As a child, the new pharaoh married the eldest daughter of Hatshepsut Nefrura, who did not live to come of age. Therefore, the second daughter of Hatshepsut, Meritra Hatshepsut, became the main wife of Thutmose III.
During his lifetime, Hatshepsut Thutmose III was admitted to command posts in the Egyptian army. Probably, he led a number of campaigns to Sinai, to Nubia and Palestine, in which his leadership talent was first manifested. The support of Thutmose III by the army forced the queen to seriously reckon with the pharaoh removed from government.
After the death of Queen Hatshepsut, there were no more direct descendants of Pharaoh Ahmose I, both in the male and female lines, and Thutmose III continued his reign without any obstacles alone. Furiously pursuing the memory of his stepmother, he ordered to destroy all her statues and erase her name from the walls of temples. There was no mercy to the people from the entourage of the late queen, and to those who had died earlier, like the architect Senmut, whose tomb was destroyed, and still alive.
Pharaoh was not only an unusually warlike, but also a very strong warrior. Annals inscribed on the walls in the Karnak temple of Amun tell about his Syrian victories. During his reign, he made fifteen military campaigns, during which Egypt turned into a powerful world power, along with the subordinate territories stretching from north to south for 3500 km. None of his successors went beyond the borders reached under him, both in the north and in the south. The degree of dependence on Egypt of the conquered countries and cities was different. The most firmly connected with Egypt was Nubia, which was directly controlled by the Egyptian administration headed by the governor. Thutmose was unable to create an equally strong position in Asia Minor because of the difficulty of crossing the desert and the constant opposition of neighboring powers. Dozens of local kings remained in Palestine, Syria and Phenicia. However, Egyptian garrisons were stationed in the nearby cities of Central Asia, and the heirs of their rulers were brought up as hostages at the Egyptian court, in a spirit pleasing to the pharaoh. As for the kings of more extensive states, such as Mitanni, Babylonia and the Hittite kingdom, they retained their independence and called themselves "brothers" of the Egyptian king, but the gifts they sent were considered by the pharaoh as a tribute. For the military successes achieved, the Pharaoh is called "Napoleon of the Ancient World".
The enormous wealth coming to Egypt from the conquered countries allowed Thutmose III to develop extensive construction in Fayyum, Kumma, Dendera, Koptos (Kopt), El-Kab, Edfu, Kom-Ombo, Elephantine. The construction was carried out with the help of prisoners of war, and the architectural projects were often drawn up by the pharaoh himself, which testifies to his certain creative talents. The most ambitious building project of Thutmose III was the Karnak temple of Amon-Ra. In fact, it was rebuilt by the chief architect of Puemra on the thirtieth anniversary of his reign (1460 BC), when the pharaoh participated in the cheb-sed ceremony. In addition to general changes in the temple, commemorative obelisks were erected, one of which is now destroyed, and the second, containing a mention of Thutmose crossing the Naharina Bend (Euphrates), is located in Istanbul. Under Thutmose III at Heliopolis in 1450 BC. NS. two more large obelisks were erected - the so-called "Cleopatra's Needles". In 19 A.D. NS. obelisks by order of the Roman emperor Augustus were transferred to Alexandria. One of them fell on its side and in 1872 was taken to London, and the other in 1881 was brought to New York. Also, under Thutmose III, an obelisk was begun at the temple of Ra in Heliopolis, completed at. The stele of Jebel Barkala is preserved - the memories of Thutmose III of his first Asiatic campaign, when the Egyptians reached the shores of the Euphrates.
Thutmose III was the first pharaoh whose interests went beyond state activities. The outlook of Thutmose III, albeit against his will, was formed under the influence of the pharaoh's stepmother, who in every possible way patronized the arts. This fact also explains the wide outlook and interest of Thutmose III in culture, uncharacteristic for the ancient Eastern ruler. The inscription in the Karnak temple provides a list of species of plants and animals unknown to the Egyptians, brought into the country from Asia by special personal order of the pharaoh. In addition, as evidenced by the relief in the Karnak temple, the pharaoh devoted his free time to modeling various products, in particular vessels. He handed over his projects to the chief of artisans in state and temple workshops. It is interesting that the first glass products that have survived to our time were created in Egypt under Thutmose III, and they keep the name of this pharaoh.
