New Kingdom of Egypt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
New Kingdom of Egypt
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| c. 1550 BC–c. 1069 BC | |||||||||
New Kingdom in the 15th century BC
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| Capital |
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| Common languages | Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, Canaanite, Amorite | ||||||||
| Religion |
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| Government | Divine absolute monarchy | ||||||||
| Pharaoh | |||||||||
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• c. 1550 – 1525 BC
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Ahmose I (first) | ||||||||
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• c. 1107 – 1077 BC
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Ramesses XI (last) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
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• Began
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c. 1550 BC | ||||||||
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• Ended
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c. 1069 BC | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
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• 13th century BCE
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3 to 5 million | ||||||||
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The New Kingdom was a very important time in ancient Egypt's history. It lasted from about 1550 BC to 1069 BC. This period included the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties of Egyptian rulers. Scientists using Radiocarbon dating believe it started between 1570 BC and 1544 BC.
The New Kingdom came after a difficult time called the Second Intermediate Period. It was followed by the Third Intermediate Period. This was Egypt's most successful era. It was when Egypt had the most power and control over other lands.
The idea of the "New Kingdom" as a "golden age" was first used in 1845 by a German expert named Baron von Bunsen. The later part of this period (1292–1069 BC) is also known as the Ramesside period. This name comes from the eleven pharaohs who were named Ramesses. The first was Ramesses I, who started the 19th Dynasty.
During the Second Intermediate Period, foreign rulers called the Hyksos controlled parts of Egypt. This experience made New Kingdom rulers want to expand their territory. They pushed into the Levant (an area in the Middle East) and far south into Nubia. This helped Egypt become a large empire and protect itself from future attacks.
Contents
History of the New Kingdom
The Rise of a Powerful Empire
The 18th Dynasty had some of Egypt's most famous kings. These included Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun.
Ahmose I is seen as the founder of the 18th Dynasty. He continued fighting the Hyksos who had ruled parts of Egypt. He finally reunited the country. Ahmose then campaigned in the Levant to stop future invasions from that area.
After Ahmose came Amenhotep I, who fought in Nubia. Then came Thutmose I. Thutmose I campaigned in the Levant and reached the Euphrates River. He was the first pharaoh to cross this river. Syrian princes promised to be loyal to him, but they stopped paying tribute after he left.
Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful pharaohs of this dynasty. She was the daughter of Thutmose I and the wife of Thutmose II. When her husband died, she ruled with his young son, Thutmose III. Eventually, she ruled as pharaoh on her own. Hatshepsut built many grand structures, especially in the Karnak temple in Luxor. She also restarted trade networks that had been stopped during the Hyksos rule. This helped the 18th Dynasty become very wealthy. She even sent a big trip to the Land of Punt for trade.
After Hatshepsut's death, Thutmose III took full control. He had gained valuable military experience working for Hatshepsut.
Thutmose III made Egypt's army stronger and used it very well. He expanded the empire that his earlier rulers had started. This led to Egypt's greatest power and wealth during the reign of Amenhotep III. The word "pharaoh," which originally meant the king's palace, became the way people addressed the king himself during Thutmose III's reign (around 1479–1425 BC).
Historians often call Thutmose III a military genius. He led at least 16 military campaigns in 20 years. He was very active in expanding Egypt's lands. Records show he captured 350 cities and conquered much of the Near East. His empire stretched from the Euphrates River to Nubia. He was the first pharaoh since Thutmose I to cross the Euphrates. He did this during a campaign against Mitanni, surprising their king.
Amenhotep III was the wealthiest king of this dynasty. He built the famous Luxor Temple, parts of the Precinct of Monthu at Karnak, and his huge Mortuary Temple. Amenhotep III also built the Malkata palace, which was the largest ever built in Egypt.
