The Amarna Period

In his third year of rule, Amenhotep IV held aheb-sed, a traditional festival that re-affirmed his fitness to rule. Oddly, no gods except his favorite, the Aten, were included. The Aten, a winged sun disk, was an obscure god in whom Amenhotep’s parents had taken an interest, but only as one god among many. The heb-sed shrines featured only Amenhotep IV beneath the Aten disk. Even Amun-Re was excluded.By...

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Perfume and Cosmetics

A wealthy woman during Egypt’s imperial age, dressed for a party or festival, might have stepped from the pages of a modern fashion magazine (except for that odd white cone atop her head). Her pleated, embroidered linen gown, fringed wool shawl, elaborate wig, and flashy jewelry would be the pride ofa Paris designer. Modern beauties would recognize her routine. She took a leisurely bath, washing with a refreshing solution of natron (a drying mineral)...

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Building a Superpower

The first king to use ships for major troop movements, Thutmose III launched campaigns against Syria each summer for 18 years. In his most brilliant victory, he marched to Gaza in 10 days and took the city. He proceeded to Meggido and drove off the enemy after a daringly clever surprise attack. Unfortunately, his soldiers could not resist the temptation to do some looting. This gave the enemy time...

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Imperial Egypt

THE 350 YEARS OF DYNASTIES 18 AND 19 WERE THE WORLD’S first great empire. A series of brilliant military pharaohs extended Egypt’s domain from the fourth cataract deep in Nubia in the south, to the Euphrates River in the Near East. Egypt’s empire was much smaller than the later Persian and Roman empires, was built up gradually, and took shape not entirely by design. Egypt’s greatest general-kings appeared when much of the rest of the Mediterranean...

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Models and Magic

The tomb of Meketre, chancellor to Eleventh Dynasty king Mentuhotep II, held a secret missed by the looters who otherwise stripped it. In a sealed chamber, Meketre had placed 25 exquisitely detailed models of daily life and activities that his spirit could magically activate to brew his afterlife beer, catch fish for him, clean his house, serve his meals, bake his bread, haul water, care for his animals, fight off invaders, weave linen, build him...

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The Second Intermediate Period

The horror of having their throne seized by foreigners caused the Egyptians to see the Hyksos in the worst possible light. But in many ways, Hyksos rule was the best thing that could have happened to Egypt. It rescued Egypt from political turmoil and cultural decline. The Hyksos brought fresh ideas and new technologies to a land that had become fixed in its outlook. They introduced Egypt to superior...

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