New Kingdom Egypt 1570-1070 BCE
- Historians
- Sep 11, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 17, 2018
The Rise of New Kingdom Egypt
The period of New Kingdom Egypt (1570-1069 BCE) was the most prosperous time in ancient Egypt. This can be said to be due to multiple factors such as agricultural development, political stability, economic success, and friendly foreign ties, but I believe the main reason for the strength of this period is due to its military progress.
Before the start of 18th century New Kingdom Egypt, led by Ahmose I, the second intermediate period (1782-1570 BCE) saw the Hyksos; foreign rulers rise to power when they lay siege to lower Egypt and made Avaris their capital. Thebes, the then capital of Egypt, under the rule of Seqenenra Taa, saw a great threat when dealing with the Hyksos in the north and the Kush kingdom in the south. This forced Seqenenra to wage a war to expel the foreign rulers in other to gain back resources from the Nile delta and access to trade routes (Mark, 2016).
However, the Egyptian military technology was nowhere near good enough to face their enemies. It was stated that, “Before the New Kingdom the Egyptian armies were composed of conscripted peasants and artisans, who would then mass under the banner of the pharaoh. During the Old and Middle Kingdom Egyptian armies were very basic. The Egyptian soldiers carried a simple armament consisting of a spear with a copper spearhead and a large wooden shield covered by leather hides.” (Military of ancient Egypt, 2018). In order to defeat their enemies, the Egyptians made new weapons which were introduced by the Hyksos. From the source, “The Hyksos have been credited with bringing to Egypt the horse, the Ourarit (chariot), and the composite bow—tools that drastically altered the way Egypt's military functioned. The composite bow, which allowed for more accuracy and greater kill distance with arrows, along with horses and chariots eventually assisted the Egyptian military in ousting the Hyksos from Egypt” (Military of ancient Egypt, 2018).
Hence, the 17th dynasty came to be with Ahmose I finally succeeding in expelling the foreign rulers. However, this was not the only time when military progress paved the way for Egypt. Thutmose III used the sickle sword, and Ramses III helmets, both seemingly from Syrian origins, and the introduction of bronze casting made the Egyptian military one of the most advanced of their time (Harling, Rovito, Boynton, Nollen, & Omelko, n.d). There are still many other arsenal advancements that the Egyptians obtained with Asian origins. Egypt quickly expanded its territories and set up “buffer” zones to prevent invasions.
These points are my reason for claiming that military strength was the reason for the rise of Egypt, however other factors can lead to a successful nation as well. For example, The rule of Hatshepsut was one of the most stable and prosperous in the New Kingdom Egypt. She ruled far longer than most Pharaohs before and after her. She focused on establishing trade routes, building projects and there were no clear signs of her rule being contested (Hatshepsut, 2018) (Tyldesley, 2018).
In summary, successful nations all have strong leaders who made the right choices in their lifetime. Perhaps, it depends on specific traits that a leader displays during different situations that allow for progress in a nation. I feel that whether it is military dominance or political and social factors, the right timing for different actions will ultimately decide if one is successful or not.
The Fall of New Kingdom Egypt
The decline of New Kingdom Egypt began during the 20th dynasty (1189 - 1070 BCE). A number of reasons have attributed to the fall of Egypt such as Pharaohs losing power to the high priest, poor choice of ruler succession, and constant invasion that hurt the economy (Kaufmann, 2015).
Ramesses III was the last of the New Kingdoms pharaohs that were strong. In the eighth year of his reign the Sea Peoples invaded Egypt by land and sea. Ramesses III finally defeated them in two great land and sea battles (the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta). However, the constant war caused a grave issue with Egypts financial state. Food provisions were low, drought and disease infested the populous. In addition, the priest of Amun continued to grow in strength at the expense of the pharaohs. The reason for the priests growth in strength begins from when Ramesses II had moved the capital to Avaris and left Thebes to the priests. This allowed them to build up their wealth and influence over the people without the pharaohs interference who were in Avaris. The priest of Amun had control over more land and had more authority than the pharaohs. Although Ramesses III still had political control and control of the borders, the priests of Amun were seen as the intermediary with the gods and hence they were favored over the pharaohs. After Ramesses III was assassinated, his successors were not up to standard in maintaining the empire and all of them had struggled to maintain Egypt from constant invasion from outside forces and civil strife among the priests of Amun (Mark, 2016).
