Pharaohs
Pharaoh
Building Program
Amenhotep  The Temple of Amen at
Luxormost impressive
III
Religious Program
 The cult of Amun of Thebes
risen to the point of political
achievement
prominence
 Pylons at Karnak
 Amun=main God of the new
kingdomsuccess in battle
 Malkata Palace
 Mortuary Templededicated  Amenhotep III was depicted as
God – USE KEY TERMS:
to Aten
DEIFIED, SOLAR THEOLOGY
AND LIST EVIDENCE
Akhenaten
 Moved away from Amen
creating a cult of the Aten
built a temple plan that was
open to the sun’s rays
 Tomb at Amarnafor the
whole royal family
 Building programs reflected
his artistic, religious and
political reforms
Smenkhkare  Great Palace at Akhetaten
 Accepted Akhenaten’s
religious beliefs
 Intended not to be buried at
Amarna
 Temple of Karnak and Luxor  “Live Image of Amun”
statues, images of Amun
reverted to the old religion
 Sphinx’s depicting himself &
 Changed his and Akhenaten
small temple in the kings
name removing the “aten”
name
replacing it with “amun”
 Restoration Stela
 A huge hall (Ankhkheperure)
 Graffito from a Theban tomb
Tutankhamun
 Temple of the god Aten,
closing the temple of Amun
 Sent officials around to
destroy Amun’s statues and
worship sites
 Moved to a ‘virgin site’ and
named it Akhetaten-The
Horizon of the Aten
 The Aten was specified as the
Sun disc (MONOTHEISMHENOTHEISM)
Military Campaigns
 Evidence of the campaign in
Nubia
 The Amarna Letters suggest
that relations between
Amenhotep and King of
Mitannia was close
 Married several of their
princesses
 WHAT ABOUT NUBIA???
Queen’s
 Tiy: Young woman of nonroyal birth
 Had at least 7 children“The
Great Royal Wife”
 Showed beside the Pharaoh as
the same size, shown with
king attributes
 Amarna Lettersactive role in
diplomatic affairs
 Tiy outlived her husband and
lived well into the reign of her
son Akhenaten
 Nefertiti: Elegantly female,
depicted in pictures as a
warrior figurebuilt her own
fortress on the outskirts of the
city
 The temple ‘Hewet-benben’
was devoted entirely to her
worship of the Aten
 Depicted twice as often as her
husband
 Immense power (co-regency)
– changing status of queens
 Merytaten: She outlived her
husband and served as a ruler
under her late husband
 Campaigns in Nubia (little
 Ankhesenpaaten: Married his
success) and Palestine/Syria
half-sister at the age of 9
(successful)
 She is depicted on the
 Restoration Stela states his
funerary goods of her
army had not gained victory in husband Tutankhamun
the North
Administration
Foreign Policies
 Officials were appointed from  His role was to maintain and
the army to find suitable
protect what was already
occupations for ambitious
existed
military men
 Continuing policies & took
 Increasing power of Theban
personal interest in the affairs
officials
of the state
 Strengthened his alliance by
marrying sisters/daughters of
kings from Babylon
 NUBIA
 Appointed officials from the
ranks of the army
 Priests were also appointed
 Recorded on the restoration
stela that the new priests he
appointed for the restored
Amun cult were sons of the
Theban upper class
 Principal courtiers, Ay and
 First Syrian War: King
Suppiluliumas wrote to
Akhenaten congratulating him
on his accession to the throne
 Rid-addi of Byblos wrote and
said “the Hittite King has taken
over all the countries affiliated
with the king of Mitanni”
(A.Letter 75)

MENTION HERE HIS
DEPICTION AS
WARRIOR PHARAOH
– defeating Nubians
Ay
Horemheb
Ramesses I
Seti I
 Tomb in the Western Valley of  Followed the policy of
 Ankhesenamun
the Kings
Tutankhamunworship of
Amun
 Mortuary Temple
 Rock-cut shrine
 Pylons at Karnak
 Attack on Atenism
 Syrian Campaign
 Mutnodjmet: Link back to the
Horemheb’s religious policy
Confrontation with the Hitties
female royal blood line
 Commenced the Hypostyle
was strictly orthodox Amun  Possible peace treaty during
Hall at Karnak
cult was fully restored
his reign
 Rock Temple at Gebel
 Repairing the temple of Amun
depicting his battles
 Hypostyle hall at Karnak
 StelaSignifying his authority
 Temple built at Abydos
 Dedicated his buildings to
Osiris, Isis and Ptah

Ramesses II  Built a new capital in Delta
 Close link to the Amen
referring to him as his ‘father’
 Honours other God’s not just
Amen
 Elevates himself to the same
level as the gods in his Abydos
templeestablishment of a
new dynasty
 Pharaohs regarded equal to all
gods
 He claimed divine descent
 Additions to the Amun Temple from Amun
 His temple at Abu-Simbel was
 Several Temples in Nubia
 His work/inscriptions is mostly dedicated to Re-Horakhy and
the adjacent temple built for
self-praise
Nefertari (wife) was dedicated
 The Mortuary temple was
located at the western bank at to Hathor
 Foreign gods were recognised
Thebes
seen on the temples




Horemhebacquired position
of pharaoh after Tut’s death
Left no heirs so the throne fell
to Horemheb
Overseer of building works in
the Palace of Eternity
Corruption among officials,
 The Edict of Horemheb:
major reforms were
Desired to remedy various
undertaken by Horemheb
excesses committed by
servants of the state
New judges and officials
strict regulation of conduct
 Harsh punishments for those
“The Edict of Horemheb”
found guilty of corruption
 Led to an expedition to
Palestine further evoked by
Seti
 Active Military Program;
 Tuya: Political role writing to  Warned officials against
the Hittie KingPeace treaty interfering with the kings
 First Campaign: Palestine
with Egype
building projects, temples and
acquired control, capturing
estates.
towns
 Had a sacred wedding
 Punishment for these offences
 Second Campaign: Launched a
included the cutting off of
campaign against Libyans
noses and ears, lashes and
 Third Campaign: Attack on
bodily wounds. The victims’
Kadeshconquer some
families were also punished
territory
 Fourth Campaign: Hitties
Great Slaughter claiming
northern Syria
 Fifth Campaign: Nubia Egypt
had control and it was
exploited for mining and trade
 First Syrian campaign
 Nefertari: played important
religious and diplomatic roles
 Second (important)The
in her husband’s reign.
Hittites
 Depicted officiating jointly
 Third Battle of Kadesh,
with him in religious
violating the treaty set by his
ceremonies on the walls of a
father
shrine at Gebel el Silsila.
 Ramesses II led the armyhe
fell into an ambush set by the  Exchanged greetings with
Hittite queenpeace treaty
Hittite kingnew treaty
 In his second campaign to
Syria, he used his same
strategy securing coastal
towns before venturing inland
 Fights with Hittites in hand-tohand combat
 Hittite records mention a
treaty at this time
 Peace was achieved with the
Hittites after 200 years of
fighting – THROUGH TREATY
 Ramesses II married a Hittite
princess
 Moved the ancient Egyptian
capital from southern Egypt to
the Delta
 Shrine dedicated to Amun
 PER-RAMESSES (RAMESSEUM)