The inscription in the tomb of the closest royal companion Amenemkheb confirms that Thutmose III ruled for 53 years, 10 months and 26 days - this is the third longest period of the Egyptian pharaoh's reign. Only Pepi II and Ramses II ruled longer - 94 and 67 years, respectively. Thutmose III died in 1425 BC. e., leaving his son Amenhotep II a huge state, which was the hegemon in the entire Middle East. Amenhotep II, who was co-ruler of his father in the last two years of his reign, will conduct another punitive campaign in Asia, accompanied by atrocities against the local population, in sharp contrast to his father's humane attitude towards prisoners of war, after which Egyptian rule in Syria and Palestine will remain unbreakable until reign of Akhenaten.
"Napoleon of the Ancient World" was buried in the Valley of the Pharaohs in the tomb KV34. The mummy of Thutmose III was discovered in 1881 in a cache in Der el-Bahri near the burial temple of Hatshepsut Jeser Jeseru.
Thutmose III was a son and heir pharaoh Thutmose II who reigned approx. 1503-1490 BC NS. The mother of Thutmose III was a minor concubine Isis, and his father concluded the main marriage with his half-sister, Hatshepsut, who had no sons.
In his youth, the future Thutmose III was a priest of Amun-Ra in the Karnak temple. After the death of his father, in 1490 BC. NS. he ascended the throne, but after two or three years, Hatshepsut ousted him from the main affairs of government. She first declared herself a co-ruler of Thutmose III, and then completely removed him from the throne and began to rule alone. Egyptian statues from this era depict Hatshepsut in male form, with an attached beard. The main events of her reign were a large sea trade expedition to the southern country of Punt and the widespread construction of temples. Trusted advisers to Hatshepsut were the dignitary Hapuseneb and the architect Senmut, who were close to the priests. Karnak Temple.
Marble bust of Thutmose III
Hatshepsut paid little attention to wars, instructing them to be driven out of the civil administration by Thutmose. During the life of Hatshepsut, Egypt's foreign policy was not easy. Parattarna, king of a strong Central Asian state Mitanni, captured Syria. Thutmose had to defend against him in Palestine and even in Sinai.
There is information that Hatshepsut wanted to transfer power after herself not to Thutmose, but to her daughter Nefrura. But she died before her mother. Senmut has lost its influence. Thutmose emerged from the shadows, in which he had been for more than twenty years, and after the death of Hatshepsut (c. 1468 BC) he again took the throne that rightfully belonged to him.
Thutmose III. By Egyptologist V. Solkin
He became famous as a warrior king. In the first year of his one-man rule, Thutmose III made a campaign in South Syria against the friendly Mitanni coalition "330 rulers" led by the king of Kadesh. The main forces of the coalition gathered at the Megiddo fortress. The Egyptians tried to defeat them in one battle, but got carried away by plundering the enemy camp, and the enemy's army managed to hide in the fortress. Her siege dragged on for seven months, but ended well for the Egyptians. Thutmose III captured many prisoners and booty.
However, the main rival of Egypt in Asia - the kingdom of Mitanni retained its power. In 1468-1448. BC NS. Thutmose III had to make no less than fifteen campaigns to Asia. He managed to push the Mitannians back across the Euphrates, but they soon regained influence in northern Syria.
Thutmose III acted more successfully in the south, in Nubia (Sudan), where the Egyptians secured lands above the 4th threshold of the Nile, up to the important fortress of Napata (now Jebel Barkal).
Pharaoh Thutmose III. Around 1460 B.C.
The image is reprinted from the site
http://slovari.yandex.ru/
General
Thutmose III (reigned approx. 1525-1473 BC), Egyptian pharaoh, military leader. From 1503 he waged wars of conquest; during his reign made a number of campaigns, ch. way to Palestine and Syria. In history, he is known as the first commander who carried out an offensive according to a pre-planned plan. A characteristic feature of his military art was the desire not to scatter his forces, but to deliver consistent and concentrated strikes at the most important strategists, points of the pr-ka. Featuring quite numerous. (up to 20 thousand people) and a well-organized army, Thutmose III in 1492-1491 BC. defeated Mitanni (an ancient state in northern Mesopotamia) and seized its lands to 3. from the Euphrates, won victories at Megiddo, Cadet, Karchemish, and others (see Ancient Egypt). As a result of the victorious campaigns of T. III, Egypt expanded its borders and turned into the largest state. Libya, Assyria, Babylonia, the Hittite kingdom and Fr. Crete, who paid tribute to him.
