egyptians were not satisfied until every foreigner was removed from government office. The Hyksos army retreated into the Taurus Mountains near the Caspian Sea. The hated Hyksos were driven out of Egypt and the Egyptian army got to taste the excitement of conquest outside of its borders at the same time.
Foreign influence
Once Ahmose I set up his rule he began to remove all foreigners from public office. All of Egypt was filled with a spirit of nationalism. This means they wanted to rule themselves and to be free of all foreign influences. When Amenhotep I became pharaoh he further erased traces of foreign domination. All positions of authority were taken away from foreigners and given to trustworthy Egyptians. Non-Egyptian owners of their hard-earned savings and all non-Egyptian ideas and influences were suppressed.
Nationalism
Nationalism a word we often hear about in the news means a great love of country and desire for self-rule by the people of a nation. Those fighting for nationalism are usually under the government of a foreign ruler. We usually think of nationalism as a modern idea something unique to Africa or Asia. Today however we recognized that people have loved their countries from earliest times. The first nationalists were the Egyptians who fought against the Hyksos. Time an again we will see how nationalism played and important role in the affairs of nations.
Change of power
Ahmose I and his son Amenhotep I spent most of their time rebuilding Egypt. The next pharaoh Thutmose I concentrated on invading and conquering other countries Egypt soon controlled most of the Middle East to the north including much of the area which is now Syria. Apparently the unfortunate effects of brothers marrying their sisters appeared in Thutmose I's family. Although the royal couple had sons none of them were centennially capable of being rulers with the support of the major nobles and the priests Thutmose I had his daughter Hatshepsut crowned queen before he died.
Queen Hatshepsut
As a child Hatshepsut wore the short pleated skirt of a prince an attended the temple school usually attended by only boys. She was trained to rule Egypt. Portrayed in a statue carved during her reign she wore the tradition beard always worn by the pharaoh. While Thutmose I was alive Hatshepsut was co-ruler with her father. At hid death she married one of her half-brothers Thutmose II. Hatshepsut and Thutmose II had no children and therefore no heir from the gods. Thutmose II died an an early age. Thutmose III the son of a concubine who was selected to rule after him was still a child. Then Hatshepsut did something no other queen of Egypt had ever done before. Claiming the sun god Ra had commanded her to rule Egypt Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh. She even appeared in public with the mace and royal collar and wore the false beard of the pharaoh. Under Hatshepsut's rule Egypt prospered. Her reign is considered on of the most successful in Egypt's history. She maintained order encouraged trade and for the most of her rule kept Egypt at peace. As queen and pharaoh Hatshepsut ruled Egypt well for more than 20 years.
Dier-el-Bahari
Dier-el-Bahari a temple in Egypt was designed for Queen Hatshepsut by her favorite minister and architect Senmut. When Hatshepsut died. Thutmose III tried to destroy the temple and had her name removed.
A bitter prince becomes pharaoh
As Thutmose III passed from his teens to adulthood he began to worry about becoming pharaoh. Although he led Egyptian armies on many successful campaigns "Pharaoh" Hatshepsut still maintained control of the kingdom. She included him in public ceremonies but he was forced to remain in the background. His bitter resentment grew into hatred over the years. In 1479 B.C. Hatshepsut died and Thutmose III was pharaoh in his own right. Many historians strongly suspect that Thutmose III had her murdered so he could rule in her place. His hatred for her was so extreme that he did not allow her to be buried in the tomb that was prepared for her. To the Egyptians his was a terrible act because it cut her off from any possibility of an afterlife. Archaeologist are still searching for the place where sh was buried. This search is more difficult because Thutmose III had her name removed from all monuments. With Hatshepsut out of the way Thutmose III showed his anger to her supporters. He defaced the tombs of those already dead. Those living in were in danger of losing their lives.
