After several short-lived successors to the founder of the 9th Dynasty, Kheti I, the balance of power began to shift from Herakleopolis to Thebes. Inyotef united all the southern nomes as far as the first cataract under Theban rule and wrested the burial site of kings at Abydos from his... More
The father of Amenhotep II, Thutmose III was perhaps the greatest military conqueror of all the pharaohs, hailed for ‘making his boundaries as far as the Horn of the Earth, the marshes of Naharin’. The marshes of Naharin were the borderlands of Egypt’s northern rivals, the Mittani, who probably were... More
Although Thutmose I (c. 1493 BCE) successfully thwarted Syrian resistance in the Phoenician north, the conquered rulers only briefly paid tribute to him as their pharaoh. His grandson, Thutmose III (1482-25 BCE), was determined to restore Egyptian hegemony in Canaan and Phoenicia. Considered a military genius, not only did Thumose... More
At the beginning of the 21st Dynasty, Egypt had lost control of its empire and was weak and divided. The north was controlled by the Tanite 21st Dynasty (1075–950 BCE) and the southern Nile valley by the High Priest of Amun, who ruled from Thebes, home to the Amun cult.... More
The death of Pepi II after a reign of over 70 years ushered in a prolonged period of instability. A succession of weak and ephemeral rulers resulted in a steady leakage of real power to the nomarchs or regional governors. The first of these to have pretensions of pre-eminence was... More
The chain of events leading to the formation of the Persian Empire can be traced to the collapse of Assyrian power at the end of the 7th century BCE. The Medes were major territorial beneficiaries and, after extending their sway through northern Persia and eastern Anatolia, in around 550 BCE... More
During the 12th Dynasty, a succession of strong rulers devoted much of their energy to developing the natural resources and improving the infrastructure of the kingdom. Amenenhat I established a new royal city, Itjtawy, near Faiyum, and secured the eastern Nile delta, a perennial weak point in Egypt’s defences, with... More
Kahun (El Lahun) is an ancient town in Upper Egypt, close to the Faiyum oasis and 2,625 ft (800 m) from the Pyramid of Senusret II (1897–1878 BCE). Built by the pharaoh to house the personnel involved in the construction of his pyramid, excavation of Kahun has revealed a wealth... More
Tired of the Hyksos occupation, the Theban pharaoh, Kamose, raided Avaris, their trading and administrative hub in the northeastern Nile delta (c. 1540 BCE). These relatively benign oppressors allowed the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt to function as ‘vassal kingdoms’. Kamose believed that the Kingdom of Egypt was rightfully... More
The Precinct of Amun Re consists of the four temple enclosures that comprise the Karnak temple complex near Luxor in Egypt. There is reference to the site as sacred dating back over four millennia, but the first attributable building work was commissioned by Senusret I in the 11th Dynasty (c.... More
After his pivotal victory at Issus in 333 BCE, Alexander the Great swept south to capture Egypt, exploiting its wealth to finance his assault on the Persian Empire. After several months, Alexander left to campaign eastward, appointing Cleomenes as his governor in Egypt. On Alexander’s death in 323 BCE, the... More
In the western Theban necropolis is Ramesses III’s ‘fortress like’ funerary temple and palace complex, Medinet Habu. Within its inner walls are the Royal Palace, the sandstone mortuary temple, smaller temples and additions, including a chapel built in 700 BCE. There are also storehouses and housing for the priests and... More
ANCIENT EGYPT MAPS ONLINE
The Map Archive is your one-stop solution for buying Ancient Egypt maps online. We have a range of thematic Ancient Egyptian maps that tell the story of Ancient Egyptian civilization graphically. One of the oldest civilizations in Ancient Middle East, the first capital of Ancient Egypt was founded at Memphis c. 3100 BCE by King Menes. The annual flooding, or inundation, of the mighty River Nile fed and sustained Egyptian civilization. The rulers of the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), Khufu (Cheops), Khafre and Menkaure, built funerary monuments, or pyramids, at Giza (near Cairo). This was a period of peace and stability, succeeded by the First Intermediate Period, when Egypt was ruled by two different kingdoms. Stability returned with the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1786 BCE), initiated by Amenemhet (Amenhemhat) I, founder of the 12th Dynasty. A further unsettled period, the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1786–1567 BCE) ensued, and Egypt was once again reunited under Ahmose I, the founder of the 18th Dynasty and New Kingdom. A succession of powerful pharaohs included Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Amenhotep III, Ramesses II, Thutmose II. New Kingdom rulers were buried in the Valley of the Kings, opposite the city of Thebes, where the famous tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered. The Third Intermediate Period (c. 1085–664 BCE) saw conflict with Nubia to Egypt’s south and a dynasty of Nubian pharaohs. Egypt was reunified under the Saite dynasty, but was conquered by the Persian Empire (525 BCE) and, eventually, the Macedonian ruler, Alexander the Great (332 BCE).