Used materials of the Soviet military encyclopedia. Volume 8: Tashkent - Rifle Cell. M. 1980.
Egyptian pharaoh
Thutmes III - the son of Thutmes II, the sixth pharaoh of the XVIII dynasty (1525-1491 BC). For twenty-two years he was co-ruler of his stepmother Hatshepsut, but had no real power. Becoming the autocratic ruler of Egypt in 1503, Thutmes III destroyed the memory of Hatshepsut. With his accession to the throne, a short period of peace ended, and the era of great campaigns of conquest began.
Thutmes III made his first trip to Western Asia. The reason for this campaign was the uprising of the Syrian cities, which formed a coalition hostile to Egypt led by the ruler of the city of Ka-dash. The Syrians concentrated their forces at the city of Megid-do. To unexpectedly attack them, Thutmes III moved to Megiddo by the shortest, but most difficult way, which lay through an impassable mountain pass. The Egyptian chronicle says: "And he himself went ahead of his army, showing the way to every man. And the horse followed the horse, and his majesty was at the head of his army." Having overcome the pass, the Egyptians found themselves near the enemy camp. The next morning, a bloody battle began. Pharaoh personally led an army to attack, driving a war chariot. The Syrians failed to provide adequate resistance and fled. Instead of pursuing a fleeing enemy to complete destruction, the Egyptians engaged in plundering the enemy camp and collecting weapons thrown onto the battlefield. This allowed the Syrians to take refuge in Me-giddo. It was not possible to take the city by storm, since the Egyptians at that time did not know how to storm fortresses; a long siege began. For seven whole months, the army of Thutmes III stood at the walls of Megiddo. Finally, exhausted by hunger and thirst, the city surrendered. Thutmes III got a huge booty, which he sent to Egypt, and he himself moved further, to the north. His army reached the southern slopes of the Lebanese mountains, capturing several cities and many villages along the way. To gain a foothold in the occupied territory, Thutmes III left strong garrisons in the cities and erected a fortress, which he gave the name "Thutmes, Binding Foreigners".
Subsequently, Thutmes III annually led an army to Syria. He captured a number of major cities, among which were Kadesh, Khalpu and Karchemish. He also managed to conquer a large part of Phenicia and thus gain a foothold on the eastern Mediterranean coast. In the city of Byblos, by order of the pharaoh, a large fleet was built. The ships were brought to the Euphrates in large carts drawn by oxen, and Thutmes III with his army sailed down the river. Having reached the borders of Mitanni, the Egyptians began to seize and destroy the Mitanni cities and villages. The Mitannians tried to resist, but were defeated in several battles and withdrew far beyond the Euphrates.
Thutmes III also fought southward, in Nubia. He advanced to the fourth Nile threshold. As a result of his campaigns of conquest, Egypt turned into a powerful world power, stretching from north to south for 3500 km. Great wealth flocked to Egypt. Thutmes III generously distributed military awards, lands and slaves to his soldiers. A significant part of the booty settled in temples, primarily in the temple of Amun-Ra in Thebes, since the warlike pharaoh needed the support of the priesthood.
Thutmes III died in the 54th year of his reign, transferring power to his son Amenhotep II.
Used materials of the book: Tikhanovich Yu.N., Kozlenko A.V. 350 grand. A short biography of the rulers and generals of antiquity. The Ancient East; Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome. Minsk, 2005.
