History of Ancient Egypt (2)

The New Kingdom (1550-1080 BC): 

The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history 

between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties of Egypt. Radiocarbon dating places the exact beginning of the New Kingdom between 1570 BC and 1544 BC. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was succeeded by the Third Intermediate Period. It was Egypt's most prosperous time and marked the peak of its power.

The New Kingdom is generally acknowledged to be the period of ancient Egypt's greatest material wealth and general prosperity. This period saw the rise of the military and the expansion of the kingdom into Syria and Palestine.

The 18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BC):

The Eighteenth Dynasty spanned the period from 1550 to 1292 BC. This dynasty is also known as the Thutmosid Dynasty for the four pharaohs named Thutmose.

Egypt's 18th dynasty is marked by a succession of rulers. The founder of the 18th dynasty, Ahmose, was the leader responsible for completing the expulsion of the Hyksos. He also invaded Palestine and re-exerted Egypt's hegemony over northern Nubia, to the south. The dynasty is considered to have concluded with the reign of Horemheb, a general under Tutankhamen who claimed the throne upon the death of Tutankhamen's successor, Ay.

The kings of the dynasty:

Ahmose (1550-1514 BC).

Amenhotep I (1514-1493 BC).

Tuthmosis I (1493-1482 BC).

Tuthmosis II (1482-1479 BC).

Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BC).

Tuthmosis III (1479-1426 BC).

Amenhotep II (1426-1400 BC).

Tuthmosis IV (1400-1390 BC).

Amenhotep III (1390-1353 BC).

Amenhotep IV, Akhenaton (1353-1335 BC).

Smenkhkare (1335-1332 BC).

Tutankhamen (1332-1323 BC).

Ay (1323-1319 BC).

Horemheb (1319-1292 BC).

The 19th Dynasty (1292-1190BC):

Horemheb was the first post-Amarna king to be considered legitimate in the 19th dynasty, which looked to him as the founder of an epoch. The reigns of the Amarna pharaohs were eventually to be subsumed into his own, leaving no official record of what posterity deemed to be an unorthodox and distasteful interlude. Having no son, he selected his general and vizier, Ramses I, to succeed him, who is considered to be the founder of the 19th dynasty.

The Nineteenth Dynasty is classified as the second Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1292 BC to 1189 BC. The 19th Dynasty and the 20th Dynasty furthermore together constitute an era known as the Ramesside period.

The kings of the dynasty

Ramses I (1292-1290 BC).

Seti I (1290-1279 BC).

Ramses II (1279-1213 BC).

Merenptah (1213-1204 BC).

Seti II (1204-1198 BC).

Siptah (1198-1193 BC).

Tawsert (1193-1190 BC).

The 20th Dynasty (1190- 1080 BC): 

The disorder at the 19th dynasty was restored by a man of obscure origin, Setnakht (ruled 1190-1187 BC), the founder of the 20th dynasty, who appropriated Tawsert's tomb in the valley of the kings. An inscription of Setnakht recounts his struggle to pacify the land, which ended in the second of his three regnal years.

Setnakht's son Ramses III (ruled 1187-1156 BC) was the last great king of the New Kingdom, who built the temple of Madinat Habu, one of the best-preserved temples of the empire period. Ramses III was succeeded by his son Ramses IV who ruled for six years (1156-1150 BC).

The rest of the Ramesside kings:

Ramses V (1150-1145 BC).

Ramses VI (1145-1137 BC).

Ramses VII (1137-1129 BC).

Ramses VIII (1129-1126 BC).

Ramses IX (1126-1108 BC).

Ramses X (1108-1104 BC).

Ramses XI (1104-1080 BC).

The Third Intermediate Period (1080-664 BC):

The 21st Dynasty (1080- 950 BC):

With the death of Ramses XI, the governor of Tanis, Smendes, became king, founding the 21st dynasty (known as the Tanite).

At the end of the New Kingdom, Egypt was divided. The north was inherited by the Tanite 21st dynasty (1080-950 BC), and although much of the southern Nile Valley came under the control of the Theban priests, there is no indication of conflict between the priests and Tanite kings. Some members of both the Theban priestly and Tanite royal line had Libyan names. With the coming of the new dynasty, and possibly a little earlier, the Meshwesh Libyan military elite, which had been settled mainly in the north by Ramses III, penetrated the ruling group, although it did not become dominant until the 22nd dynasty.

The burials of king Psusennes I (ruled 1045-997 BC) and his successor, Amenemope (ruled 997-989 BC), were discovered at Tanis, but little is known of their reigns.

