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After more than a century of rule by the Hyksos, the indigenous Egyptians drove the invaders from their land and established the New Kingdom. During the following centuries Egyptian armies moved far down the
Nile into Nubia and deep into Libya
and the Near East. The cities of Thebes and Memphis in Egypt became the most important political and cultural centres in the world.Some idea of the
splendour of the period is apparent in artefacts found in the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen. Sometimes known as the "Boy King", Tutankhamen was buried in the Valley of the Kings, near Thebes. Like the coffins of other pharaohs, his was hidden in a network of halls and rooms dug into the rock. The pharaohs hoped to fool grave robbers, but over
the millennia, most of their tombs were found and their treasures looted. Fortunately, Tutankhamen's grave was not discovered until 1922, and then by two British archaeologists, so his remains and possessions have been
carefully preserved.Tutankhamen ascended the throne at the age of 9 and lived only until the age of 18. The room containing his remains was rather small, possibly because he was a minor figure among the Egyptian
pharaohs. Nevertheless, the artefacts found with him were magnificent. The young king lay inside three coffins, the outer two of wood covered with hammered gold, the inner casket of pure gold. On his head was a golden
portrait mask, and fine jewellery lay at his side. Other rooms at the burial site contained furniture, clothes, weapons, and a chariot. The art of painting was highly developed during the New Kingdom, and paintings
from this period provide more clues to life in ancient Egypt. Ambassadors from foreign lands are shown standing before the king; craftsmen are pictured at work making jewellery; a pharaoh is shown hunting and fishing in
papyrus marshes. During the reign of Amenhotep IV (also known as Akhenaton
or Ikhnaton, painters and sculptors were encouraged to portray daily life. One picture shows the pharaoh kissing his wife; another shows the king at a table, chewing on a bone. A brightly painted limestone sculpture of Queen
Nefertiti, wife of Ikhnaton, is one of the finest portraits of any age: it
depicts a woman who is both regal and humane.During the 13th century BC, Ramses II was reputed to have extended Egypt's borders to India. This was an exaggeration perpetuated by Egyptian chroniclers, but Ramses did
fight several successful battles with the Hittites. Ramses also contributed
to one of the greatest architectural projects in history, the building of the vast temple complex at Karnak, near Luxor.Egyptian power began to decline toward the end of the 2nd millennium BC. Military commanders and priests, demanding more power, contributed to the disintegration
from within. Foreign armies pressed the borders of the realm. Soon a succession of invaders would rule Egypt: Assyrians, Nubians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. |