Thutmose III, King of Egypt of the Ancient 18th Dynasty, who ruled 1490-1436. BC
Thutmose III, one of the most famous conquering pharaohs in the history of Ancient Egypt, was the bastard son of Thutmose II by the concubine Isis. During his father's life, he occupied a very modest position in the national temple of Amun in Thebes. But when the old pharaoh died, Thutmose without any difficulty was enthroned by the priests. However, all real power over the country was immediately concentrated in the hands of his stepmother, Queen Hatshepsut, who for 20 years autocratic rule over Egypt, leaving only nominal rights to her stepson-nephew. The importance of Thutmose in these years was so insignificant that the dignitaries did not even come to him with reports. Only the death of Hatshepsut gave Thutmose its proper significance. Having seized the supreme power after two decades of forced inaction, he tried to destroy all memory of his stepmother. The name Hatshepsut was erased from her monuments. The magnificent obelisks she had erected Thutmose ordered to build up with a stone wall. Her magnificent statues in the memorial temple of Deil el-Bahri were overthrown and smashed. Even the names of Hatshepsut's confidants and associates were erased from many inscriptions. But the main thing was not even that - Thutmose radically changed foreign policy. If his stepmother ruled in peace and tranquility, then he spent his entire reign in heavy wars of conquest. (The appearance of the greatest of the ancient Egyptian conquerors can be seen from his mummy and statues. He was a short, stocky man, with a low forehead, large mouth, full lips, a sharply defined chin and an aquiline nose. He was very strong and passionately loved to hunt. a soldier to the marrow, Pharaoh was not, however, completely alien to science and art.)
Already in 1468 BC Thutmose made his first campaign in Palestine. Thanks to the detailed inscription on the wall of the Karnak Temple of Amun, we know about all the vicissitudes of this war. Leaving the border fortress of Jaru, the Egyptian army reached Gaza ten days later, and then spent another seven days moving through the deserts to the town of Ihem. Here Thutmose learned that the Syrian kings under the leadership of the ruler of Kadesh had formed a strong coalition against him and that their united army was located not far from the powerful fortress of Megiddo. Pharaoh could go to this city by three roads. The straight path led through the Karmil mountain range and was a narrow path. The other two routes ran north and south of the mountains, respectively. At the council, the military leaders suggested that Thutmose choose one of the bypass roads, but Pharaoh rejected this prudent advice, fearing to be considered a coward by the enemy. Having vowed to go the straight path, he offered his companions the right to choose - to follow him or to wade bypass roads. All chose to stay with the king. Crossing the mountains, as expected, turned out to be dangerous - the Egyptian army stretched out on narrow paths for half a day's journey. With one bold blow, the Syrians could have inflicted complete defeat on him. But they did not dare to do this and freely let the Egyptians into the plain in front of Megiddo. A decisive battle took place the next day. Moreover, after the first onslaught of the Egyptians, the Syrians fled, abandoning their horses and chariots. Thutmose ordered a wall of Megiddo and began a difficult siege that lasted seven months. Finally, having exhausted all possibilities for defense, the Syrians surrendered. The winners got huge booty. Pharaoh turned all the townspeople into slaves and ordered them to be driven to Egypt. But with the captive kings, he dealt with quite mercifully - he took an oath of allegiance from them and sent them home. Having destroyed the city, the victors triumphantly returned to Thebes.
The first campaign was only a prelude to new conquests. To strengthen his power in Syria, Thutmose had to equip more and more expeditions there almost every year. Each of them had a specific purpose. In 1461 BC, the Egyptians took the Uarchet fortress. In 1460 BC Kadesh was captured for the first time. In 1459 BC the Phoenician city of Ullaza fell. In 1457 BC Thutmose approached Karkemish and defeated a strong Syrian army on the western bank of the Euphrates, whose allies were the Mitannians. Following this, the Egyptians took possession of the stronghold of Karkemish. To continue the war, the pharaoh needed ships. A large number of them were urgently built from the Lebanese cedar in Phenicia and brought to the Euphrates on carts drawn by oxen. However, having crossed to the other side, Thutmose no longer found the Mitannians there - they fled in horror. "Not one of them dared to look back," wrote Thutmose, "but they ran on like a herd of steppe game." Having put the army on ships, the pharaoh moved down the river, destroying cities and villages. "I lit them, my majesty turned them into ruins," wrote Thutmose. all their groves, all their fruit trees. " On the way back near the city of Nia, west of the Euphrates, Thutmose almost died during a large hunt for elephants. In 1455 BC there was a new battle with the king of Mitanni near the city of Aran. Thutmose personally inspired the warriors. Unable to withstand the onslaught of the Egyptians, the Mitannians wavered and fled to the city, abandoning their horses and chariots. After that, the stronghold of the disaffected in Syria for some time remained Kadesh, which was taken by the Egyptians a second time only in 1448 BC. With the fall of this Syrian stronghold, the power of the Egyptians spread throughout the country.