Change of power
Thutmose III's reign was marked by great military campaings. He began his rule by suppressing a Hittiete rebellion at Negiddo. During th erest of his reign he conducted seventee campaingns in the Euphrates River Valley. He defeated all the kings in the Fertile Crescent making them pay tribute and eccept his rule.In these newly conquered territories called satellites he always left strong fortesses under the leadership of Egyptian soldiers and governors. Thutmose III developed a strong army as ell as a large navy. In 1447 B.C. Amenhotep II became pharaoh. He continued fighting against the Hittietes in Stria and Egypt became even more powerful. The next pharaoh was Thutmose IV. Very little is know about this ruler although it is believed that Egypt's beliefs and power were severely shaken during his reighn. He left th throne to his brillian son Amenhotep III. Under Amenhotep III's leadership Egypt reached the peak of her slendor. By 1390 B.c. the capital of Thebes was one of the most magnifiecnt of its age. Tribute poured into the county from all over the known world. This was all lost however when Amenhotep IV becme pharaoh. He not lnly failed provide leadership but also tried to chang Egypt's religion
Cultural growth
Under the dynamic leadership of Egypt's New Kingdom pharaohs the people and the country prospered. Egypt became the center of trade in the art and luxury goods.
literature
In addition to the building programs of the New Kingdom beautiful works of literature appeared. Many proverbs hymns, stories of heroic adventures, and tales of life at sea were also written in order to encourage writers the government helped to support them while thy worked. ( Such government payments are known as subsidies. The united States gave a few subsidies to writers during the Depression of the 1930s and today pays subsidies to farmers and some businesses to keep them operating.)
Architecture
Spacious villas and artificial lakes were built by the upper classes providing magnificent surroundings.
Entertainment
A favorite form of entertainment for the noble's family was the lavish banquet with many guests. Both the noble and his wife dressed in pleated white linen skirts. They wore broad collars set with semiprecious stone, god, bracelets, and heavy perfume black wigs. Egyptian nobles also spent their time hunting on their large estates.
Cosmetics
Egyptian women used many cosmetics such as rouge, perfume,and eye makeup They painted their eyelids with a black powered called Kohl which made their eyes look bigger. It also protected them from the brilliant glare of the sun. They used highly polished copper mirrors for grooming.
Merchants
Merchants from every country crowded the streets of ancient Thebes where life was interesting an active. There the buildings surpassed anything in the know world at the time.
Religion
Egyptians were greatly influenced by their religious beliefs. In fact they were almost controlled by them. They worshiped animals, bugs, the Nile River, their ruler, and hundreds of other gods and goddesses. During the New Kingdom the power of the Egyptian gods was challenged in tow ways. One was by the God of the Hebrew people as Egypt was struck by ten destructive plagues. The other challenge came from Pharaoh Amenhotep IV who tried to introduce a new religion to the Egyptians.
Book of the dead
The Egyptian's beliefs in many gods and in a person's afterlife were detailed in The Book of the Dead. People believed death was a continuation of the pleasant things in life. The rich spent much time preparing a tomb which was to be their home when they died. The Book of the Dead tells the Ptah was the most important all-knowing god and that he was the only god who could appear in human form. The Egyptians also worshiped a ram-headed sphinx the go believed to be responsible for seeing that everything continued as it was created. Anubis pictured with the body of a man and the had of a jackal supposedly would judge people after they died. The sun god Ra was always pictured as a round orb surrounded by its rays. Hathor was the cow-goddess of love and childbirth Amon represented by a goose, serpent or any other living thing was the invisible life giver.
Finger caps
Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be Ra the sun god in human form. During public ceremonies they wore gold finger caps such as these to reflects the sun.
The heretic pharaoh
Until this time all the pharaohs worshiped the same Egyptian gods. They claimed to be deities the sons of the sun god Ra. As a result Egypt's government was a theocracy. This means the people believed their rulers were guided by their gods in decision-making. Usually a theocracy was governed by priests. Pharaoh Amenhotep IV the son of Amenhotep III was different. He disagreed with the officially accepted religion of Egypt. Such a person is called a heretic. It is possible he was influenced by the writings of the Hebrew or by the power of the Hebrew God shown during the ten plagues. Whatever the reason Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akenaton and changed Egypt's religion. Akhenaton was different from previous pharaohs in either ways. He only had one wife the beautiful Nefertiti. Many paintings and statues have been found of this couple portraying them as happy and loving. This was the first time a pharaoh had been pictured in a relaxed natural pose.
