Pharaohs in the New Kingdom (1570-1075 B.C.E.)
During the New Kingdom period, the pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty pushed an invading group, the Hyksos, out of Egypt, subdued the Nubians in the South, and conquered Palestine and parts of Syria. The pharaohs in this period were warrior- kings and vastly expanded the Egyptian territory. They celebrated their triumphs with monuments and pyramids on a scale never before seen in the world. The conquering pharaohs brought home material wealth from territories they took over and used conquered peoples as slaves. These slaves helped build the opulent palaces and pyramids of the New Kingdom pharaohs.
The Egyptian Pharaohs used their status as warrior-god-kings to preserve their wealth and power. It was common for pharaohs to marry their close female relatives, often their sisters. By marrying their sisters, the pharaohs kept their power within the bounds of family allegiance. In some cases, pharaohs married more than one of their sisters, as well as other women for the purpose of cementing their power.
King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti
One of the most unusual pharaohs in this period was Akhenaten. Akhenaten was monotheistic, and believed in one god named Aton. Akhenaten believed that all other gods worshiped by the Egyptians were frauds. Akhenaten forced the people of Egypt to give up their worship of all other gods and to only worship Aton. In an effort to enforce his religious views, Akhenaten built a new capital city, as well as other monuments to glorify Aton. Akhenaten's religious beliefs were influenced by his wife, Nefertiti; however, the Egyptian people were not supportive of Akhenaten's religious views.
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After Akhenaten's death, Smenkhkare, one of his sons became pharaoh. Little is known about this period of time, though historians speculate that Nefertiti might have ruled with this largely unknown pharaoh. Some historians even believe that Nefertiti and Smenkhkare may have been the same person and that Nefertiti was the acting pharaoh during this period.
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King Tutankhamen
In 1332 B.C.E. Tutankhaten, the son of Akhenaten and one of his sister wives, became the pharaoh. He was only 9 years old when he began his reign and he was highly influenced by his advisers. Tutankhaten, whose name meant 'living image of Aton', changed his name to Tutankhamen, meaning 'living image of Amon' early in his reign. King Tutankhamen, or King Tut as he is more commonly called, returned the Egyptian people to polytheism. He also returned the capital city of the pharaohs to its previous location in Thebes. Many images or descriptions of Akhenaten and Nefertiti were removed or destroyed during his reign. King Tut married his half-sister,Ankhesenamun but they were unable to have children.
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