New Kingdom of Egypt

The New Kingdom, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between (1570–1070 BC). During the New Kingdom Egypt was richer and more powerful than in all other periods of its history. It includes the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties.

The maximum territorial extent of Egypt (XVth century BC)

Egypt expanded far south into Nubia and held wide territories in the Near East. Egyptian armies fought Hittite armies for control of modern-day Syria and Egyptian territory reached its maximum extent.

Important Pharaohs

Colossal depictions of Rameses II at a temple dedicated to him at Abu Simbel.

The Eighteenth Dynasty was ruled by some of Egypt's most famous Pharaohs including Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepsut concentrated on expanding Egypt's external trade and sent a commercial expedition to the land of Punt. Thutmose III ("the Napoleon of Egypt") expanded Egypt's army and created the largest empire Egypt had ever seen.

Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten in honor of the Aten. He started a religion based on one god, Aten.

Ramesses II ("the Great") of the 19th Dynasty tried to get back territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty. In the Battle of Kadesh he led Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II. He was caught in the first recorded military ambush, but won the battle.

Timeline

Other websites

• New Kingdom of Egypt - Aldokkan
• Middle East on the Matrix: Egypt, The New Kingdom Archived 2003-02-26 at the Wayback Machine — Photographs of many of the historic sites dating from the New Kingdom