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.

Old Kingdom (2686-2160 BC)
First Intermediate Period (2160-2040 BC)
      Middle Kingdom (2040-1633 BC)
   Second Intermediate Period (1786-1558 BC)
        New Kingdom (1558-1085 BC)
    Third Intermediate Period (1085-525 BC)
      Persian rule (525-332 BC)
   Greek rule (332-30 BC) (also called the Hellenistic)
      Roman rule (30 BC-700 AD)
Islamic rule (700 AD to present)

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New Kingdom Egypt

To find out more about New Kingdom Egypt, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:

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