The son of Ahmose and Queen Ahmose Nefretiri was the second king of the 18th Dynasty. Facing a Libyan uprising his first year as king, Amenhotep successfully overcame the Libyans on two occasions and prevented an invasion in the Delta area. Next in line for battle were the Nubians. Upon his victory, Amenhotep brought captives back to Thebes. Amenhotep was given the rare honor of being declared a titular god upon his death by the priests. His accomplishments included elaborate building complexes at the Karnak Temple in Thebes. He utilized different types of stone including alabaster from Hatnub. He repaired and restored many ancient temples along the Nile. He was the first pharaoh to build his tomb separate from the temple. Because of the looting of tombs, he had his built in an inconspicuous place in Thebes. Amenhotep�s son died in infancy so his military commander Thutmose, who was married to the king�s sister, assumed the throne upon Amenhotep�s death.
The third king of the 18th Dynasty was a commoner by birth. He had married Ahmose, a sister of Amenhotep I, and was named king when the king died childless. Ahmose bore him two sons who were passed over for Thutmose II, who was born to Mutnofret. Thutmose built an extension to the temple of Amon at Karnak. He added pylons, courts and statues. He led a campaign into Nubia where he penetrated beyond the Third Cataract. He defeated the Nubian chief in a hand to hand combat and returned to Thebes with the body of the fallen chief hanging on the prow of his ship. His greatest campaigns were in the Delta. Warring against the Hyksos he subdued tribes and finally reached the Euphrates River. To commemorate his victory he built a hypostyle hall at Karnak, made entirely of cedar wood columns. His remains were found in the cache, with others, at Deir el Bahri. Thutmose brought Egypt a sense of stability and his military campaigns healed the wounds of Thebians.
Hatshepsut, the fifth ruler of the 18th Dynasty, was the daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose. As was common in royal families, she married her half-brother, Thutmose II, who had a son, Thutmose III, by a minor wife. When Thutmose II died in 1479 B.C. his son, Thutmose III, was appointed heir. However, Hatshepsut was appointed regent due to the boy's young age. They ruled jointly until 1473 when she declared herself pharaoh. Dressed in men�s attire, Hatshepsut administered affairs of the nation, with the full support of the high priest of Amon, Hapuseneb and other officials. When she built her magnificent temple at Deir el Bahari in Thebes she made reliefs of her divine birth as the daughter of Amon. Hatshepsut disappeared in 1458 B.C. when Thutmose III, wishing to reclaim the throne, led a revolt. Thutmose had her shrines, statues and reliefs mutilated.
Amenhotep, the seventh king of the 18th Dynasty, was a fierce ruler that excelled in both horsemanship and archery. While a prince, he was given the command of the naval base near Memphis. In his first year as king the Asiatics rebelled, but to no avail. He spent his second year in Syria overcoming several uprisings. His victorious return to Egypt was indicated by the captive officers that were hanging upside down on the prow of his ship. The same were beheaded in a ceremony by Amenhotep�s own hand. His son, Thutmose IV assumed the throne when Amenhotep died at the age of 45. His remains show signs of a systemic disease which probably attributed to his death. He built a court in the Temple of Luxor, that was later decorated by Tutankhamun and Horemheb. Amenhotep II's tomb is in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes.
The ninth king of the 18th dynasty was the son of Thutmose IV and Queen Mutemwiya. He married Tiy, daughter of Yuya, who was a chancellor of the north and was a priest of Hermonthis and Amon. Egypt was enjoying a peaceful time during Amenhotep�s reign, thus allowing him to concentrate on more artistic renewals. He married daughters of foreign kings, including a Mitanni princess and one from Babylon. This solidified his international standings. During his reign he enlarged many temples. He built Malkata on the western shore of Thebes, south of Medinet Habu. This complex was a miniature city with offices, houses, chambers, chapels and apartments. Close to Malkata he built a lake for his queen. Next to the lake he built a palace for his harem and a palace for Queen Tiy. He built the famous Colossi of Memnon and is accredited with building the Temple of Luxor. Amenhotep spent years improving Karnak, by adding temples and a row of sphinxes that linked it to the temple of Amon at Luxor. Amenhotep died in his mid fifties. His heir was the infamous Akhenaten.
