A Short History of New Kingdom Egypt (Short Histories)

New Kingdom Egypt represented the zenith of Egyptian power and imperial prestige. Between the sixteenth and eleventh centuries BCE the civilization straddling the Nile articulated its renewed self-confidence and self-assertiveness in a quest for fresh dominions in Canaan and Syria; in the colossal statues erected by Ramesses the Great at Abu Simbel; and in the lavish golden tomb treasures of the boy-king Tutankhamun. This was the age of Egypt’s most famous rulers: of Queen Hatshepsut, who sent trade delegations to the Land of Punt. Of Amenhotep III, under whose aegis Egypt reached the high noon of its artistic expression and territorial ambition. Of the heretical religious reformer Akhenaten, whose dangerous experiment in monotheism and neglect of international affairs led to threatening incursions by the rival Hittites. And of Ramesses II (‘the Great’), who fought an epic chariot battle in 1274 BCE with the Hittite king Muwatalli II at Kadesh on the Orontes, culminating in the world’s first recorded peace treaty. Exploring the principal military engagements, pharaohs and events, A Short History of Imperial Egypt is a masterful survey of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known.