New Kingdom Egypt: A Captivating Journey Through an Era of Unparalleled achievements

The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three major periods: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the Egypt New kingdom, with periods of division and conflict between them known as the intermediate periods.

Egypt’s New Kingdom was characterized by growing regional political, military, and economic influence and major changes in architecture and religious beliefs.

After the stability of the Middle Kingdom, many of Egypt’s neighbors emerged and even came to control part of Egypt. The Kingdom of Kush became the regional power in southern Upper Egypt.

From the north, the Hyksos invaded and took control of the Egyptian lands in Upper Egypt. The loss of power and independence led up to the Second Intermediate Period.

The expulsion of the Hyksos was a major turning point that led to the end of the Second Intermediate Period and the beginning of the Egypt New Kingdom.

This was a golden age of a united Egypt controlling its own affairs under the rule of the Egyptian pharaohs.

Important Pharaohs of the Egypt New Kingdom

 

Egypt New Kingdom featured several prominent pharaohs who dramatically changed the history of Egypt and, in many cases, the history of the world. Egyptian leaders were addressed as kings, but during this period, Egyptian rulers officially took the title of pharaoh, a Greek modification of per-a-a, which denoted a royal house or place of residence.

Ahmose I was the first ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty and founder of the period now known as the New Kingdom. His first and most important act as pharaoh was to expel the Hyksos and reunite a sovereign Egypt.

Amenhotep I was succeeded by his son Thutmose I, who put down the Nubian rebellions and continued to expand Egypt’s influence in Palestine and Syria. Two generations later, Egypt was ruled by one of the few pharaohs, Hatshepsut.

Hatshepsut’s rule, as one of Egypt’s only female leaders, was remarkable in itself. It also became one of the most distinguished leaders in Egypt for its expansion into trade and construction projects.

Following Hatshepsut’s reign and the development of trade and culture, Egypt’s next pharaoh, Thutmose III, strengthened and expanded Egypt’s military power and territorial control.

The New Kingdom would also see changes in the balance of power between the priests and pharaohs which could lead to radical changes in the practice of Egyptian religion.

The most important of these changes came under the rule of Akhenaten, who succeeded (but briefly) in transforming official worship in Egypt into a form of monotheism.

Nineteenth Dynasty Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, had one of the longest and most successful reigns in Egypt New Kingdom. Ramesses’s most notable and prominent military campaigns occurred in the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites. This battle and Ramesses’ long rule strengthened the New Kingdom for generations to come.

Religion and Temples

The pharaohs of the Egypt New Kingdom embarked on ambitious building projects by adding to existing structures and creating new monuments. Many construction projects were financed by control of Nubia and its rich gold resources.

Temples and obelisks served as visual expressions to local and foreign audiences of Egypt’s power and prestige.

Early in the Egypt New Kingdom, the famous Egyptian Book of the Dead was completed during the reign of Amenhotep I.

A more accurate translation of the title Is The Book of Exodus by Day, a collection of incantations and inscriptions that guide the deceased.

To eternal life in the afterlife. Amenhotep also established and supervised the village of craftsmen in Thebes, which was called Ba-demi.

The village of the Herfiyeen is now an important archaeological site called in Arabic Deir el-Medina. Ba-Demi served as a home for artisans working to build and decorate the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings, two important final resting places for Egyptian kings, where they were buried in elaborate underground tombs.

Thutmose II, successor to Amenhotep I, continued additions to the temple at Karnak. The first construction at Karnak dates back to the earliest pre-dynastic period in Egypt, but it reached its greatest scale during the Egypt New Kingdom, particularly during the reign of Amenhotep III and Hatshepsut.

In addition to building projects, the reign of Amenhotep III witnessed a power struggle between the pharaoh and the priests of Amun.

The priests of the primitive god Amun were gaining more power and prestige and were controlling more land and wealth than even the pharaoh.

In the struggle for power, Amenhotep attempted to shift the center of gravity away from the priests of Amun by encouraging the worship of the other sun god, Aten. Unlike the sun god Ra (who was also associated with Amun in the dual form of Amun-Ra), Aten was represented by the sun disk itself.

Temples and Tombs in Egypt New Kingdom 

 

Here we are represented some of temples and Tombs in Egypt New Kingdom 

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel consists of two huge rock temples, and is about 3 hours away from Aswan.

The twin temples were built during the New Kingdom’s Nineteenth Dynasty as a timeless memorial to Ramesses II and his great royal wife, Nefertari.

The massive temples, one of Egypt’s seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, were moved from their original location in an international effort to save the ancient ruins from Nile floods.

Temple of Seti I at Abydos

 

The Temple of Seti I is one of the most impressive temples found in Abydos, an ancient holy city in modern-day Egypt’s Sohag Governorate. It was built as a monument to Seti I, pharaoh of the Egypt New Kingdom, and is famous as the place where the “Abydos King List” was carved.

It was a chronological list of pharaohs (with whom Seti recognized), starting with Narmer/Mena, the first Egyptian pharaoh, to Ramesses I (Seti’s father).

Ramesseum

The Ramesseum is the funerary temple of Ramesses II (the same pharaoh who built Abu Simbel and Ibn Seti I).

It was built as a place of worship after the death of Ramesses II, so that his memory would remain alive; This was of utmost importance in ancient Egyptian religion.

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri

Primarily known as the mortuary temple of the Egypt New Kingdom Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri was originally chosen as the site of the mortuary temple of the pharaoh who founded the Middle Kingdom, Mentuhotep II.