After the demise of Egypt's Asian empire, the kingdom of Israel eventually developed under the kings David and Solomon. During David's reign, Philistia served as a buffer between Egypt and Israel; but after David's death the next to the last king of the 21st dynasty, Siamon, invaded Philistia and captured Gezer. If Egypt had any intention of attacking Israel, Solomon's power forestalled Siamon, who presented Gezer to Israel as a dowry in the diplomatic marriage of his daughter to Solomon. This is indicative of the reversal of Egypt's status in foreign affairs since the time of Amenhotep III, who had written the Babylonian king, "From of old, a daughter of the king of Egypt has not been given to anyone".

Libyan Rule:

The 22nd and 23rd Dynasties:

The fifth king of the 21st dynasty, Osorkon I (ruled c.979-973 BC), was of Libyan descent and probably was an ancestor of the 22nd dynasty, which followed a generation later. From Osorkon's time to the 26th dynasty, leading Libyan in Egypt kept their Libyan names and ethnic identity, but in a spirit of ethnicity rather than cultural separatism. Although political institutions were different from those of the New Kingdom, the Libyans were culturally Egyptian, retaining only their group identity, names, and perhaps a military ethos. Toward the end of the 21st dynasty the Libyan leader of Bubastis, the great Meshwesh chief Sheshonk I (the biblical Shishak), secured special privileges from king Psusennes II (ruled c.964-950 BC) and the oracle of Amun for the mortuary cult of his father at Abydos. The oracle proffered good wishes not only for Sheshonk and his family but, significantly, also for his army. With a strong military backing, Sheshonk eventually took the throne. His reign (c.950-929 BC) marks the founding of the 22nd dynasty (c.950-730 BC).

The initially successful 22nd dynasty revived Egyptian influence in Palestine. After Solomon's death (c.936 BC), Sheshonk I entered Palestine and plundered Jerusalem. Prestige from this exploit may have lasted through the reign of Osorkon II (ruled c.929-914 BC). In the reign of Osorkon III (ruled c.888-860 BC), Peywed Libyans posed a threat to the western delta, perhaps necessitating a withdrawal from Palestine.

The later part of the dynasty was marked by fragmentation of the land. Meanwhile, in Thebes, a separate 23rd dynasty was recognized.

New threat is coming now from Upper Nubia, Kashta, proceeded into Upper Egypt, forcing Osorkon Iv (ruled c. 777-750 BC) to retire to the delta. Kashta assumed the title of king and compelled Osorkon IV's daughter Shepenwepe I, the God's Wife of Amun at Thebes, to adopt his own daughter Amonirdis I as her successor. The Cushites stressed the role of the God's wife of Amun, who was virtually the consecrated partner of Amun, and sought to bypass the high priests.

The 24th and 25th Dynasties:

Meanwhile, Tanis lost its importance to Sais in the western delta. A Libyan prince of Sais, Tefnakht, attempting to gain control over all Egypt, proceeded southward to Heracleopolis after acquiring Memphis. This advance was met by the Cushite ruler Piye/Piankhi (ruled c.750-719 BC), who executed a raid as far north as Memphis and received the submission of the northern rulers.

After Piye returned to Cush, Tefnakhte reasserted his authority in the north, where, according to Manetho, he was eventually succeeded by his son Bocchoris as the sole king of the 24th dynasty (c.722-715 BC). Piye's brother Shabaka meanwhile founded the rival 25th dynasty and brought all Egypt under his rule (c.719-703 BC). He had Bocchoris burned alive and removed all other claimants to the kingship.

In this period Egypt's internal politics were affected by the growth of the Assyrian Empire. In Palestine and Syria frequent revolts against Assyria were aided by Egyptian forces. Against the power of Assyria, the Egyptian and Nubian forces met with little success, partly because of their own fragmented politics and divided loyalties.

In 671 BC the Assyrian king Esarhaddon entered Egypt and drove Taharqa into Upper Egypt. Two years later Taharqa regained a battered Memphis, but in 667 BC Esarhaddon's successor, Assurbanipal, forced Taharqa to Thebes, where the Cushites held ground. Taharqa's successor, Tanutamun, defeated at Memphis a coalition of delta princes who supported Assyria, but Assurbanipal's reaction to this was to humiliate Thebes, which the Assyrians plundered. By 656 BC the Cushites had withdrawn from the Egyptian political scene, although Cushite culture survived in the Sudanese Napatan and Meroitic kingdom for another millennium.