New Kingdom of Egypt - wikipedia New Kingdom of Egypt `` New Kingdom '' redirects here. For other uses, see New Kingdom ( disambiguation ). New Kingdom of Egypt c. 1550 BC -- c. 1077 BC New Kingdom at its maximum territorial extent in the 15th century BC. Capital Thebes ( 1550 -- c. 1352 BC, 17th dynasty and 18th dynasty before Akhenaten ) Akhetaten ( c. 1352 -- c. 1336 BC, Akhenaten of 18th dynasty ) Thebes ( c. 1336 -- 1279 BC, 18th dynasty and 19th dynasty before Ramesses II ) Pi - Ramesses ( c. 1279 -- c. 1213 BC, Ramesses II of 19th dynasty ) Memphis ( c. 1213 -- c. 1077 BC, 19th dynasty starting with Merneptah and 20th dynasty ) Languages Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, Canaanite Religion Ancient Egyptian religion Atenism ( during the Amarna Period ) Government Imperial cult, Absolute monarchy Pharaoh c. 1550 BC -- c. 1525 BC Ahmose I ( first ) c. 1107 BC -- c. 1077 BC Ramesses XI ( last ) History Established c. 1550 BC Disestablished c. 1077 BC Preceded by Succeeded by Second Intermediate Period of Egypt Kingdom of Kerma Third Intermediate Period of Egypt Kingdom of Kush Tribe of Judah Today part of Egypt Sudan Israel Palestine Lebanon Libya Syria Jordan Turkey Part of a series on the History of Egypt Prehistoric Egypt pre -- 3150 BC Ancient Egypt Early Dynastic Period 3150 -- 2686 BC Old Kingdom 2686 -- 2181 BC 1st Intermediate Period 2181 -- 2055 BC Middle Kingdom 2055 -- 1650 BC 2nd Intermediate Period 1650 -- 1550 BC New Kingdom 1550 -- 1069 BC 3rd Intermediate Period 1069 -- 744 BC Kushite Egypt 744 -- 656 BC Twenty - sixth Dynasty of Egypt 664 -- 525 BC Classical antiquity Achaemenid Egypt 525 -- 404 BC Twenty - eighth Dynasty of Egypt 404 -- 398 BC Twenty - ninth Dynasty of Egypt 398 -- 380 BC Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt 380 -- 343 BC Achaemenid Egypt 343 -- 332 BC Macedonian and Ptolemaic Egypt 332 -- 30 BC Roman and Byzantine Egypt 30 BC -- 641 AD Sasanian Egypt 619 -- 629 Middle Ages Rashidun Egypt 641 -- 661 Umayyad Egypt 661 -- 750 Abbasid Egypt 750 -- 935 Tulunid Egypt 868 -- 905 Ikhshidid Egypt 935 -- 969 Fatimid Egypt 969 -- 1171 Ayyubid Egypt 1171 -- 1250 Mamluk Egypt 1250 -- 1517 Early modern Ottoman Egypt 1517 -- 1867 French occupation 1798 -- 1801 Egypt under Muhammad Ali 1805 -- 1882 Khedivate of Egypt 1867 -- 1914 Modern Egypt British occupation 1882 -- 1922 Sultanate of Egypt 1914 -- 1922 Kingdom of Egypt 1922 -- 1953 Republic 1953 -- present Egypt portal Dynasties of Ancient Egypt All years are BC Early First Dynasty c. 3150 -- 2890 Second Dynasty II 2890 -- 2686 Old Kingdom Third Dynasty III 2686 -- 2613 Fourth Dynasty IV 2613 -- 2498 Fifth Dynasty V 2498 -- 2345 Sixth Dynasty VI 2345 -- 2181 First Intermediate Seventh Dynasty VII spurious Eighth Dynasty VIII 2181 -- 2160 Ninth Dynasty IX 2160 -- 2130 Tenth Dynasty X 2130 -- 2040 Early Eleventh Dynasty XI 2134 -- 2061 Middle Kingdom Late Eleventh Dynasty XI 2061 -- 1991 Twelfth Dynasty XII 1991 -- 1803 Thirteenth Dynasty XIII 1803 -- 1649 Fourteenth Dynasty XIV 1705 -- 1690 Second Intermediate Fifteenth Dynasty XV 1674 -- 1535 Sixteenth Dynasty XVI 1660 -- 1600 Abydos Dynasty 1650 -- 1600 Seventeenth Dynasty XVII 1580 -- 1549 New Kingdom Eighteenth Dynasty XVIII 1549 -- 1292 Nineteenth Dynasty XIX 1292 -- 1189 Twentieth Dynasty XX 1189 -- 1077 Third Intermediate Twenty - first Dynasty XXI 1069 -- 945 Twenty - second Dynasty XXII 945 -- 720 Twenty - third Dynasty XXIII 837 -- 728 Twenty - fourth Dynasty XXIV 732 -- 720 Twenty - fifth Dynasty XXV 732 -- 653 Late Period Twenty - sixth Dynasty XXVI 672 -- 525 Twenty - seventh Dynasty ( 1st Persian Period ) XXVII 525 -- 404 Twenty - eighth Dynasty XXVIII 404 -- 398 Twenty - ninth Dynasty XXIX 398 -- 380 Thirtieth Dynasty XXX 380 -- 343 Thirty - first Dynasty ( 2nd Persian Period ) XXXI 343 -- 332 Ptolemaic ( Hellenistic ) Argead Dynasty 332 -- 305 Ptolemaic Kingdom 323 -- 30 The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasties of Egypt. Radiocarbon dating places the exact beginning of the New Kingdom between 1570 BC and 1544 BC. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was succeeded by the Third Intermediate Period. It was Egypt 's most prosperous time and marked the peak of its power. The later part of this period, under the 19th and 20th Dynasties ( 1292 -- 1069 BC ), is also known as the Ramesside period. It is named after the 11 Pharaohs that took the name Ramesses, after Ramesses I, the founder of the 19th Dynasty. Possibly as a result of the foreign rule of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period, the New Kingdom saw Egypt attempt to create a buffer between the Levant and Egypt proper, and during this time Egypt attained its greatest territorial extent. Similarly, in response to very successful 17th century attacks during the Second Intermediate Period by the powerful Kingdom of Kush, the rulers of the New Kingdom felt compelled to expand far south into Nubia and to hold wide territories in the Near East. In the north, Egyptian armies fought Hittite armies for control of modern - day Syria. Contents 1 18th Dynasty 2 19th Dynasty 3 20th Dynasty 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links 18th Dynasty Main article : Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt The 18th Dynasty contained some of Egypt 's most famous Pharaohs, including Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun. Queen Hatshepsut concentrated on expanding Egypt 's external trade by sending a commercial expedition to the land of Punt. Thutmose III ( `` the Napoleon of Egypt '' ) expanded Egypt 's army and wielded it with great success to consolidate the empire created by his predecessors. This resulted in a peak in Egypt 's power and wealth during the reign of Amenhotep III. During the reign of Thutmose III ( c. 1479 -- 1425 BC ), Pharaoh, originally referring to the king 's palace, became a form of address for the person who was king. One of the best - known 18th Dynasty pharaohs is Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten in honor of the Aten, a representation of the Egyptian god, Ra. His exclusive worship of the Aten is often interpreted as history 's first instance of monotheism. Akhenaten 's wife, Nefertiti, contributed a great deal to his new take on the Egyptian religion. Nefertiti was bold enough to perform rituals to Aten. Akhenaten 's religious fervor is cited as the reason why he and his wife were subsequently written out of Egyptian history. Under his reign, in the 14th century BC, Egyptian art flourished under a distinctive style. ( See Amarna Period. ) Towards the end of the 18th Dynasty, the situation had changed radically. Aided by Akhenaten 's apparent lack of interest in international affairs, the Hittites had gradually extended their influence into Phoenicia and Canaan to become a major power in international politics -- a power that both Seti I and his son Ramesses II would need to deal with during the 19th Dynasty. 19th Dynasty Main article : Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt Ramesses II ( `` the Great '' ) sought to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty. His campaigns of reconquest culminated in the Battle of Kadesh, where he led Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II. Ramesses was caught in history 's first recorded military ambush, although he was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against the Hittites thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin ( possibly mercenaries in the employ of Egypt ). The outcome of the battle was undecided, with both sides claiming victory at their home front, and ultimately resulting in a