The New Kingdom, from about 1550 to 1069 BC, was ancient Egypt’s age of empire. Under the kings of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties, Egypt’s armies reached the Euphrates in the north and deep into Nubia in the south, and the wealth that poured in paid for the great temples and tombs of Thebes, today’s Luxor.
The 18th Dynasty
Ahmose I founded the dynasty when he drove out the Hyksos. His successors included Hatshepsut, who ruled as king; Thutmose III, Egypt’s greatest general, who won the Battle of Megiddo; Amenhotep III, whose reign was a golden age of luxury; Akhenaten, who tried to replace the old gods with the Aten; and the boy king Tutankhamun.
The Ramesside age
The 19th Dynasty began with Ramses I and his son Seti I, followed by Ramses II, who ruled for 66 years. In the 20th Dynasty, Ramses III fought off the Sea Peoples, as shown at Medinet Habu. After him, a series of weaker kings, economic troubles and tomb robberies led to the division of the country.
What they left behind
The New Kingdom kings were buried in the Valley of the Kings and built Karnak, Luxor Temple, Deir el-Bahari, the Ramesseum and Abu Simbel. Most of what you see on a trip to Luxor and Aswan comes from this period. See the list of New Kingdom pharaohs.
