5-4 Notes: The New Kingdom

A Woman Pharaoh• During the New Kingdom, Egypt relocated

their capital to the city of Thebes, 450 miles south of Memphis – the pharaohs expanded and strengthened the empire as well

• Queen Hatshepsut was the first woman to rule as a pharaoh – she was the wife of a deceased pharaoh

• She ruled with her stepson, Thutmose III, however in 1472 BCE she declared herself the sole ruler of Egypt – She wore a false beard reserved for pharaohs

• Hatshepsut expanded by waging war and establishing trade connections – her largest trading expedition was to Punt, south of Egypt – Traders brought back rare herbs, spices, scented woods, live monkeys, and potted trees for incense

• She erected an obelisk, a four-sided shaft with a pyramid shaped top to proclaim her glory and record her great deeds

• After ruling 15 years, Hatshepsut disappeared – she may have died peacefully or have been killed by Thutmose III (he took over after her and attempted to destroy all records of her reign)

A Reforming Pharaoh• When Akhenaton took power in 1353

BCE, he lifted a sun god called Aton to the highest status – he also closed the temples of the other gods (effectively bringing monotheism to Egyptian life!)

• Priests who served the other gods lost power, became furious, and worried they might upset the other gods

• Akhenaton moved the capital 200 miles away to a city called Akhetaton

• Akhenaton’s reign also marked a shift in art – Egyptians made realistic rather than perfect depictions of art

• Akhenaton’s religion didn’t last long – 3 years after his death a young relative named Tutankhamen became pharaoh, relying on advisers to help him rule Egypt (he restored the old gods to their position)

A Powerful Pharaoh• 1279 BCE – 44 years after Tutankhamen

died, Ramses II took power – he ruled for 66 years (longest in Egyptian history!)

• Ramses expanded Egypt’s territory south into Nubia, an African kingdom, and to the eastern rim of the Mediterranean Sea where it bordered the Hittite empire

• Ramses II and the Hittites waged a huge battle that nobody really won (Ramses claimed victory though!) – Afterwards he signed a peace treaty with the Hittites (first known one in world history!)

• Ramses also built a city called the House of Ramses – 4 66-foot statues of himself guarded the temple (the ears were 3 feet long!)

• Ramses reigned until 1213 BCE (he was over 90 years old!) – his reign was peaceful and Nile flooded to provide plentiful water and silt for good harvests during his reign

Egypt’s Decline• Egypt declined as the central

government lost power after Ramses II’s rule

• By 1070 BCE, a series of foreign powers ruled Egypt

• One of those rulers was Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia who conquered Egypt (the last Macedonian ruler of Egypt was Cleopatra)

• The Romans also controlled Egypt for a time period