The New Kingdom (1560-1085 B.C.)
The expulsion of the Hyksos was accomplished by Ahmose of Thebes, founder of the 18th dynasty. This dynasty sought to restore Egyptian power and the values associated with the concept of ma’at. A larger military establishment and the dedication of major resources to defense evolved into an expansionist foreign policy that led to the creation of an Egyptian empire.
The social consequences of the Egyptian military expansion were:
- A significant increase in the number of slaves, captives of war;
- Creation of a large standing army which provided an avenue of advancement for the lower classes; and
- Creation of powerful interest groups based on the three-way division of military spoils between soldiers, the priests of Amon-Re, and the Pharaoh.
The conquests of Ahmose produced the spoils of war and annual tribute from subjugated peoples. This wealth contributed to significant economic expansion, but also distorted the economy and society. Those enriched were the military and the priest class, which became markedly more powerful. This created a type of military-priest complex which gave these classes a vested interest in continuing a militaristic policy. Eventually this became a problem that threatened the stability of the New Kingdom dynasties.
Amenhotep I (1533-1512 B.C.) and his general and son-in-law, Thutmose I (1512-1500 B.C.) continued the policy of conquest. The reputation of the army was so great that when the Egyptians reached the Euphrates River, the Mitanni fled. The Egyptians also struck south against Nubia, and the sources mention Central African Negroes for the first time. It is also clear from the sources that a full blown military-priest complex had emerged and was putting pressure on the pharaohs to continue their conquests. The next pharaoh, Thutmose II (1500-1490 B.C.), had a short reign. He came to power in the same way as his father-in-law. That is, he was a general who married pharaoh’s daughter, in this case the famous Hatshepsut. His successor was Thutmose III (1490-1436 B.C.), Egypt’s greatest militarist, sometimes called Egypt’s Napoleon.
Thutmose III was the son of one of his father’s minor wives and was made pharaoh when only one-year old. All during his minority, a period of 20 years, he was completely dominated by the ambitious Hatshepsut, who first ruled as the child’s regent and then attempted to rule as pharaoh in her own right. She had herself depicted wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, dressed in men’s attire and wearing a beard. Hatshepsut and her adviser, Senmut, an architect, instituted a policy of peaceful, empire-wide trade. This alienated the bureaucracy, the priests, and the army, whose economic interests were wedded to military expansionism. When Thutmose III achieved his majority, he forced the Hatshepsut from the throne and is believed to have ordered her assassination.
Thutmose III immediately set off on a military campaign and continued to war throughout his reign, mainly in the Levant (Syria). Hatshepsut’s pacific policies had been interpreted as a sign of weakness by the Syrians and others who had risen in revolt. Thutmose III reestablished Egyptian supremacy in the region and took hundreds of hostages, including the defeated rulers’ sons and regularly their daughters, who swelled Thutmose’s harem.
Under the next three pharaohs, Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV, and Amenhotep III, Egyptian military might and economic prosperity continued. So strong was Egypt’s position that we can speak of a Pax Egyptica when their rule went unchallenged.
There is a distinct change in Egyptian art in this period, foreshadowing by a generation the so-called Armana revolution. This new art had more vivacity and movement than was normal for the Egyptian tradition, and it may reflect the many cosmopolitan influences that the kingdom experienced during its imperial period. Empire created a type of internationalism which modified Egyptian culture, including the influx of foreign words into the literature, and the syncretism of Egyptian and foreign religions. (Syncretism means the attempt to reconcile or unite elements).
Egyptian Art
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