Ancient Egyptians - The New Kingdom
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Egyptian History & Civilisation

Definition of the New Kingdom
Definition: The New Kingdom is the name of a period in ancient Egyptian History. historians divide the years of ancient Egyptian history and civilisation into the following historical time periods, which include the period known as the New Kingdom. The dates of the New Kingdom were 1550 -1069 BCE and extended from the 18th to the 20th dynasty. For additional information refer to:

18th Dynasty

19th Dynasty

20th Dynasty

Historical Overview of the New Kingdom
The New Kingdom was noted for its territorial expansion and its richness of architecture and art under rulers such as Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Akhenaten, a king of the 18th dynasty, instigated a religious revolution based at Armana. The pyramidal form of royal tomb was abandoned many New Kingdom rulers were buried in tombs that were hidden in the Valley of the Kings in western Thebes. The New Kingdom was a time of increased devotion to the state god Amun-Ra. The New Kingdom was marked by the famous pharaohs of the 18th dynasty that included Tutankhamen, his father, the 'heretic pharaoh' Akhenaten and Queen Hatshepsut. Seti I and Ramses II (Ramses the Great) are also famous as they are believed to have been most likely pharaohs who opposed Moses in the book of Exodus in the Bible. The rise of the 19th Dynasty which was founded by Ramses I. His grandson, Ramses II, aka as Ramses the Great, reigned for 67 years and was an untiring builder. The kings of Egypt were not called 'Pharaoh' until the middle of the period of the New Kingdom but is now a common term used to describe all of the ancient rulers of ancient Egypt. 

Facts about the New Kingdom
The following facts provide a fast overview of the history of Egyptian civilization during the historical period known as the New Kingdom.

Ancient Egypt - The New Kingdom Fact Sheet

Fact 1: The period in ancient Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom was the time when Egypt reached the height of its power.

Fact 2: Military campaigns were launched during the period of the New Kingdom and the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean came under Egyptian rule.

Fact 3: The ancient Egyptians fought against the Hittites for control of the lucrative trade routes to Mesopotamia, Pharaoh Ramses the Great fought the Hittites in the Battle of Kadesh.

Fact 4: The New Kingdom saw the rise of the 18th dynasty and the turbulent reigns of Akhenaten and Nefertiti,  the boy king Tutankhamen and the reign of Queen Hatshepsut.

Fact 5: The Pharaohs of the 19th Dynasty were the pharaohs connected with Moses and the Bible including Pharaohs Seti I and Ramses the Great.

Fact 6: Egypt conquered Nubia, a major source of gold, and Viceroys were appointed during the period of the New Kingdom to act on behalf of the pharaoh.

Fact 7: The role of the Viceroys were to control the population, develop new trade agreement with Africa and to collect annual tributes form the Nubians

Fact 8: The Ancient Egyptians of the New Kingdom experienced the influences & cultures of foreign civilizations. The Hyksos, the foreign rulers of the Middle Kingdom, had introduced the horse and the chariot to ancient Egypt, changing ancient Egyptian methods of warfare.

Fact 9: The New Kingdom was a period of great wealth, luxury and power.

Fact 10: The Egyptian Priests of the New Kingdom acquired unprecedented power, new religious cult centers emerged bringing great wealth to many cities

Fact 11: It was not all good news during the New Kingdom. The oppressed Nubians retaliated, launched their own military campaign and conquered Egypt but they only retained their power for under 100 years.

Fact 12: During the period of the New Kingdom the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts evolved into the Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead was a collection of texts which the ancient Egyptian people believed would provide them with magical knowledge and magic spells to overcome the obstacles and dangers that would be experienced in the perilous journey through the underworld.

Fact 13: Every Egyptian aspired to own his own personalized version of the Book of the Dead

Fact 14: There was a surge in funerary and mortuary religious beliefs of ancient Egyptians and a need for protective amulets and talismans.

Fact 15: The Pharaoh Akhenaten (the father of Tutankhamen) established a new religious order worshipping the sun god Aten.

Fact 16: It was a religious revolution during which Akhenaten attempted to ban the worship of any of the old gods. He built a new city called Amarna and demanded that people moved there. The temples of the old gods were closed. Akhenaten alienated both the Egyptian people and the priests.

