Ancient Egypt: The New Kingdom
by The history of the New Kingdom is frequently the study of Ancient Egypt from the period between 1552 BC and 1070BC. The majority of historians as well Egyptologists have tended to agree that the history of the New Kingdom exactly coincides with the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and also the Twentieth dynasties. There is a minority of historians that include the history of the Late Period in with the period of the New Kingdom, or until the death of Cleopatra VII in 31 BC.
The history of the New Kingdom is frequently the study of Ancient Egypt from the period between 1552 BC and 1070BC. The majority of historians as well Egyptologists have tended to agree that the history of the New Kingdom exactly coincides with the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and also the Twentieth dynasties. There is a minority of historians that include the history of the Late Period in with the period of the New Kingdom, or until the death of Cleopatra VII in 31 BC.
The history of the New Kingdom was one that commenced with a relatively rapid recovery from the decline suffered towards the end of the Middle Kingdom and indeed throughout the Second Intermediate Period. Once again the basic administrative, economic, as well as the social institutions and infrastructures of Ancient Egypt demonstrated their outstanding capabilities to regenerate as soon as stability was restored.
Ancient Egypt started its revival during the Second Intermediate Period, and under the highly capable Pharaohs of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and the Twentieth Dynasties reached unprecedented levels of power. Indeed it would not be an exaggeration to argue that at the height of the New Kingdom period that Egypt was the strongest empire in the whole wide world.
The history of the New Kingdom witnessed the mighty Pharaohs of the Nineteenth Dynasty such as Sethos I and the legendary Rameses II who ruled the New Kingdom for a grand total of sixty-seven years. Under Rameses II the Egyptian empire attained its zenith yet it soon became unstable after his death.
The history of the New Kingdom was thus a period of empire as well as witnessing vast construction projects including the rebuilding of Thebes. Unfortunately the great achievements of the New Kingdom could not survive dynastic and political instability as the weaker Twentieth Dynasty replaced the Nineteenth Dynasty.
Ancient Egypt was widely perceived internationally as being a powerful and very wealthy state, which meant that foreign states, and empires always took a keen interest in the events or development that took place inside Egypt. The decline of the New Kingdom was therefore taken advantage of by outside powers.
Bibliography
Crystal, D (2003) The Penguin Concise Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, London
Geddes and Grosset (2004) Ancient Egypt Myth & History, The Gresham Publishing Company, New Lanark (there is no indication of the authors initials)
Grimal, N (1992) A History of Ancient Egypt, translated by I Shaw, Blackwell, Oxford
Moore, R I (1999) Philip’s Atlas of World History, Chancellor Press, London
Shaw, I (2000) The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford University, Oxford
Tyldesley, J (2003) Pyramids – the real story behind Egypt’s most ancient monuments, Viking, London
Verner, M (2002) The Pyramids – Their Archeology and History, translated by S Rendall, Atlantic Books, London
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