Thutmose Iii Essay

Submitted By Olivia-Thomson
Words: 5352
Pages: 22
Open Document
THUTMOSE III (D. 1426 B.C.)

Egyptian king of the 18th dynasty (reigned 1479-26 BC), often regarded as the greatest of the rulers of ancient Egypt. Thutmose III was a skilled warrior who brought the Egyptian empire to the zenith of its power by conquering all of Syria, crossing the Euphrates to defeat the Mitannians, and penetrating south along the Nile to Napata in the Sudan. He also built a great number of temples and monuments to commemorate his deeds.
Thutmose's minority
Thutmose III was the son of Thutmose II; his mother was one of the king's minor wives or concubines, named Isis. Since there was no prince with a better claim to the throne, the boy was crowned king on the early death of his father; he was about 10 at the time and was betrothed to the heiress, his half-sister Neferure. Neferure's mother, Hatshepsut, the daughter of Thutmose I and wife and sister of

Thutmose II, acted as regent. In the second year of his reign this strong-minded and ambitious woman herself assumed the attributes, dress, and insignia of a king and to all intents and purposes reigned in his stead. As one of her courtiers says, "she directed the affairs of the whole land according to her wishes." Still, Thutmose was given an education befitting his royal station. He was taught all military skills, especially archery, which he demonstrated in public display, and horsemanship, in which he showed considerable prowess. He was later to boast that none among his followers could equal him in physical strength and in marksmanship.
As he grew up, Thutmose may even have been entrusted with command of the army on campaign in Nubia; whether he also fought in Palestine is doubtful. His grandfather Thutmose I had penetrated into northern Syria; Thutmose II, though far from a weakling, had not followed this success, and Hatshepsut, as a woman, may have been unwilling to send an army into the field. Thus, through inaction, Egyptian influence in Syria and Palestine had declined. The sons and grandsons of the Syrian princes who had surrendered to Thutmose I no longer sent tribute, and the king of Mitanni, a powerful Mesopotamian kingdom with its capital beyond the Euphrates, was able to extend his control westward to the Mediterranean.
In the 22nd year of Thutmose's reign, a formidable coalition was formed against Egypt, led by the king of Kadesh in northern Syria, and no doubt supported by the Mitanni. At this moment of crisis Hatshepsut died. Her death was opportune; whether her nephew was responsible is a matter of surmise only, but later in his reign he decreed that her name be obliterated on all her monuments, her statues smashed, and her figure erased from reliefs.
Military campaigns
After a few months' preparation the king was ready to march at the head of his army. The first campaign is recorded in some detail on the walls of the temple he built at Karnak in Thebes, which depict the march to Gaza and thence to Yahmai south of the Carmel Range, the council of war, and the king's bold decision to surprise the enemy encamped at Megiddo, northeast of Carmel and about 18 miles (29 km) southeast of the modern city of Haifa. Thutmose's approach was by the route least expected—a narrow defile over the mountain. It was successful. The enemy was defeated, and Megiddo was taken after a siege of eight months. In subsequent campaigns, which are less fully described in the annals, ports on the Phoenician coast were converted into Egyptian supply bases, and Kadesh and other cities in the al-Biqa' (Bekaa) Valley were taken.
In the 33rd year of Thutmose's reign, the time was at last ripe for his most audacious move, an attack on the kingdom of Mitanni itself, which had grown stronger since the day when Thutmose I had taken its army by surprise. Thutmose planned the campaign well; pontoon boats were transported across Syria on oxcarts for the crossing of the Euphrates River. The ensuing encounter, which must have taken place on the eastern bank, is not
Show More

Related Documents: Thutmose Iii Essay

Hatshepsut: Hatshepsut and Hatshepsut King / Queen Hatshepsut Essay

pharaoh. Hatshepsut influenced people's reactions toward how they think about women in power, both in her time and in the history of the world. After all her hard work in changing peoples' perspective, once Hatshepsut passed away her step-son (Thutmose III) destroyed her proposal for women's rights and most of the information about Hatsheput's rule or existence. Hatshepsut’s significant achievements in architecture and the artistic progress made Ancient Egypt one of the most successful world civilizations…

Words 1564 - Pages 7

King Hatshepsut Research Paper

an attempt to cover up her reign as king. She was responsible for the temple of Deir el Bahri. This temple is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of Egyptian architecture(Collier’s 688). Upon the perhaps untimely death of Hatshepsut, Thutmose III finally came into his own after almost 22years of frustration. He obliterated Hatshepsut’s names and figures on all her accessible monuments, destroyed or mutilated and buried her statues, and walled up her obelisks at Karnak, His destructive…