One of the most well-known 18th Dynasty pharaohs was Amenhotep IV. He changed his name to Akhenaten to honor the Aten. The Aten was a symbol of the sun god, Ra. Akhenaten's worship of the Aten as his only god is often seen as the first time someone tried to create a religion with just one god (monotheism). Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti, was very important in this new religious direction. She was even bold enough to perform religious ceremonies to Aten. Akhenaten's strong religious beliefs are why he and his wife were later removed from Egyptian history records. During his rule, in the 14th century BC, Egyptian art developed a unique new style (this is called the Amarna Period).
By the end of the 18th Dynasty, Egypt's power had changed a lot. Akhenaten seemed less interested in international matters. This allowed the Hittites to grow stronger and become a major power in the Middle East. Both Seti I and his son Ramesses II would later fight against the Hittites in the 19th Dynasty.
The last two rulers of the 18th Dynasty, Ay and Horemheb, were officials in the royal court before becoming pharaohs. Ay might have been Akhenaten's uncle.
Ay may have married Ankhesenamun, the widowed queen and half-sister of Tutankhamun, to gain power. She died soon after. Ay then married Tey, who had been Nefertiti's wet-nurse.
Ay's rule was short. His successor was Horemheb, a general under Tutankhamun. Horemheb may have taken the throne from Ay by force. Horemheb also died without children. He chose his chief minister, Pa-ra-mes-su, as his heir. This minister became Ramesses I in 1292 BC, starting the 19th Dynasty.
Egypt's Golden Age: The Ramesside Period
The 19th Dynasty began with Ramesses I. He was chosen by Horemheb, the last ruler of the 18th Dynasty. Ramesses I's short rule was a bridge to the powerful pharaohs who followed him. These included his son Seti I and grandson Ramesses II, who made Egypt's empire even greater.
Seti I fought many wars in western Asia, Libya, and Nubia during his first ten years as pharaoh. We learn about Seti's military actions from scenes carved on the walls of the Karnak Hypostyle Hall. He also left stone tablets describing battles in Canaan and Nubia. Seti I's biggest success was capturing the Syrian town of Kadesh and the nearby area of Amurru from the Hittite Empire. Egypt had not controlled Kadesh since Akhenaten's time. Seti I defeated a Hittite army there and left a victory stone. However, Kadesh soon went back to Hittite control because Egypt could not keep a permanent army so far from home.
Ramesses II wanted to get back lands in the Levant that the 18th Dynasty had controlled. In his second year, he fought and defeated the Sherden sea people. He then added them to his army. His fights against the Hittites led to the famous Battle of Kadesh. Here, he led Egyptian armies against the Hittite king Muwatalli II. Ramesses was caught in history's first recorded military ambush. But he managed to rally his troops and turn the battle around, thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin (who might have been hired soldiers for Egypt). The battle ended without a clear winner. Both sides claimed victory at home. Eventually, a peace treaty was signed between the two nations.
Ramesses II later campaigned in the Levant, capturing Edom and Moab. Egyptian stone tablets from this time have been found in Jordan. He also conquered Qatna and Tunip, where a statue of Ramesses II was put up. This meant he recaptured Kadesh and northern Amurru. But like Seti I, he found it hard to hold onto lands so far away. After years of fighting, a peace treaty was made. Under Ramesses's rule, Egypt became wealthy and stable for over fifty years. His sons continued military campaigns, but problems in the royal court made it harder for pharaohs to control their territories.
Ramesses II built many structures across Egypt and Nubia. His royal names are seen everywhere, even on buildings he didn't construct. Stories of his honor are carved on stone, statues, and the remains of palaces and temples. The most famous are the Ramesseum in western Thebes and the rock temples of Abu Simbel. He covered the land from the Delta to Nubia with buildings like no king before him. He also started a new capital city in the Delta called Pi-Ramesses. It had been a summer palace for Seti I.
Ramesses II built many huge monuments, including the Abu Simbel Temple complex and the Mortuary temple known as the Ramesseum. He built on a massive scale to make sure his legacy would last forever. Ramesses used art to show off his victories over foreign enemies. These are shown on many temple carvings. Ramesses II put up more giant statues of himself than any other pharaoh. He also put his own royal name on many existing statues.