Throughout the Syrian wars, Nubia remained calm. Only once - in 1440 BC - Thutmose made a campaign to the south and imposed tribute on the Ethiopian tribes who lived up to the 4 Nile rapids. By the end of the reign of this pharaoh, Egypt reached the highest power in its history and became for a short time the most significant power of the Ancient World. A rich tribute to Thutmose was sent not only by the conquered Nubians, Libyans and Syrians, but also by the kings of Babylonia, Assyria, the Hittites and the inhabitants of the country of Punt located on the shores of the Red Sea. The huge number of prisoners and taxes flowing from everywhere allowed Thutmose to develop extensive construction. Majestic temples were built during his reign not only in Egypt, but also far beyond its borders - in Ethiopia, Syria and Palestine.
Used materials from the book by K. Ryzhov. All the monarchs of the world. The Ancient East. M., "Veche". 2001.
Wars of conquest of Thutmose III
Immediately after the death of Hatshepsut, in the 22nd year of his reign, Thutmose III moved his troops to Palestine and Syria. At Megiddo, in northern Palestine, his path was blocked by the allied Syrian-Palestinian rulers. The soul of the union was the ruler of the Syrian city of Kadesh (Kinza). Contrary to the persuasions of his companions to choose a roundabout path, Thutmose, fearing to be seen as a coward by the enemies, went to Megiddo right through a gorge so narrow that soldiers and horses had to follow it in single file. The enemy, who stood against the exit from the gorge, did not dare to attack the Egyptians when they one after another went out onto the plain. Perhaps the allies were afraid to leave their location near the city. Pharaoh also did not intend to launch a surprise attack. At the request of the commanders, he waited until the entire army left the gorge, then from noon to evening he walked along the plain to the stream, at which he settled down for the night. The battle that broke out in the morning ended quickly. A random crowd of Syrian-Palestinian squads under the command of numerous leaders could not withstand the onslaught of the Egyptian army and fled to the city. But here the Egyptians, to the chagrin of the pharaoh, did not take advantage of the situation. The enemy threw the camp and chariots, and the Egyptian army, engaged in plunder, did not rush into the city after the fugitives. It then took a seven-month siege for the city of Megiddo to surrender.
Pharaoh managed to deal with Kadesh not earlier than 20 years after that.
In those days, it was convenient to wage war only in the summer, when the weather was favorable and the feeding of the troops, carried out at the expense of other people's crops, did not cause trouble. Campaigns to Palestine and Syria followed one after another: for 20 years, between the 22nd and 42nd years of his reign, Thutmose III made them at least 15, stubbornly securing his conquered and occupying more and more cities and regions. But the Egyptian army was poorly able to take fortified cities. Often it left with nothing, betraying everything around it to devastation. So it was with Kadesh, until, finally, in one of the last campaigns the Egyptians burst into him through a gap in the wall. The northern border of Thutmose III's campaigns was, apparently, the city of Karkemish on the Euphrates, at the junction of Syria, Mesopotamia and Asia Minor.
The conquest of Syria could not but lead to a clash with the kingdom of Mitanni, located in Northern Mesopotamia. This kingdom, then standing at the peak of its power, laid claim to Syria. All Syrian states saw Mitanni as a stronghold in their struggle against the pharaoh. Forcing the Mitannian army to leave the Euphrates in the 33rd year of his reign, Thutmose III transported the ships built in the Phoenician city of Byblos by land and crossed the river. The Mitannians retreated further, and Thutmose swam down the Euphrates, taking cities and devastating villages. A new defeat befell the Mitanni state in the 35th year of the reign of Thutmose III. However, Mitanni continued to interfere in Syrian affairs even after that. After another 7 years, only in three towns in the region of Kadesh, which Thutmose III took in the 42nd year of his reign, there were over 700 Mitannians with fifty mines.
Thutmose III also fought in the south. The power, which he created with such persistence, already stretched from the northern outskirts of Syria to the fourth rapids of the Nile.
