Pharaoh of Dynasty
XVIII
1506 -1493 B.C.E.
In ancient Egyptian history the last great period of true Egyptian culture is known as the New Kingdom. The New Kingdom saw many strong pharaohs that led Egypt into war and helped bring a renaissance in art and architecture that declined in the second intermediate period. One of these great pharaohs of the New Kingdom was Thuthmosis I.
Thuthmosis I was the third pharaoh in the 18th dynasty (the first dynasty of the New Kingdom). He ruled from 1506-1493 B.C.E. and proved to be a capable leader and general. He held the borders that he inherited against the Mitanni people, and was not afraid to do so himself. Although Thuthmosis I has a reputation as a military leader, his greatest achievement was the creation of the Valley of the Kings.
Tuthmosis I was the Pharaoh who inaugurated the tradition of burial in the Valley of the Kings. He rose to power due to the premature death of Amenophis I's son, Amenemmes, and his was marriage to Amenophis I's sister. Tuthmosis I extended the Egyptian control to the island of Argo at the third cataract, where he built the fortress of Tombos. He was able to leave an inscription at Argo on what is known as the Tombos Stele, describing an empire that extended from the third cataract to the Euphrates River. He was the father of Tuthmosis II and Hatshesut. Hatshesut, the only female Pharaoh, dressed in men's clothes and she was always depicted as a man in arts.
The Valley of the Kings was built by Thuthmosis I to battle against the problem of grave robbers. Many less pious Egyptians found out that the pyramids and temples that housed the mummies of the pharaohs contained riches and robbing them proved to be quite lucrative. Thuthmosis I undertook the monumental task of building the valley burial sites on the West Bank of the Nile river by creating a whole village to house the thousands of construction workers. Most of the workers at the Valley of the Kings were literate and their city was named Deir el-Medina. Thuthmosis himself was buried in the Valley of the Kings, but parts of his tomb were robbed. Although despoiled, in his tomb was found a definite version of the book of What is in the Underworld.. The book is a collection of funerary texts that started in the Middle Kingdom.
Thuthmosis I may not be remembered as well as Khufu the pyramid builder or Ramesses II the military leader, but he is still no doubt important to ancient Egyptian history. His major contribution comes in the creation of the Valley of the Kings, a network of tombs that would help preserve ancient Egyptian history for modern Egyptologists to discover.
REFERENCES:
Geddes and Grosset, ed. Ancient Egypt: Myth and History. New Lanark, Scotland: David Dale House, 1997.
James, T.G.H. Ancient Egypt: The Land and Its Legacy. London: British Museum Publications, 1988.
Pharaoh of Dynasty
XVIII
1512- 1503 B.C.E.
Thutmose II was the King of Egypt during the 18th Dynasty. Scholars have differing opinions on the length of his reign, but it is known that he was the fourth Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, succeeding his father Thutmose I. His rule was relatively short and has been estimated to have been in charge from 1512 BC to 1503 BC.
Thutmose II was married to Hatshepsut, who was his half-sister. Because his father, Thutmose I, had no sons with the royal queen, he had to marry one of her daughters. The practice of marrying within the family was common for the royal families of Egypt. It was done so they would not have to produce children with the blood of a commoner or to legitimize any heirs’ claim to the throne. This was the case with Thutmose II. This interbreeding was not always a good thing, however. Thutmose II was both physically and mentally weak and dominated by his wife and half-sister, Hatshepsut. This was probably a result of the practice of intermarrying. Pharaoh's often had other wives. This was the case with Thutmose II as well. He and a minor wife produced an heir to the throne named Thutmose III.
Tuthmosis II preserved his father's (Tuthmosis I) empire with two campaigns. One of the campaigns crushed a revolt in Nubia in the first year of his reign. The other campaign was directed against the Shosu Bedouin of southern Palestine, which took him to Niy (later called Apamea and and now Qalat el-Mudikh) in the region of Nahrin. Hatshesut, the wife and sister of Tuthmosis II, is believed to have been the true ruler behind Tuthmosis II.
