Ancient Egyptian History

1650 BCE to 343 BCE - The Second Intermediate Period, The New Kingdom and The Late Period

A Bust of Nefertiti

The religious changes invoked by Akhenaten are fairly significant as Aten represents the first monotheistic religion in written history. This is the first time in history that a state worshiped a single god. There are many theories that suggest that there is a connection between Akhenaten and biblical accounts of the Old Testament. The connection between the Hebrew God and Aten suggests that there may have been a connection between Moses and Akhenaten. Some scholars suggest that the monotheism of Akhenaten was a precursor to the monotheism of Moses and that Moses was a member of Akhenaten’s court. Though, this again is just a theory. Besides the Old Testament, there is very little proof that suggests that Moses even existed.

Tutankhamen’s Sarcophagus

Akenaten died in 1350 BCE, and was succeeded by his son Smenkhkare (1350 to 1347 BCE). Who Smenkhkare is a complete mystery, some scholars suggest that he is Akhenaten himself, and Smenkhkare never existed. Other scholars suggest that Smenkhkare is Nefertiti or Akhenaten’s daughter Meritaten. Of Smenkhkare’s actual reign, we know absolutely nothing. In 1347 BCE one of the most insignificant but best known Pharaoh of all the Egyptian Pharaohs came to the throne. Tutankhaten, or as he is more commonly referred to as, Tutankhamen (1347 to 1339 BCE) is one of the most famous Pharaohs, not for his exploits, but for the discovery of his tomb. Tutankhamen’s tomb was found by Howard Carter in 1922, and is arguably the most important discovery in modern Egyptology. What makes the discovery of his tomb so stunning is that it was completely intact with all the treasures that he had been buried with. Tutankhamen’s actual reign was fairly short. Though he engaged in some wars, his main act was to restore the religion of Amen. After his death in 1339 BCE, Tutankhamen was succeeded by his advisor Ay (1339 to 1335 BCE). Ay was then succeeded by another advisor, Horemheb (1335 to 1308 BCE). After such a quick succession of rulers, Horemheb is largely attributed with stabilizing Egypt and fixing the nagging question of state religion. Horemheb is credited with cleaning up the army and the judiciary after the abuses of Akhenaten left both institutions in dire need of repair. In order to resurrect the old religion of Amen, all of the monuments and temples dedicated to Aten needed destroying. Horemheb took to this task with a great deal of fervor, demolishing every building, monument and statue relating to Aten. Horemheb left no heirs upon his death, so he promoted a prominent solider named Rameses I as his successor.

Rameses I (1298 to 1296 BCE) was already a grandfather by the time he became Pharaoh. His age helps to account for his relatively short reign. Rameses did not have time to complete any building projects or engage in any major wars. His reign, despite his famous name, was of relative unimportance. Like many of the Pharaohs before him, Rameses allowed his son Seti to enter into a co regency. Upon his death in 1296 BCE, Seti I (1296 to 1281 BCE) assumed the double crown of Egypt and became the second Pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty. During his time as coregent, Seti had commanded the Egyptian army. Though no major campaigns were conducted during Rameses rule, Seti was able to test his metal against marauding Bedouin. His military experience during his co regency would prove to be a great asset. Seti launched a campaign into Palestine, early in his reign. His goal was to pacify the region and reclaim the losses in territory from Akhenaten’s reign. After his initial campaign in Palestine, Seti was forced to return to Egypt to confront the Libyans who had started raiding the Delta region. This attack seems to be first part of a rather puzzling aspect of ancient history. For the next hundred years refugees seemed to move around the Mediterranean pushing out native populations. Some of these displaced people turned piracy. Those who turned to piracy are often referred to as the Sea Peoples. Seti did not face the Sea Peoples; rather he faced Libyan migrants that had left their homes for some unknown reason. Seti was rather successful in his quick war against the Libyans, so successful that the Egyptians would not need to engage in combat with them again until the reign of Rameses III.

A battle scene at Karnak reveals that Seti fought against the Hittites at Kadesh. According to Karnak, the Egyptians won the battle and captured the city. After this campaign the Egyptians and the Hittites stayed within their own realms of influence. During Seti’s reign there were numerous revolts in Nubia that had to be put down. Like the Pharaohs before him, Seti put this revolts down with extreme cruelty. Seti launched an amazing five campaigns during his reign. These campaigns secured Egypt’s borders. If it were not for the military achievements of his son Rameses II, Seti would probably be held in higher regard. His image is simply not as illustrious when compared with that of his son. Seti made several important administrative reforms during his reign. For the most part he increased the use of corporal punishment in regards to crimes. Many of his new punishments involved removing vital sensory organs from the offending party. Seti edicts may have been aimed at combating lawlessness in Egypt. If this is the case, then his edicts had little to no effect, as lawlessness would only increase after his reign.

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