However, the Temple of Hatshepsut is the star of the show, and the massive monument is surrounded by a steep cliff. In this cliff, archaeologists found a cache of royal mummies that were transported in ancient times from the Valley of the Kings.

The Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu

Ramses III is widely considered the last truly powerful pharaoh of the Egypt New Kingdom, and his mortuary temple dominates the archaeological site of Medinet Habu in Luxor.

The temple is particularly famous for its paintings of Rameses III defeating the “Sea Peoples”, the invaders of ancient Egypt whose origins are unknown.

The Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1543-1292 BCE)

The Eighteenth Dynasty, also known as the Tuthmosis Dynasty, included some of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs, including Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten (ca. 1353-1336 BC), his queen Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun.

Queen Hatshepsut (ca. 1479 – 1458 BC) focused on expanding Egypt’s foreign trade by sending a trading expedition to the Land of Punt, and was the longest-reigning pharaoh of the local dynasty.

Tuthmosis III, who would become known as the greatest military pharaoh, expanded the Egyptian army and used it with great success to consolidate the empire created by his predecessors.

These victories increased Egyptian power and wealth during the reign of Amenhotep III. Also during the reign of Thutmose III, the term “Pharaoh”, which originally referred to the king’s palace, became a form of addressing the king.

One of the most famous pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty was Amenhotep IV (c. 1353–1336 BC), who changed his name to Akhenaten in honor of Aten and whose exclusive worship of the god is often interpreted as the first example of monotheism.

During his reign, Egyptian art flourished and reached an unprecedented level of realism. Towards the end of this dynasty, the Hittites expanded their influence into Phoenicia and Canaan, and the rulers of the Nineteenth Dynasty inherited the results.

Pharaohs of The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt New Kingdom 

-Ahmose I

– Amenhotep I

– Tuthmosis I 

– Tuthmosis II

–  Hatshepsut. 

– Thutmose III 

– Amenhotep II 

– Thutmose IV 

– Amenhotep III 

– Amenhotep IV 

– Tutankhaten – Tutankhamun 

The Nineteenth Dynasty (c. 1292-1187 BCE)

 Egypt New Kingdom reached the height of its power under Seti I and Ramesses II, who fought against the Libyans and Hittites. The city of Kadesh was a flashpoint, first captured by Seti I and then used as a peace deal with the Hittites, and then attacked again by Ramesses II.

Eventually, the Egyptians and Hittites signed a permanent peace treaty.

Ramesses II had a large number of sons, and he built a huge funerary complex for his sons in the Valley of the Kings.

The Nineteenth Dynasty ended with a revolt led by Setnakht, the founder of the Twentieth Dynasty.

The New Kingdom of Egypt, particularly during the Ramesside period, marked the height of Egypt’s power and cultural achievements.

Spanning the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, this era saw the reign of great pharaohs like Ramses II and Seti I.

The Ramesside period was known for military campaigns, monumental construction projects, and the expansion of Egyptian influence.

Ramses II’s rule alone lasted nearly 70 years, but within the last 20 years of the Twentieth Dynasty, internal strife and external pressures began to weaken the empire, leading to its decline.

Pharaohs of The Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt New Kingdom 

-Ramesses I 

– Seti I (Siti Merenptah) 

– Ramesses II 

– Merenptah 

– Amun Mess 

– Seti II 

– Ramesses Siptah

– Setkhnekht 

– Ramesses

– Ramses XI 

The Twentieth Dynasty (c. 1187-1064 BCE)

The last “great” pharaoh of Egypt New Kingdom is widely considered to be Ramesses III. In the eighth year of his reign, the Sea Peoples invaded Egypt by land and sea, but Ramesses III defeated them.

The high cost of the war slowly drained Egypt’s treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia. The seriousness of the difficulties is demonstrated by the fact that the first known labor strike in recorded history occurred during the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Ramesses III, over food rations.

Despite a palace conspiracy that may have led to the murder of Ramesses III, three of his sons, Ramesses IV, Ramesses VI, and Ramesses VIII, ascended the throne in succession.

Egypt was increasingly suffering from drought, Nile River floods, famine, civil unrest, and official corruption.

The power of the last pharaoh of the dynasty, Ramesses XI, became so weak that the high priests of Amun at Thebes in the south became the de facto rulers of Upper Egypt. The Samandians controlled Lower Egypt even before the death of Ramses XI.

Menes eventually founded the Twenty-First Dynasty of Tanis.

Pharaohs of The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt New Kingdom 

-Ramesses III 

– Ramesses IV 

– Ramesses V 

– Ramesses VI 

– Ramesses VII 

– Ramesses VIII 

– Ramesses IX 

 

The end of Egypt New Kingdom 

Pharaoh’s position began to weaken, and the raids of the Libyans and the peoples of the Mediterranean on Egypt multiplied.

The most dangerous of these raids occurred during the reign of Ramesses III, but the Egyptian army repelled those invasions and defeated their owners.

The modern state ended its days when Pharaoh’s authority completely ended, and the influence of the priests of Amun increased until The high priest took the throne.

FAQ about Egypt New Kingdom 

What happened in the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt?

Following the Second Intermediate Period, Egypt expelled the Hyksos and reunited them. Egypt expanded and became an empire for the first time in its history. Under a series of powerful pharaohs, Egypt experienced a golden age in architecture, the arts,  politics, and religious expression.

What started the Egypt New Kingdom?

Ahmose I, the first ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty, expelled the Hyksos and established a period of unity and stability in Egypt. This became known as the New Kingdom.