Thutmose II is not known to have accomplished much during his reign. He is believed to have battled against the nomadic Bedouins and Nubians who rebelled against his rule. He also built a small funerary temple in western Thebes. Archaeologists have not been able to find or positively identify a tomb belonging to him, but his mummy was found reburied in the royal cache at Dayru I-Bahri in 1881.
When he died, his son Thutmose III was too young to rule the throne and Hatshepsut took over as Regent until he was old enough. She even went so far as to dress in a false beard to legitimize her rule. Once Thutmose III was old enough to rule, she subdued him and tried to send him away. This was done so she could find a way to get her daughter Nefrure put in place as “King.” Both Hatshepsut and Nefrure died and it is not known how, but Thutmose III is believed to have been involved in their deaths. Thutmose III took over and ended Hatshepsut’s peaceful rule and mobilized the military.
REFERENCES:
Egyptian Pharaohs, Gods, and Goddesses http://www.crystalinks.com/egypt2.html
Egypt's Golden Age http://pages.ancientsites.com/~Raseneb_Amenemheb/gnosis/thebes.htm
Thutmose II http://i-cias.com/e.o/thutmose_2.htm
Thutmose II http://www3.west-fargo.k12.nd.us/BECKMAN/projects/Egypt/ThutmoseII.html
Thutmose II http://www.britannica.com
Matt Lutgen
Pharaoh of Dynasty
XVIII
b. 151 B.C.E.
Tuthmosis III was born in 1516
B.C.E.. He was the son of Tuthmosis II and one of his concubines named Isis.
Tuthmosis II was married to Hatshepsut who was his sister and daughter of
Tuthmosis I. She grew up and was educated as a prince which molded her into an
ambitious and strong-minded adult. Because of Tuthmosis II’s poor heath
and lack of leadership skills, Hatshepsut assumed much of the power during his
reign. Hatshepsut considered Tuthmosis III to be a bastard son and believed him
to be unworthy of being Pharaoh because he had no royal blood in him. Since
Tuthmosis II and Hatshepsut hadn’t had any sons, Tuthmosis III would be
the heir to the throne, so in 1504 B.C.E. when Tuthmosis II dies, the young
Tuthmosis III is crowned. At this time Tuthmosis III was only around twelve
years old, and Hatshepsut believed it would be better if she retained the power
of the Pharaoh.
As a child, Tuthmosis III spent most of his time in Thebes. This is where he was educated on how to rule Egypt once he took over. During this time the Amon clergy were in charge of educating all the young to be pharaohs, and this was done at the palace of Karnak. Here he learned about everything from culture and art to military and leadership techniques. Tuthmosis III soon began to excel as an administrator and statesman, as well as a general and warrior. He gained military skills such as archery and horsemanship, which he displayed to the public on many occasions, and boasted that none of his followers could equal him in marksmanship or physical prowess. In around 1480 B.C.E., after the sudden death of Harshepsut, Tuthmosis III became supreme ruler. Tuthmosis III began to deface any of Hatshepsut’s monuments and replaced her name with Tuthmosis I, II, or III, in an effort to erase his stepmother’s name from history. This is the only negative act that stood out in Tuthmosis III’s reign.
Tuthmosis III was Pharaoh during the 18th Dynasty from 1504-1450 B.C.E. He was beloved and respected as a great warrior as well as being a sincere and fair-minded leader. Tuthmosis III is believed to be one of the greatest of Egyptian rulers because he was able to re-established Egyptian control over Syria and Nubia. He was also able to adorn his kingdom with revenues from these conquests. He built the temple of Amun at Karnak and erected many obelisks, including "Cleopatra's Needle." His mother, Hatshesut, first acted as regent for Tuthmosis III then took the throne from him. After the death of Hatshesut, Tuthmosis III & IV began a bitter persecution of her memory, cutting out her name on monuments and placing both of their own over it wherever they could find it.
Tuthmosis II’s and Hatshepsut’s reigns were peaceful and saw very little warfare. But when Tuthmosis III took over power things were already starting to change. Unrest started to occur in many areas of Africa, Syria, and elsewhere. The first of seventeen successful campaigns happened only a few months into his reign, at the city of Megiddo. This campaign, which is recorded in great detail on the walls of the temple he built in Karnak, revealed Tuthmosis III as a military genius. Tuthmosis III used the element of surprise attack when he invaded Mediggo, using the least expecting route. This route was narrow, hilly, and difficult to pass, and it took over twelve hours to reach the valley on the other side. Tuthmosis III lead his men through the hills and when he made it to the valley he waited until the last man made it through safely.
