User Guide

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A Quick Guide to the History of Egypt
he turned southward to reclaim parts of Nubia. He re-established the
capital at Waset (Thebes) and restored the fort in Nubia at Buhen. With
the backing of his military, Ahmose also stripped local nomarchs of most
of their power, resigning them to mayoralities of cities and villages.
Ahmose’s military activity set the tone for much of the New Kingdom.
Egypt became an imperial force, expanding its borders well into Asia.
This early portion of the Eighteenth Dynasty was not without
some internal turmoil. Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose III’s mother,
usurped the throne while he has young. She ruled Egypt, assuming all the
trappings of a pharaoh, including the ceremonial false beard. Hatshepsut
maintained the empire and built many temples and monuments, most
notably her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri.
Later in the Eighteenth Dynasty, Egypt underwent a radical
change. When Amenhotep IV rose to the throne, he changed his name
to Akhenaten and introduced monotheism into Egypt. He worshiped the
god Aten, who was the God of the Sun’s Disk, and established a new capi-
tal named Akhetaten. Akhenaten closed down temples to all other gods
and confiscated any goods that the temples had on site. He also halted
military expeditions to other lands, and much of Egypt’s empire was lost
during his reign.
While Egypt suffered politically under Akhenaten’s rule, the arts
blossomed. A new form of portraiture was used in which people, even
Pharaoh himself, were portrayed more realistically with physical deformi-
ties in full view.
When Akhenaten died, the old theological system was restored
and the capital moved back to Waset (Thebes). After the brief rule of
several pharaohs (including Tut-ankh-amun), Horemhab, a general in the
Egyptian army, assumed the throne. Horemhab restored order within
Egypt’s borders and set to work reclaiming Egypt’s lost land and, prior to
his death, named Ramesses I heir to the throne.
The Ramesside period began with Horemhab’s death. Ramesses I
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A Quick Guide to the History of Egypt
Lower Egypt continued to have healthy trade relations under
Hyksos rule. Trade routes to Sinai and Palestine remained open, and the
Hyksos formed a new trade partnership with the Kush, who had reclaimed
land as far north as the first cataract at Abu (Elephantine). The Kush were
a distinct nation and culture and established a fine capital at Kerma.
Relations between Upper and Lower Egypt remained friendly
enough until Apophis III, an Hyksos ruler, issued an insult to Ta’o II, the
leader of Waset (Thebes). In retaliation, Ta’o II invaded the Hyksos’ terri-
tory and, with the help of Nubian mercenaries, began a war. Ta’o II died
in battle, but his son Kamose continued the fight. When he was slain, his
brother Ahmose I finished the war, driving the Hyksos back to Asia and
once again unifying Egypt under one ruler.
The brief period of Hyksos rule had lasting effects on Egyptian
culture. The Hyksos introduced bronze, a much sturdier and versatile
metal than copper. This new metal was used in weapons such as daggers
and swords. The Hyksos’ most famous contribution to Egyptian military
technology was the horse-drawn war chariot.
The Hyksos made other contributions as well. They are credited
with introducing the upright loom which improved the textile industry;
musical instruments such as the lyre, oboe and tambourine; and new
foods such as the pomegranate and the olive.
New Kingdom
18th-20th Dynasties
1550-1064 BC
Ahmose began the New Kingdom much as he ended the Second
Intermediate Period: with warfare. After forcing the Hyksos out of Egypt,