New Kingdom Egypt
Hatshepsut
With the reunification of Egypt by the southerner Ahmose (
Kamose
died before it was united) and the expulsion of the
Hyksos,
Egypt began a new period of prosperity under the 18th dynasty. At this
time there was a great deal of trade with
Western
Asia, and Egyptian armies even conquered much of
Israel
and Syria, though they were constantly fighting the
Hittites
and
Assyrians to
keep control of it. Great
temples
were built all over Egypt. The Egyptian queens were very powerful at
this time, and in 1490
BC one of them, Hatshepsut,
became Pharaoh herself.
Akhenaten
In 1363
BC there was a famous Pharaoh
named Akhenaten, who built a new capital at Amarna and seems to have
worshipped a new
sun god, and developed
new art styles.
Nefertiti
His wife was Nefertiti. He had no sons, and his successor was his
son-in-law Tutankhamon. However, by 1333
BC
the Pharaohs went back to the
old religion.
Tutankhamon
In 1303
BC a new northern dynasty or family
of Pharaohs took over, the 19th Egyptian dynasty. Their first king,
Rameses, moved the capital back to Memphis in the north. Priests became
very powerful. Fighting with the
Hittites
in Western Asia continued, but also a lot of
trade.
The 20th dynasty Pharaohs, around 1200
BC,
continued the same policies, and were all called Rameses. There were
many attacks on Egypt, first from Libya to the west and then from
West
Asia, by a group that the Egyptians called the Sea Peoples. The
Hittites were destroyed, though around 1100
BC
the Egyptians fought off the Sea Peoples in a great naval battle. But
the trouble in West Asia seems to have caused a general economic depression
in the whole Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia, and soon afterwards
the New Kingdom collapsed.
To find out more about New Kingdom Egypt, check out these books from
Amazon.com or from your library:
Eyewitness:
Ancient Egypt, by George Hart. For kids.
The
Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, by Ian Shaw (2002).
History
of Ancient Egypt: An Introduction, by Erik Hornung (1999). A college
textbook. On the conservative side - not much on new developments.
Ancient
Near Eastern History and Culture, by William H. Stiebing (2002).
Expensive for a paperback, but brief and very up to date. And yes, it
includes Egypt in the Near East.
Rulers
of Ancient Egypt, by Russell Roberts (1999). Includes chapters on
Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamon, Rameses II, and (oddly) Cleopatra,
who ruled much later. For kids.
Chronicle
of a Pharaoh: The Intimate Life of Amenhotep III, by Joann Fletcher
(2000). Amenhotep III was the father of Akhenaten. For high schoolers.
