18th Dynasty

Early History

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  King Ahmose expels the Hyksos, invades Nubia (reaching the Second Cataract of the river Nile), and even invades southern Kanaan, conquering Sharuhen
• King Ahmose builds the last pyramid (at Abydos); most kings will be buried in the Valley of Kings near Thebes
• King Amenhotep I campaigns in Nubia and reaches the Third Cataract
• King Thutmose I invades Nubia (Kush), reaches the land between the Nile's Fourth and Fifth Cataracts, and destroys the Kushite capital Kerma
• Queen Hatshepsut, first acting as regent for Thutmose III and later as ruler in her own right, sends a famous expedition to the land of Punt and builds a mortuary temple in Deir el-Bahri

Stele of Iahmy	Statuette of Amenhotep I	Drawing of Amenhotep I	Stele of Memy
Hatshepsut	Hatshepsut	Hatshepsut	Deir el-Bahari, Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut

Splendor

• King Thutmose III invades Kanaan, captures Megiddo, and even reaches the Euphrates
• Large-scale building projects
• While presenting himself as a strong archer and warrior, king Amenhotep II opens diplomatic relations to Egypt's enemies (e.g., Mitanni)

Thutmose III	Thutmose III	Deir el-Bahari, Thutmose III	Thutmose III
Amenhotep II	Amenhotep II	Amenhotep II	Thutmose IV

The Amarna Age

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  King Amenhotep III initiates reforms, which culminate under his son Amenhotep IV = Akhenaten in the official cult of the sun disk Aten; the court resides in the new city Akhetaten (Amarna)
• King Tutankhamun leaves Akhetaten and moves the court to Memphis; he also abandons the official cult of Aten and returns to the traditional forms of worship
• After the death of Tutankhamun, there is much confusion
• General Horemheb seizes power; he is in 1295 BCE succeeded by Ramesses I, the first king of the Nineteenth Dynasty

Amenhotep III	Amenhotep III	Amenhotep III	Amenhotep III
Queen Tije	Amenhotep III	Scarab of Amenhotep III	Queen Tije
Kom Medinet el-Gurob, Queen Tije	Thebes, Colossi of Memnon	Amarna, Temple of Aton	Akhenaten
Nefertiti and Akhenaten	Amarna, Akhenaten and Nefertiti	Bowl with the names of Aton, Akhenaten, and Nefertiti	Tutankhamun
Amarna, Head of a princess	Amarna, Letter from King Abdi-Hepa of Jerusalem	Horemheb	Alexandria, Serapeum, Sphinx of Horemheb

Eighteenth dynasty (1540-1295)

Saqqara, Relief of Merymery	Elephantine, Temple of Chnum, Stele of Amenhotep II	Stele of Hentnefert, with Thutmose III and Amenhotep II	Saqqara, Tomb of Horemheb, POWs
Saqqara, Jewelry from the age of Thutmose III	Mummy mask	Vase with a painted horse	Saqqara, Scarab of Djehuty
Statues of Sekhmet	Dish with the symbol of Nun, the primordial waters	Egyptian measure of liquid capacity, with the cartouche of Thutmose III	Statuette of a dog
Asian POW	Saqqara, Statue of Maya and Merit	Canopes of Nefer	Spoon to make balm
Thebes, El-Asasif, Battle relief of Amenhotep II	Karnak, Obelisk	Constantinople, Obelisk of Thutmose III, from the northeast	Statue of Sekhmet