The fourteenth king of the 18th Dynasty was chief of the army during Tutankhamun�s reign. When Tutankhamun died, Ay succeeded the throne. Ay favored Horemheb and kept him on as a military leader. When Ay died without an heir, Horemheb was made king. Restoring order was his main objective. Once accomplished, Horemheb moved to Memphis and began work on internal affairs. He returned properties of the temples to the rightful priests and lands to the rightful owners. He had restoration projects and building additions in Karnak. He erected shrines and a temple to Ptah. He built tombs at Thebes, in the Valley of the Kings, and Memphis. He was noted for admonishing high ranking officials against cheating the poor and misappropriating the use of slaves and properties. He promised the death penalty for such offenses. Horemheb had no heir so he appointed a military leader to succeed him. That leader was Ramesses I.
The first king of the 19th Dynasty was the son of a military commander named Seti. Ramesses entered the military service and worked his way up to commander of troops, superintendent of the cavalry and eventually general. A short time later he became vizier to King Horemheb. He was also Primate of Egypt, which was the high priest of Amon, and was in charge of all the temples in Egypt. Horemheb died with no heir so Ramesses assumed the throne. His queen, Sitre, was the mother of Seti I, who was already a veteran military commander. Ramesses was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was later vandalized so the priests removed the body to Deir el Bahri.
The second king of the 19th Dynasty was the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre. Like his father before him, Seti was a good military leader. On a campaign in Asia, Seti took three divisions of 60,000 men each into battle. He reoccupied Egyptian posts and garrisoned cities in the Syrian territory. He plundered Palestine and brought Damascus back into Egyptian control. He reconciled with the Hittites who were becoming the most powerful state in the region. Seti I and his heir, Ramesses II campaigned against Kadesh. In Karnak he completed his father's plan by converting the court between the second and third pylons into a vast hypostyle hall. He built his vast mortuary complex at Abydos. In Thebes, he built his tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings. Cut 300 feet into the cliffs, it was the largest tomb in the area. Buried with him were over 700 Shabti. These were carved stone or wooden figures that were to accompany him to the afterlife to comply with the requests from the gods. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings was vandalized and his body was relocated to Deir el Bahri.
The fourth king of the 19th Dynasty was in his fifties when he assumed the throne. His father, Ramesses, was long-lived and outlived his first 13 sons. Merenptah, the fourteenth son, was militarily active while a prince. Famine had driven the Sea Peoples and the Libyans across the Egyptian borders. Egypt retaliated with vengeance, overcoming the threat. The battle is recorded at Karnak. The Israel Stela is associated with Merenptah. The stela records a skirmish in Palestine and mentions Israel. This is the only known mention of Israel in Egyptian monuments, and confirms that Israel was established in their own domain at the time of Merenptah�s reign. Merenptah's tomb is in the Valley of the Kings.
Refusing to acknowledge the previous two pharaohs, the first king of the 20th Dynasty dated the beginning of his reign to that of Seti II. He probably usurped the throne from Tworse, Seti II�s widow, and later queen-pharaoh. He was at an advanced age when he took the throne but managed to accomplish peace and order in a short period of time. His tomb was not completed when he died so he was placed in that Tworse�s. His coffin was found in Amenophis II's tomb but his mummy has not been found. Setakht was the father of Ramesses III and the husband of Ramesses' mother, Tiye-merenese.
The second king of the 20th Dynasty was the son of Sethnakhte and was the last great king of the New Kingdom. Ramesses assumed the throne after his father�s short two year reign. Ramesses fought the Libyans twice during his reign. He compared himself to Mont, the god of war and was confident in his abilities. He overcame an attack by the Sea Peoples in his eighth year as pharaoh. After defeating the Sea People (of which he took many captives) he attacked the Palestinian tribes and was again victorious. Ramesses received tributes from all conquered peoples. Egypt, however, was experiencing financial problems. Workers were striking for pay and there was a general unrest of all social classes. Consequently, an unsuccessful harem revolt led to the deaths of many, including officials and women. During his thirty-one year reign, Ramesses built the vast mortuary complex at Medinet Habu, three shrines at Karnak that were dedicated to the gods Amon, Mut and Khons, and a palace at Leontopolis, just north of Cairo. Ramesses III's tomb is in the Valley of the Kings. His mummy was found in a cache at Deir el-Bahri and is now in the Cairo Museum. Ramesses III is thought to have been about sixty-five years of age at his death.
