The New Kingdom

Target

• List and describe the government,

achievements, and reasons for decline of

the New Kingdom

New Kingdom-Achievements

• Egypt develops into an Empire

• The Pharaoh is more of a military leader

• How was he looked upon in…

• The Old Kingdom?

• The Middle Kingdom

• Military becomes more imporant

Egyptian Military

• Established permanent military presence in Syria and Palestine

• Why?

• Pharaoh uses both diplomacy and military means to achieve goals

Military con’t

• Egyptian troops become a professional fighting

force

• What makes their army so effective?

• Where did they get that technology from?

Succession of the Pharaoh

• Pharaohs tried to establish an even more

peaceful succession upon death

• Implemented “God’s Wife”

• If the Pharaoh has no male heir, an

outsider can marry his daughter (a God’s

Wife) and become the new Pharaoh.

• Why?

• This policy will lead to……

1504 B.C. Hatshepsut

• 1st Women Pharaoh who

ruled for 30 years

• Married to Thutmose II

• He dies and his son

(Thutmose III) is only 10

years old

• She seized the authority

and was crowned

pharaoh.

Hatshepsut’s Achievements

• 1. Increased trade

• 2. Expanded Egypt’s territory to the South

• 3. Commanded military expeditions into the heart of Africa. (Punt)

• 4. Monumental Building projects (Her funerary temple)

1482 B.C. Thutmose III

• Accomplishments:

• 1. Strengthened lands to

South

• 2. Expanded Egypt’s power

to the Northeast

• 3. Waged a total of 17

military campaigns

Thutmose III Accomplishments

con’t

• 4. Expanded to present

day Sudan and Iraq

• 5. Trained nobles from

conquered lands

• Returned them to their

homeland

• Why?

• They become loyal

servants

• Egypt Experienced Great

Prosperity

Thutmose’s successors

• Continued the pattern of military conquest

• Egypt truly becomes an Empire

• Egypt continues to become prosperous

• Amenhotep IV, however, will make major

changes

The Monotheist

• Amenhotep IV

• challenges Egypt’s

concept of religion

• Amarna Period

• Drastically different

religious and artistic

customs formed at

Tell-el-Amarna

The Amarna Period

• Will cause a religious

revolution in Egypt.

• Why?

• Only one true God, Aton

• Amenhotep changes his

name to “Akhenaton” –

The Glory of Aton

• Suspends worship of all

other gods

Other Changes

• Artistically

– Portraits of him and

wife portrayed

realistically

– Art dedicated to

beautiful wife

• Moves capital to Tell

el-Amarna

Effects of the Amarna Period

• Akhenaton focus on his religious

revolution

• Neglects Syria, which is then invaded by

the Hittites

• Then….Akhenaton is murdered

• Who kills him?

• Succeeded by his 10 year old son

Tutankhamun

• King Tut persuaded to

go back to the

polytheistic ways of

the former pharaohs

• Dies at 19

• Probably murdered

• Ideas?

• Probably his vizier-

Horemhub

Importance of King Tut?

• Not an important pharaoh

• Why is he so well know?

The 19th Dynasty

• Ramses II

• Ruled Egypt for 67

years

• Biblical Pharaoh who

confronted Moses

Ramses the warrior

• Fought the Hittites

• Why?

• Control of Syria

• Battle of Kadesh

• Victory or Stalemate?

• Result?

Non-aggression Pact

• World’s first

-No further attacks

-come to each other’s aid if attacked

-split Syria into two parts

-Egypt gets the Southern part with

Palestine

Ramses II can now spend less time fighting

and more time doing other things…

Ramses II Accomplishments

• Great Monument

builder

• Temple at Abu-

Simbel in Nubia

20th Dynasty

• Ramses III

• Battled the “Sea

People”

• Victorious but…

• Treasury was empty

• Workers went on

strike

• Egypt begins it’s

gradual decline

The Final Years

• Ramses III had weak successors

• Nubian and Libyan mercenaries settled in

the Delta

• Powerful priests gained power

• Exempted the temples from taxation

• Ruined the economy of Egypt

The Final Years con’t

• Egypt’s Theocracy discouraged the

development of new ideas

• Why?

• Effect?

• Other powers passed the Egyptians

technologically

The End

• Conquests of Egypt

• 535 B.C. Persians

• 322 B.C. Alexander

the Great

• 30 B.C. The

Romans

• This marked the end

of Egypt’s influence in

the western world.