peace treaty between the two nations. Egypt was able to obtain wealth and stability under Ramesses ' rule of over half a century. His immediate successors continued the military campaigns, although an increasingly troubled court -- which at one point put a usurper ( Amenmesse ) on the throne -- made it increasingly difficult for a pharaoh to effectively retain control of the territories. Ramesses II was also famed for the huge number of children he sired by his various wives and concubines ; the tomb he built for his sons, many of whom he outlived, in the Valley of the Kings has proven to be the largest funerary complex in Egypt. Egyptian and Hittite Empires, around the time of the Battle of Kadesh. 20th Dynasty Main article : Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt The last `` great '' pharaoh from the New Kingdom is widely considered to be Ramesses III, a 20th Dynasty pharaoh who reigned several decades after Ramesses II. In the eighth year of his reign the Sea Peoples invaded Egypt by land and sea. Ramesses III defeated them in two great land and sea battles ( the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta ). He incorporated them as subject peoples and settled them in Southern Canaan although there is evidence that they forced their way into Canaan. Their presence in Canaan may have contributed to the formation of new states, such as Philistia, in this region after the collapse of the Egyptian Empire. He was also compelled to fight invading Libyan tribesmen in two major campaigns in Egypt 's Western Delta in his sixth year and eleventh year respectively. The heavy cost of this warfare slowly drained Egypt 's treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia. The severity of the difficulties is indicated by the fact that the first known labor strike in recorded history occurred during the 29th year of Ramesses III 's reign, when the food rations for Egypt 's favored and elite royal tomb - builders and artisans in the village of Deir el Medina could not be provisioned. Air pollutants prevented much sunlight from reaching the ground and also arrested global tree growth for almost two full decades until 1140 BC. One proposed cause is the Hekla 3 eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland but the dating of this remains disputed. Rameses III 's death was followed by years of bickering among his heirs. Three of his sons ascended the throne successively as Ramesses IV, Rameses VI and Rameses VIII. Egypt was increasingly beset by droughts, below - normal flooding of the Nile, famine, civil unrest and official corruption. The power of the last pharaoh of the dynasty, Ramesses XI, grew so weak that in the south the High Priests of Amun at Thebes became the de facto rulers of Upper Egypt, and Smendes controlled Lower Egypt even before Rameses XI 's death. Smendes eventually founded the 21st Dynasty at Tanis. Gallery This section contains what may be an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images. Galleries containing indiscriminate images of the article subject are discouraged ; please improve or remove the section accordingly. Relief of a Nobleman, c. 1295 -- 1070 B.C.E. Brooklyn Museum Queen Ahmose - Nefertari Hatshepsut as a Sphinx. Daughter of Thutmose I, she ruled jointly as her stepson 's ( Thutmose III ) co-regent. She soon took the throne for herself, and declared herself pharaoh. Queen Hatshepsut 's Temple at Deir el - Bahari, was called Djeser - Djeseru, meaning the Holy of Holies, in ancient times. Thutmosis III, a military man and member of the Thutmosid royal line is commonly called the Napoleon of Egypt. His conquests of the Levant brought Egypt 's territories and influence to its greatest extent. Colossi of Memnon. Representing Amenhotep III, this statue sits outside Luxor. Tiye, born a commoner, became queen