This attack from the rear gave the Egyptians an upper hand and played a big part in their victory. The battle lasted more than seven months and when it was over Tuthmosis III let the enemy leaders go so that they could tell everyone who the new leader of Egypt was. This victory not only gained Tuthmosis III the respect of the people of Egypt but also the respect of leaders and kings of other nations as the rightful pharaoh and a very skilled and intelligent general. Through the rest of his reign, Tuthmosis III engaged in sixteen more campaigns and won every one of them. Because of his undefeated record, Tuthmosis III is often referred to as “The Napoleon of Egypt”. Some of his biggest victories came against the Mitannian empire. He captured and gained control of many Mitannian territories, which expanded his power over northern Palestine and Phoenicia. He erected a stele at he Euphrates River to mark the boundary of the Egyptian Empire
Tuthmosis III was admired and revered for generations to come for having a great impact on Egypt both as a nation and as a culture. He constructed many great buildings and obelisks throughout his empire. Buildings were constructed at Heliopolis, Memphis, Abydos, and Aswan, as well as the additions made to the great temple at Karnak, where he had his annals inscribed in the walls. During the last year of his life he appointed his son Amenhotep II to succeed him. Amenhotep II was the son of Tuthmosis III’s second wife Meryetre, who was Hatshepsut’s daughter and Tuthmosis III’s half sister. Tuthmosis III was laid to rest, in 1426BC in the Valley of the Kings in western Thebes.
REFRENCES:
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/1/0,5716,74241+2+72353,00.html Britannica.com, Thutmose III.
http://www.geocities.com/The Topics/Shores/7037/thutmose/thut3.htm Geocities.com, Thutmose III and Hatshepsut.
http://touregypt.net/kartuth.htm Tour Egypt.net, Thutmose III Festival Temple.
http://www.eyelid.co.uk/k-q3.htm Eyelid, Thutmose III- The Nepoleon of Ancient Egypt.
Grolier Interactive Encyclopedia, Thutmose III, King of Egypt, 1998.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, Thutmose III.
Pharaoh of Dynasty
XVIII
1450 - ? B.C.E.
The father of Tuthmosis IV was Amenhotep
II and his mother was Queen Tio. His wife was the daughter of the Mitannian
King, Artatama. She was given the Egyptian name of Mutemuya and became the
mother of Amenhotep III, the next king of Egypt. It is believe that Tuthmosis
IV was not the first in line for the throne. He had an older brother that met
an early end before he got to the throne. This is based upon a written story
found about a dream that Tuthmosis IV had of the great sphinx of Giza telling
him how one day he would be king.
As a young prince, Tuthmosis IV served in the northern army corps at Memphis. Tuthmosis IV lead a army unit known as ‘Menkheprure, Destroyer of Syria’, and as pharaoh at this time period holds the position of Commander-in –Chief of the Army. Tuthmosis IV also fought a war in Nubia from which Egypt received a great deal of wealth. He made treaties with neighboring countries such as Babylonia that ushered in an era of peace and political stability lasting through the reign of his son Amenhotep III.
Tuthmosis IV is known for being the first king in battle on a chariot against foreign enemies. He followed in his father's footsteps by freeing the Sphinx from its sand tomb. He held his grandfather, Tuthmosis III, in respect and completed the obelisk planned by him.
Tuthmosis IV was found in a small additional room between the sepulchral hall and the antechamber in the Valley of the Kings.
REFERENCES:
http://www.anthro.mnsu.edu/prehistory/egypt/history/people/tuthmosi.html
http://www.acraig.freeserve.co.uk/topic3.htm
http://2terres.hautesavoie.net/tegypte/texte/thoutmo4.htm
"History of the Middle Eeast and the Aegean Region 1800-13800 B.C." The Cambridge Ancient History. 3ed. V2 part1. Cambridge University Press 1973.
Joel R. Siebring
 |
Archaeology of Egypt | History | Hieroglyphs |
| Religion | Daily Life | Links |