A tour of Egyptian history
Part 2
The New Kingdom (1539–1075 b.c.e.) was Egypt’s imperial age. At its largest, Egypt’s empire stretched from the fourth cataract of the Nile, which was deep in Nubia, all the way to the Euphrates River in Asia. Egypt was powerful and wealthy beyond compare—the world’s first superpower. The imperial pharaohs of the New Kingdom have proud, confident faces. They owned the world. They thought extremely highly of Egypt, and even more highly of themselves. No boast was too grand, no monument too large, no conquest too challenging for these mighty pharaohs. Egypt was now home to about 3 million people. For more than 450 years, it was on top of the world. Gold, gifts, treasure taken in war, and tribute (riches paid to a foreign ruler) flowed into Egypt like the Nile floods. But winds of change were blowing. During the 419 years of the Third Intermediate Period (1075–664 b.c.e.) Egypt’s power weakened. Eventually the empire came to an end. By around 1000 b.c.e., Egypt was just about bankrupt. The country broke up into many small kingdoms and estates. They were constantly at war with one another. The chaos enabled Egypt’s former colony, Nubia, to grab the throne. The Nubians remained in charge for more than 100 years. During Egypt’s Late Period (664–332 b.c.e.) outside influences and invaders—Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Macedonian Greeks— dominated Egypt. A dynasty of merchant-kings, the Saites, fell to the Persian Cambyses in 525 b.c.e. The First Persian Occupation (525–405 b.c.e.) was an unhappy time. Egypt did not like being part of someone else’s empire. The Egyptians rebelled and won back their independence for 66 years. Nakhthoreb (also known as Nectanebo II), the last king of the Thirtieth Dynasty, who ruled from 362 to 343 b.c.e., was the last native Egyptian to rule Egypt until 1952—2,300 years later. The Second Persian Occupation (343–332 b.c.e.) was brief and troubled. Egypt longed for a savior. In 332 b.c.e., Alexander the Great I n t r o d u c t i o n E m p i r e o f A n c ie n t e g y p t 16 (356–323 b.c.e.) drove the hated Persians from Egypt, beginning the Hellenistic (Greek) Period (332–323 b.c.e.). The Egyptians considered Alexander a god—the son of their god Amun-Re. He founded the city of Alexandria, and made Egypt part of the larger world of the Mediterranean. But as Egypt became part of a group of nations, its ancient, native civilization was swiftly passing away. The Ptolemaic Period (323–30 b.c.e.) saw the end of ancient Egypt. The Ptolemies ruled from Alexandria. They were greatly influenced by the Greeks, and Greek and Egyptian culture began to blend. In 30 b.c.e., Queen Cleopatra VII committed suicide rather than face defeat by the Romans, and Egypt became a province of the Roman.
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