Ramesses II was also known for having many children with his wives and concubines. The tomb he built for his sons (many of whom he outlived) in the Valley of the Kings is the largest tomb complex in Egypt.
Ramesses II's immediate successors continued military campaigns, but the royal court became more troubled. His son Merneptah followed him, then Merneptah's son Seti II. Seti II's right to the throne was challenged by his half-brother Amenmesse, who may have ruled from Thebes for a short time.
After Seti II died, his son Siptah became pharaoh. Siptah may have had poliomyelitis. He was put on the throne by Bay, a chancellor who was not from a noble family. Siptah died young. The throne was then taken by Twosret, who was the royal wife of Seti II.
A time of chaos followed Twosret's short rule. Then Setnakhte became pharaoh, starting the 20th Dynasty.
The Final Years of Power
The last "great" pharaoh of the New Kingdom is usually considered to be Ramesses III. He was a 20th Dynasty pharaoh who ruled many decades after Ramesses II.
In his eighth year as pharaoh, the Sea Peoples attacked Egypt by land and sea. Ramesses III defeated them in two big battles (the Battle of Djahy on land and the Battle of the Delta at sea). He made them his subjects and may have settled them in Southern Canaan. Their presence in Canaan might have led to new states like Philistia forming after the Egyptian Empire declined. Ramesses III also had to fight invading Libyan tribesmen in two major campaigns in Egypt's Western Delta.
These wars were very costly and slowly drained Egypt's money. This led to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia. The problems were so severe that the first known labor strike in history happened during Ramesses III's 29th year. At that time, the food for Egypt's skilled royal tomb-builders and artists in the village of Deir el Medina could not be provided. Air pollution also reduced sunlight, affecting farming and tree growth for almost two decades. One idea is that this was caused by the Hekla 3 eruption of a volcano in Iceland, but this is still debated.
Decline into a New Period
After Ramesses III died, his sons argued over who would rule. Three of his sons became pharaohs one after another: Ramesses IV, Rameses VI, and Rameses VIII. Egypt faced more droughts, low Nile floods, hunger, civil unrest, and corruption among officials. The last pharaoh of the dynasty, Ramesses XI, became very weak. In the south, the High Priests of Amun at Thebes became the real rulers of Upper Egypt. In the north, Smendes controlled Lower Egypt, even before Ramesses XI died. Smendes eventually started the 21st Dynasty in Tanis.
Images for kids
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Hatshepsut as a Sphinx - daughter of Thutmose I, co-regent for her two-year-old stepson Thutmose III, she soon ruled as pharaoh; Egypt prospered greatly under her rule
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Queen Hatshepsut's Temple at Deir el-Bahari, was called Djeser-Djeseru, meaning the Holy of Holies
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Thutmosis III, a military man and member of the Thutmosid royal line is commonly called the Napoleon of Egypt because his conquests of the Levant brought Egypt's territories and influence to its greatest extent
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Tiye, born a commoner, became queen through her marriage to Amenhotep III and during the New Kingdom, when women gained influence in court, Tiye soon helped run affairs of state for both her husband and son during their reigns
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Akhenaten, born Amenhotep IV, was the son of Queen Tiye and he turned away from the dominant cult of Amun, relocated the capitol, and promoted that of the Aten as a supreme deity
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Nefertiti - the wife of Akhenaten, she held position as co-regent with Akhenaten and may have ruled later as pharaoh in her own right (as she is one of few candidates for the identity of Pharaoh Neferneferuaten)
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Tutankhamun's mask - King Tutankhamun, son of Akhenaten, returned to the former capitol and restored the cult of Amun to its former influence; although he died young and was not considered significant in his own time, the 1922 discovery of his KV62 intact tomb by Howard Carter, made him relevant as a symbol of ancient Egypt to the modern world
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Queen Ahmose-Nefertari
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Egyptian Emperor Thutmose III in his youth
See also
In Spanish: Imperio Nuevo de Egipto para niños