Ramesses IV was the son of Ramesses III. His reign lasted no more than six years. He did survive the harem conspiracy which was designed to spoil his claims to the throne. He placed a document in the tomb of his father which is now known as the Papyrus Harris I, that gives an elaborate account of the reign of Ramesses III. Ramesses IV is thought to have been in his forties when he became king. There are two stele that were found at Abydos by Mariette that proclaim his piety and exceptional devotion to the gods. The quarrying of the stone is said to have involved more than 8,000 people. Ramesses IV caused the high-priest Mont , as well as other capable officials and scribes to visit the site. There were 5,000 soldiers that were most likely sent to haul the huge stones over the rough desert roads. He is also known for the continuation of the Khonsu at Karnak, which was begun by his father, Ramesses III. A temple at Asasif, which is on the western bank of the Nile at Thebes, was erected by Ramesses. Ramesses' tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings and his mummy is now in the Cairo Museum. The remains indicate that Ramesses was a small man who was bald, had a long nose and good teeth.
Ramesses V is thought to have reigned no more than four years. He was the son of Ramesses IV and Queen Ta-Opet. The mummy was found in the tomb of Amenophis II and is now located in the Cairo Museum. The mummy shows that he died of smallpox at about the age of 35. His tomb was unfinished and was in the Biban el-Moluk, but was annexed by Ramesses VI. All that is found of his reign is a stela that was discovered at Gebel Silsilh.
The fifth king of the 20th Dynasty usurped the throne from his nephew, Ramesses V. However, the son of Ramesses III allowed mortuary ceremonies to continue for Ramesses V, who was only on the throne for four years. He usurped cartouches of previous kings and left his name on inscriptions in the Sinai. His built statues in Bubastis, Coptos, Karnak and Nubia. After his tomb was vandalized, the priests had to pin the corpse on a board in order to provide the remains with a decent burial.
Ramesses VII is probably the son of Ramesses VI and was the sixth king of the Twentieth Dynasty. He built a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, but there are no other monuments that he built. He did have a son that did not live to succeed him.
Ramesses VIII was the seventh king of the Twentieth Dynasty and was probably Ramesses III's son. His mummy has never been found and all that remains of his reign is an inscription at Medinet Habu and some plaques. His tomb was found but was very modest.
Ramesses IX was the eighth king of the Twentieth Dynasty. He is thought to have reigned for about seventeen or more years. During his reign, there was a scandal in which the tombs in the Theban necropolis were being robbed. There were also campaigns by Libyan bandits. He had a son, Montuherkhopshef, who did not live to succeed Ramesses. His tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings.
Ramesses X was the ninth king of the Twentieth Dynasty. During his reign the workers went on strike for wages not paid. There are few monuments of Ramesses that have survived. He left a tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Ramesses XI was the tenth and the last king of the Twentieth Dynasty as well as the New Kingdom. The reign of this king was a period of turmoil. Ramesses was not a very energetic or vital ruler. The viceroy of Nubia, Panehsi, went from Elephantine to Thebes to try to stop the unrest that was arising from contention over the region that was between the high priest of Amon and others. At the same time there was a famine and was called the "Year of the Hyena." Hrihor was left in Thebes by Panehsi to control the affairs there. He soon assumed the role of the high priest of Amon and eventually became the vizier as well. This was the cause of the eventual downfall of Panehsi. Panehsi rebelled and stopped Egypt's domination in Nubia. Hrihor administered the affairs of Egypt while Ramesses XI remained in seclusion. Upon the death of Ramesses, Hrihor and Smendes divided Egypt between themselves. Ramesses was technically pharaoh until his death, but Hrihor was the ruler of Upper Egypt for all practical purposes. Ramesses' death marked the end of the Twentieth Dynasty and the New Kingdom. His tomb is located in the Valley of the Kings.