Akhenaton loses power
Although Akhenaton tried to bring a period of peace and growth to Egypt disturbing clouds were gathering all over his empire. Angry priests were determined to destroy him and his new god. At the same time cries for help were heard from the area of Canaan. A powerful people were invading the country and the local governors were calling on Akhenaton to send help. Many historians believe these people called Hapiru were in fact the Hebrews. They were then led by Joshua who had replaced Moses. Many letters like the following were sent to Akhenaton: " Your Majesty should also know that enmity against me is very very great. All the towns which the king has placed under me have joined the Hapiru-brigands. Would that the king would place me under the protection of the man who will lead the archers of the king so that I might reclaim the towns which have joined the Hapiru-brigands and put them under me again. Then I would be able to serve my lord the king just as our forefathers did before..." The Hebrews or Hapiru did conquer Canaan. But they did not have to fight against Egyptian armies since Akhenaton was unable to send help to the rulers of Canaan. Akhenaton's reign was short. It is possible that he was murdered by the priests or by other enemies who were determined to regain their former authority. The challenges to Egypt's religion had greatly weakened the nation's power. Before long however the priest were given special privileges once again. They regained their position as the religious power in Egypt never returned to her former greatness.
El Amarna tablets
Egyptian peasant women of the late 1880s made their own fertilizer One day as a woman was crushing baked tablets into the soil it was discovered that she was destroying ancient tablets of cuneiform writing. She did not realize that they contained messages from the Canaan't puppet kings in Palestine to Egyptian pharaohs. In them Amenhotep II and Amenhotep IV (also known as Akhenaton) were asked for assistance against Hapiru invaders. Once the value of the tablets was realized the museum curators began to search for their source. It was learned that they came from an area around Amarna and were written c. 1470 B.C. In 1891Sir Flinders Petie began excavating this site. Since that time hundreds of tablets know as the El Amarna Tablets have been uncovered.
"King Tut"
Akhenaton and Nefertiti did not have any sons to become pharaoh after Akhenaton's death. Since the powerful nobles controlled the kingdom they arranged a marriage that would protect their power. Tutankhamen believed to be the son of Amenhotep III born shortly after his father's death married Akhenaton's daughter. The capital was moved back to Thebes and the pharaoh lost his position of authority. From this time on the pharaoh no longer held the position of speaking for the gods. Tutankhamen died at the age of 18 or 19 after a reign of only nine years. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb nestled between those of Ramses I and seti somehow escaped grave robbers. Then in 1922 Lord Carnavaron of England discovered this tomb with over $100,000 worth of gold buried in it. Tutankhamen's mummy had been placed inside three gold cases and put in a stone sarcophagus. This coffin was found enclosed in four gilded wooden outer cases.
Egypt's last great king
Ramses II who ruled between 1292 and 1225 B.C. was the last great pharaoh to rule Egypt. He lived to be ninety and had a remarkable reign. He led his army against the Hittites in Syria and against the people of Canaan. Wherever he led his armies they conquered. He also used his navy as an instrument of war. For a brief time Ramses II brought glory back to Egypt. Trade flourished and Egypt became mighty and rich . Ramses II built many monuments but nobody knows which ones were actually constructed during his reign. This is because he often had had the names of other pharaohs removed from monuments and his own name put in their place. Records claim Ramses II had 100 sons and 50 daughters. For the next 400 years descendants of these people made up a special class in Egypt. During many of those years Egypt's rulers were chosen from this group of people. Under Ramses II large portions of the spoils of war and most of the taxes gathered were given to priests. This practice was increased under Ramses III his successor. Finally the royal treasury was empty and workmen could not be pad. While the common people starved the priests purses bulged. One-third of Egypt's population was enslaved to the priests. The priests owned one-seventh of all the farmland in the country and their property was free from taxes.
Egypt's Decline
Finally as the priests became more influential the pharaoh was overthrown. A priest began to rule in his own right about 1200 B.C. This was bound to happen since the priests had continued to gain power after the death of Akhenaton. The kingdom decayed because new thoughts and changes were forbidden. Egypt's theocratic government was dying. Another cause for Egypt's decline was the rise of the ambitious Assyrian and Chaldean Empires. The forcefulness of the people caused merchants to transport goods by water for safety Trade routes shifted to the north through the Caspian and Black Seas into the Mediterranean. Once again the streams of civilization had turned in a new direction leaving Egypt to await new conquerors. For the next 2,000 years Egypt was dominated by foreigners.