Name:______Date:______

Civilization / Era:
EGYPT (PT. 2) – THE NEW KINGDOM / Political Characteristics
  • 1640 BC – Hyksos (foreign invaders from Middle East) rule Egypt
    -Fast on horseback, used chariots, & fired accurate bow/composite arrows
    -Eventually would assimilate into Egyptian culture
  • 1532 BC – Kamose/Ahmose repels the Hyksos, starting New Kingdom
  • Pride hurt from foreign invader rule, thus New Kingdom Egypt is expansionist, aggressive, & no longer isolationist
  • 1473 BC – 1458 BC – Hatshepsut rules as solo female pharaoh (though maintained male headdress & beard)
  • Backlash to Hatshepsut’s rule saw officials deface her monuments & try to erase her name from hieroglyphics
  • 1353 BC - 1335 BC – Amenhotep IV changes name to Akhenaten.
    -In effort to support chief-god Aten
    -Closed temples of old god Amon
    -Suppressed power of priests
    -Built new capital at Amarna
  • Backlash to Akhenaten’s rule saw officials priests/aristocrats reclaim power over king, restore Amon as chief god, and close temples to Aten
  • 1333 BC – 1323 BC – Tutankhamen
    -Boy-king (intact tomb tells the story)
    -Likely influenced/manipulated by officials taking part in Akhenaten backlash
  • 1290 BC – 1224 BC – Ramesses II
    -66 yr. reign during Ramessides dynasty (lived into 90’s, fathered 100+ children)
    -Monumental building across Egypt
  • New Kingdom Egypt would extend control over Nubia (exacting tribute, trade, & revenues) and Syria-Palestine (via garrisoned forts and alliances with local rulers)
/ Achievements (Cultural)
  • New art style emerges under Akhenaten’s rule: old style of stationary forward-facing people now more fluid, natural, and abstracted
/ Religious Characteristics (Cultural)
  • Akhenaten’s reign saw controversy and transition to new chief-god over all Egypt
    (would leave bitter resentment between upper classes and king)

Time Period:
1532 BC – 1070 BC
Related Key Concepts
1.2. The Neolithic Revolution and Early
Agricultural Societies
1.3. The Development and Interactions of
Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies
Most Important Thing to Remember:
Expansionist Egypt
Contact with other civs.
Technological Characteristics (Cultural)
  • Bronze weapons and chariots adopted post-Hyksos rule
  • Improved potter’s wheel and weaver’s loom
  • Horse domestication by 1600 BC
/ Interaction with Environment
Refer to EGYPT (Ch 1 Notes) / Economic Characteristics
  • New Kingdom Egypt open to trade, cultural exchange, & technological innovation
  • Hatshepsut celebrated a trade excursion to Punt (Nubia region) for myrrh, ebony, ivory, monkeys, exotic animals
/ Social Characteristics
Refer to EGYPT (Ch 1 Notes)