Words 555 - Pages 3

Why Did Modern Egyptologists Find Hatshepsut

Modern Egyptologists find Hatshepsut interesting for many reasons. Originally, Hatshepsut ruled alongside her husband Thutmose II. Her husband had died and had no royal sons. So they had to use his girlfriend’s son. This young man was Thutmose III. Thutmose III was very young at the time that he should’ve ruled. Because of this error Hatshepsut had to marry her half-brother to serve his regent. Now here’s where it gets really interesting. “Although her long rule had been a time of peace and prosperity…

Words 296 - Pages 2

The 18th Dynasty of Egypt Essay

there was a deliberate expansion policy that was collectively carried out by numerous Pharaohs that lead to the 'empire'. This was most notably due to the work of Thutmose III who extensively contributed to the 'empire' through his extensive military campaigns. The concept of 'Extending the boundaries of Egypt' was first introduced by Thutmose I and was further built upon by his successors throughout the eighteenth dynasty. The establishment, administration and maintenance of the empire were also important…

Words 1385 - Pages 6

Hatshepsut Essay

Hatshepsut was born around 1502 BC to Thutmose I and Ahmose. Both of her parents were from a royal background, and Thutmose I was Pharaoh when she was born. Her two brothers died in accidents, which meant that she was in a position to take over the throne after her father died. This was an unusual situation because very few women had ever become pharaohs. However, Hatshepsut was favored by her parents over her brothers, and she was beautiful and had a charismatic personality. Thus, despite her being…

Words 1640 - Pages 7

Pharaoh Essay: The New Pharaohs Of Ancient Egypt

were Hatshepsut, Thutmose iii, and Ramses ii. All of these pharaohs contributed to Egypt greatly using multiple great leadership skills such as expanding Egypt, creating new architecture, increasing Egypt’s wealth, and influencing their beliefs. In my opinion one of the best pharaohs to ever reign was Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was a very strong leader who benefited Egypt greatly while maintaining the role of being Egypt’s first woman as a pharaoh. Hatshepsut faced many…

Words 490 - Pages 2

Essay about Reliefs Queen Hatshepsut

the throne and succession: Divine Birth and Coronation reliefs Queen Hatshepsut was remarkable because she became “King” of Egypt, an achievement that was never before or after repeated. On Thutmose II’s death, Hatshepsut became regent for Thutmose III. Instead of surrendering her regency when Thutmose III matured, she usurped his title of Sovereign Ruler of Egypt. Hatshepsut’s use of the god Amon in her claim to the throne was critical to her justification of rule. The divine origin was an ancient…

Words 313 - Pages 2

Hatshepsut Essay Queen

Hatshepsut Essay Queen Hatshepsut, ruler of Ancient Egypt during the 18th Dynasty, was the sixth pharaoh of the New Kingdom, and first ruled Egypt through a dyarchy with her stepson, Thutmose III, until her coronation named her sole ruler. Many claimed that Hatshepsut was an unconstitutional ruler, who stole power from the rightful heir to the throne and had to spend much of her twenty-two year reign legitimising her right to be crowned as Pharaoh. Due to this, Hatshepsut made many changes to the…

Words 1979 - Pages 8

Ancient History Section 2 Essay

To what extent did thutmose the third establish an empire? Thutmose the third was just a young boy when his father had died. His step mother Hatshepsut was regent until he was old enough to become pharaoh but then Hatshepsut seized the throne and ruled herself as pharaoh in his place. Thutmose was denied his throne until Hatshepsut died more than 20 years later. Thutmose was a man in a hurry when he finally took power to the throne. His military victories against neighbouring kingdoms made Egypt…

Words 403 - Pages 2

An Analysis of the Period from New Kingdom Egypt to the Death of Thutmose IV Essay

Ancient History- Historical Time Period: New Kingdom Egypt to the Death of Thutmose IV 1. Internal Developments: Impact of the Hyksos: political, economic, and technological Political: The second Intermediate Period was a time of great disunity in Egypt. There was no centralised rule with the country being broken up into independently administered regions. Hyksos sources are archaeological rather than written and are incomplete. Excavations at Tell el- Dab’a in the north-eastern Delta by Manfred…

Words 9330 - Pages 38