through her marriage to Amenhotep III. In the New Kingdom, women gained influence in court, and Tiye soon helped run affairs of state for both her husband and son during their reigns. Akhenaten, born Amenhotep IV, was the son of Queen Tiye. He rejected the old Egyptian religion and went about promoting the Aten as a supreme deity. Akhenaten Bust of Nefertiti. The wife of Akhenaten, she held position as co-regent with Akhenaten. She may also have ruled as pharaoh in her own right as she is one of few candidates for the identity of Pharaoh Neferneferuaten. Tutankhamun 's mask. King Tutankhamun, son of Akhenaten, restored Egypt to its former religion. Though he died young and was not considered significant in his own time, the 1922 discovery of his KV62 intact tomb by Howard Carter, made him relevant as a symbol of ancient Egypt in the modern world. Detail Temple of Rameses II Nefertari 's Temple at Abu Simbel Giant Ramses II Abu Simbel Temple of Ramesses II Abu Simbel King Tutanhkamun Guardian Statue See also History of ancient Egypt The Stonemason Ostracon References Jump up ^ Christopher Bronk Ramsey et al., Radiocarbon - Based Chronology for Dynastic Egypt, Science 18 June 2010 : Vol. 328, no. 5985, pp. 1554 -- 1557. ^ Jump up to : Shaw, Ian, ed. ( 2000 ). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 481. ISBN 0 - 19 - 815034 - 2. Jump up ^ Alberge, Dalya. `` Tomb reveals Ancient Egypt 's humiliating secret ''. The Times. London. Retrieved June 14, 2017. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ Redmount, Carol A. `` Bitter Lives : Israel in and out of Egypt. '' p. 89 - 90. The Oxford History of the Biblical World. Michael D. Coogan, ed. Oxford University Press. 1998. Jump up ^ Tyldesley, Joyce ( 2005 - 04 - 28 ). Nefertiti : Egypt 's Sun Queen. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780141949796. Jump up ^ Thomas, Susanna ( 2003 ). Rameses II : Pharaoh of the New Kingdom. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 9780823935970. Jump up ^ Eric H. Cline and David O'Connor, eds. Ramesses III : The Life and Times of Egypt 's Last Hero ( University of Michigan Press ; 2012 ) Jump up ^ Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, Blackwell Books, 1992. p. 271 Jump up ^ William F. Edgerton, `` The Strikes in Ramses III 's Twenty - Ninth Year '', JNES 10, no. 3 ( July 1951 ), pp. 137 -- 145. Jump up ^ Frank J. Yurco, `` End of the Late Bronze Age and Other Crisis Periods : A Volcanic Cause, '' in Gold of Praise : Studies on Ancient Egypt in Honor of Edward F. Wente, ed : Emily Teeter & John Larson, ( SAOC 58 ) 1999, pp. 456 - 458. Library resources about New Kingdom of Egypt Online books Resources in your library Resources in other libraries Further reading Bierbrier, M.L. The Late New Kingdom In Egypt, C. 1300 - 664 B.C. : A Genealogical and Chronological Investigation. Warminster, England : Aris & Phillips, 1975. Freed, Rita A., Yvonne Markowitz, and Sue H. d'Auria, eds. Pharaohs of the Sun : Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamun. London : Thames & Hudson, 1999. Freed, Rita E. Egypt 's Golden Age : The Art of Living In the New Kingdom, 1558 - 1085 B.C. Boston : Museum of Fine Arts, 1981. Kemp, Barry J. The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti : Amarna and Its People. London : Thames & Hudson, 2012. Morkot, Robert. A Short History of New Kingdom Egypt. London : Tauris, 2015. Radner, Karen. State Correspondence In the Ancient World : From New Kingdom Egypt to the Roman Empire. New York : Oxford University Press, 2014. Redford, Donald B. Egypt and Canaan In the New Kingdom. Beʾer Sheva : Ben Gurion University of the Negev Press, 1990. Sadek, Ashraf I. Popular Religion In Egypt During the New Kingdom. Hildesheim : Gerstenberg, 1987. Spalinger, Anthony John. War In Ancient Egypt : The New Kingdom. Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub., 2005. Thomas, Angela P. Akhenaten 's Egypt. Shire Egyptology 10. Princes Risborough, UK : Shire, 1988. Tyldesley, Joyce A. Egypt 's Golden Empire : The Age of the New Kingdom. London : Headline Book Pub., 2001. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Egyptian New Kingdom. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Egyptian Empire. Middle East on the Matrix : Egypt, The New Kingdom -- Photographs of many of the historic sites dating from the New Kingdom New Kingdom of Egypt - Aldokkan Ancient Egypt topics Outline Index Major topics Glossary of artifacts Agriculture Architecture ( Egyptian Revival architecture ) Art Astronomy Chronology Cities ( list ) Clothing Cuisine Dynasties Funerary practices Geography Great Royal Wives History Language Literature Mathematics Medicine Military Music Mythology People Pharaohs ( list ) Philosophy Religion Sites Technology Trade Writing Egyptology Egyptologists Museums Book Ancient Egypt portal WikiProject Commons Empires Ancient Akkadian Egyptian Assyrian Babylonian Carthaginian Chinese Qin Han Three Kingdoms Jin North and South Hellenistic Macedonian Seleucid Hittite Indian Nanda Maurya Satavahana Shunga Gupta Harsha Iranian Elamite Median Achaemenid Parthian Sasanian Kushan Mongol Xianbei Xiongnu Roman Western Eastern Teotihuacan Post-classical Arab Rashidun Umayyad Abbasid Fatimid Córdoba Aragonese Angevin Aztec Benin Bornu Bruneian Bulgarian First Second Byzantine Nicaea Trebizond Chinese Sui Tang Song Yuan Ethiopian Zagwe Solomonic Georgian Hunnic Inca Indian Chola Gurjara - Pratihara Pala Eastern Ganga dynasty Delhi Vijayanagara Iranian Samanid Kanem Khmer Latin Majapahit Malaccan Mali Mongol Yuan Golden Horde Chagatai Khanate Ilkhanate Moroccan Idrisid Almoravid Almohad Marinid North Sea Oyo Holy - Roman Carolingian Serbian Somali Ajuran Ifatite Adalite Mogadishan Warsangali Songhai Srivijaya Tibetan Turko - Persian Ghaznavid Great Seljuk Khwarezmian Timurid Vietnamese Ly Tran Le Wagadou Modern Ashanti Austrian Austro - Hungarian Brazilian Central African Chinese Ming Qing China Manchukuo Ethiopian French First Second German First / Old Reich Second Reich Third Reich Haitian First Second Indian Maratha Sikh Mughal British Raj Iranian Safavid Afsharid Japanese Johor Korean Mexican First Second Moroccan Saadi Alaouite Russian Somali Gobroon Majeerteen Hobyo Dervish Soviet Swedish Tongan Turkish Ottoman Karaman Ramazan Vietnamese Tay Son Nguyen Vietnam Colonial American Belgian British English Danish Dutch French German Italian Japanese Omani Norwegian Portuguese Spanish Swedish Lists Empires largest ancient great powers medieval great powers modern great powers Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Kingdom_of_Egypt&oldid=830107697 '' Categories : Former countries in Africa Former countries in Asia States and territories established in the 16th century BC States and territories disestablished in the 11th century BC New Kingdom of Egypt Former empires Former kingdoms 2nd millennium BC in Egypt 2nd - millennium BC establishments in Egypt 2nd - millennium BC disestablishments in Egypt Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Former country articles requiring maintenance Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Afrikaans Alemannisch Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Bahasa Banjar Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano ქართული Latina Lietuvių Magyar Македонски مصرى Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 45 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 March 2018, at 20 : 04. 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Question: what was the most important new religious figure of the new kingdom of ancient egypt
Answer: the Aten, a representation of the Egyptian god, Ra; Aten