By the time of Ramesses XI, the high priest of Amun (Amenhotep or Herihor) were powerful enough to rule Egypt from Thebes and the country was divided amongst Ramesses XI and the priests. This division of rule showed that there was no longer a strong central government and past laws that protected the empire were no longer effective. As the worship of Amun greatly ascended, the pharaohs were no longer seen as gods and hence, not necessary as a intermediary between the people’s gods (Mark, 2016).
The 20th Dynasty ends with the death of Ramesses XI and his successor Smendes I only ruled in Lower Egypt and eventually over a fairly limited territory. The New Kingdom concludes (1069 BCE) under his reign as he becomes more of a state ruler. The priests of Amun had no central Egyptian power and hence, the Nubians to the South took back their lands that they had lost during the reign of Thutmose III and other great pharaohs. The country then entered the era known as the Third Intermediate Period.
In summary, the fall of New Kingdom Egypt saw a myriad of contributions by different factors which ate away at the strength of the pharaohs and the influence over their empire. This led to the eventual collapse of their society and gave opportunity to foreign invaders to take over Egypt.
Summarized points
Beginning
The war with the Hyksos(Foreigners of mixed ethnicity, probably Palestinian) began when the Egyptian king Seqenenra Taa (also known as Ta'O) interpreted a message from the Hyksos king Apepi as a challenge and went to war with him.
Ta'O → Kamose of Thebes (probably Ta'O's son) who claimed victory over the Hyksos after destroying the city of Avaris → Ahmose I, who fought three battles to take it and drove the Hyksos first to Palestine and then to Syria.
With the defeat of the foreign kings and their expulsion from Egypt, Ahmose I re-established his borders, pushed the Kushites further to the south, unified the country under his rule from the city of Thebes, and thus initiated the period of the New Kingdom.
How they stayed strong/rise
Expanded territory (buffer zones, precaution against invasion)
Learned to make bronze (better arms), war chariots
Securing borders
Pharaohs exhibited power against rebels (hanging rebellion Nubian king)
Building projects
Political stability/central government
Economical progress
Trade deals from foreign lands
Peace treaties
Defended against invasion (Sea people)
Reasons for fall
Priests were getting stronger than Pharaohs
Loss of central government and political control of people
Priests were seen as the intermediary between god and the people
There were pharaohs who neglected political issues and did not defend their territories
Constant invasions depleted Egyptians resources
Chain of rulers
Ahmose I → Amenhotep I → Thutmose I → Thutmose II(son of lesser queen) (overshadowed by half-sister Hatshepsut) →Thutmose III → Amenhotep II → Thutmose IV → Amenhotep III→ Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) → Tutankhaten (Tutankhamun) → General Horemheb → Ramesses I → Seti I → Ramesses II → Merenptah → Amenmesse (usurper) → Seti II → Merenptah Siptah → stepmother(Merenptah Siptah) Twosret → Setnakhte (usurper) → Ramesses III → Ramesses IV → Ramesses V → Ramesses VI → Ramesses VII → Ramesses VIII → Ramesses IX → Ramesses X → Ramesses XI
References:
[Cover image] All Gizah Pyramids. Image by Ricardo Liberato. CC BY-SA 2.0. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids#/media/File:All_Gizah_Pyramids.jpg
Hatshepsut. (2018, October 11). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut
Harling, S., Rovito, B., Boynton, A., Nollen, P., & Omelko, P. (n.d.). Weaponry. Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/ancientegyptianwarfare/weaponry/
Kaufmann, F. (2015, January 6). New Kingdom of Egypt. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt#Decline
Military of ancient Egypt. (2018). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_ancient_Egypt#The_New_Kingdom_(1550-1069_BC)
Mark, J. J. (October 7, 2016). New Kingdom of Egypt. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt/
Tyldesley, J. (2018, March 14). Hatshepsut. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hatshepsut
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