Fact 17: The Armana period of Akhenaten lasted for only for 16 years from 1349BC - 1333BC. Akhenaten abdicated and the old order was restored. The priests named Akhenaten the 'Heretic Pharaoh' attempted to erase his name from all records.

Fact 18: Pyramids were abandoned in favor of rock tombs and rulers of the 18th dynasty were buried in the Valley of the Kings which were a Target for the tomb raiders.

Fact 19: The New Kingdom was a period of new ideas but ultimately led back to the culture of 'old' Egypt but it was still the age of experimentation and invention.

Ancient Egypt - The New Kingdom Fact Sheet

Facts about the New Kingdom
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the New Kingdom for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about the New Kingdom for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about the New Kingdom for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

Ancient Egyptian History and the New Kingdom
The Egyptologists and historians divide the years of ancient Egyptian history and civilisation into the following historical time periods, which include the period known as the New Kingdom.

Ancient Egyptian History

Egytian Time Periods

Prehistoric Egytpt 5000 - 3100BCE

Early Dynastic Period: 3100 - 2686 BCE

The Old Kingdom 2686 - 2181 BCE

1st Intermediate Period 2181 - 2134 BCE

The Middle Kingdom 2134 - 1782 BCE

2nd Interm ediate Period 1782 - 1550 BCE

The New Kingdom 1550 - 1069 BCE

3rd Interm ediate Period 1069 - 664 BCE

The Late Period 664 - 332 BCE

Ptolemaic Egypt 332 - 30 BCE

Roman & Byzantine Egypt 30 BCE - 641 CE

The Early Dynastic Period

The Old Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom

The New Kingdom

The Late  Period

The Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt
Dynasties consisted of a succession of kings from the same family who succeeded each other on the throne by right of inheritance. The Dynasties of the New Kingdom extended from 18th to the 20th dynasty.

Ancient Egyptian Dynasties

Ancient Egytian Dynasties

Early Dynastic Period: 1st - 2nd Dynasties

The Old Kingdome 3rd - 6th Dynasties

1st Intermediate Period 7th - 10th Dynasties

The Middle Kingdom 11th - 12th Dynasties

2nd Intermediate Period 13th - 20th Dynasties

The New Kingdom 18th - 20th Dynasties

Post Empire 21st - 31st Dynasties

New Kingdom Pharaohs and Kings of the 18th Dynasty
The pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty ruled for approximately 250 years (c. 1550–1298 BC). New Kingdom Kings and Pharaohs of the 18th dynasty are the most famous in ancient Egyptian history and include the legendary boy-king Tutankhamen and his father, the 'heretic pharaoh' Akhenaten with his wife the beautiful Nefertiti. Hatshepsut was one of the most successful pharaohs but there was considerable opposition to a woman as ruler, and after her death her name and image, like that of Akhenaten were frequently defaced.

New Kingdom Pharaohs and Kings of the 19th Dynasty
The pharaohs of the 19th Dynasty ruled for approximately 110 years from c1292 to 1187 BCE. New Kingdom Kings and Pharaohs of the 19th dynasty ruled during the time period relating to Moses and the Exodus. There is no mention in ancient Egyptian historical records of the exodus or any of the ten plagues but the pharaohs Seti I and Ramses II (Ramses the Great) are believed to have been most likely pharaohs who opposed Moses as detailed in the book of Exodus in the Bible. The Hittites were enemies of Egypt during this period in which both nations fought for control of the lucrative trade routes and rich metal resources that were accessed via Northern Syria to the trade routes to Mesopotamia. Pharaoh Ramses the Great fought the Hittites in the Battle  of Kadesh.

New Kingdom Pharaohs and Kings of the 20th Dynasty
The pharaohs of the 20th Dynasty ruled for approximately 120 years from c1187 to 1064 BC. New Kingdom Kings and Pharaohs of the 20th dynasty included Pharaoh Ramses III who is famous for the 'harem conspiracy' in which Queen Tiye attempted to assassinate the pharaoh.

New Kingdom
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and New Kingdom inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about the New Kingdom will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

New Kingdom