For the frontiers reached by Thutmose III, his successors did not go beyond either. Ethiopia, Syria and Palestine paid an annual tribute. Libya was also listed as a tributary. From the Southern Red Sea, gifts came to the Pharaoh. They were taken to the pharaoh and the embassies from the Mediterranean islands. The Egyptian governor of Syria and Palestine - "the head of the northern countries" - under Thutmose III was considered his confidant on the islands of the Mediterranean. The kings of Babylon, Hittites, Assyria, forced to reckon with the extremely increased importance of Egypt in international affairs, sent respectful gifts to the Pharaoh, which he considered a tribute. He reappointed the defeated Syrian and Palestinian rulers to their cities on the condition that tribute was paid in good order. The children of these rulers were taken hostage to Thebes.
Quoted from: World History. Volume I. M., 1955, pp. 344-346.
Plan
Introduction
1 Coming to power and time of co-government with Hatshepsut
2 Monuments telling about the wars of Thutmose in Asia
3 Thutmose's first campaign
4 Further military campaigns of Thutmose
4.1 Fifth hike
4.2 Sixth hike
4.3 Seventh campaign
4.4 Eighth hike
4.5 Ninth campaign
4.6 Tenth Campaign
4.7 Thirteenth campaign
4.8 Fourteenth campaign
4.9 Thutmose's last trip to Asia
5 Conquests in Nubia
5.1 Measures to strengthen influence in Nubia at the beginning of the reign
5.2 Conquests in Nubia after the death of Hatshepsut
5.3 The final conquest of Nubia
6 The value of Thutmose's campaigns
7 Domestic policy
8 Tomb
9 Board results
10 Bibliography
Bibliography
Introduction
Tutmos III - Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who ruled from about 1479 to 1425 BC. e., from the XVIII dynasty. Son of Thutmose II by the concubine Isis.
The name Thutmoses (Thutmosis or Thutmoses) is an ancient Greek version of the pronunciation of the Egyptian name Jehutimesu - "God Thoth was born" (sometimes translated as "born by Thoth"). Thutmose III used the name Menkheperra (Minkheperra) as his throne, which is rendered in the "Amarna Letters" as Manakhbiriya, or Manakhpirr.
1. Coming to power and the time of co-government with Hatshepsut
Inheritance during the XVIII dynasty was carried out through the maternal line, so that by birth Thutmose III could not claim the throne. The legal line of succession to the throne went back to Hatshepsut - the daughter of Thutmose I and the sister and, apparently, the wife of Thutmose II.
However, having no clear rights to the throne, Thutmose III at one of the holidays in honor of Amun was proclaimed by the pharaoh the oracle of Amun, allegedly by the will of God. Apparently, this happened due to the absence of other male pretenders to the throne. In the 3rd year of his reign, Thutmose erected on the site of the ancient brick temple of Senusert III at Semna, south of the second rapids, a new temple of fine Nubian sandstone, in which he carefully restored the ancient border plate of the Middle Kingdom, and renewed the Senusert decree providing for the temple offerings through constant income. At the same time, he did not mention a single word in his royal title at the beginning of the dedication inscription about any co-government with Hatshepsut. However, then the ambitious widow of Thutmose II, probably with the active support of the Theban priesthood, seized all real power into her own hands and proclaimed herself pharaoh (apparently, this happened at the end of the 4th year of the reign of Thutmose III).
After that, Thutmose was almost completely removed from the government of the country and is hardly mentioned in documents until the very death of the queen, which happened at the end of the 20th year of the formal reign of Thutmose.
2. Monuments telling about the wars of Thutmose in Asia
After the death of Hatshepsut, there were no more direct descendants of Pharaoh Ahmose I, both in the male and female lines, and Thutmose continued to rule without any obstacles alone. Furiously pursuing the memory of his stepmother, he ordered to destroy all her statues, to remove her name from the walls of temples. There was no mercy to the people from the entourage of the late queen, and to those who had previously died, like Senmut, whose tomb was destroyed, and still alive. The country's political life has changed dramatically. Relying primarily on the army and the new service nobility, Thutmose embarked on active conquests. The young Pharaoh was not only an unusually warlike, but also a very strong warrior; he claimed to have shot through a forged copper target 3 fingers thick, so that the arrow came out from behind on 3 palms.
Annals inscribed on the walls in the Karnak Temple of Amun and representing extracts from detailed chronicles placed in the temple library tell about his Syrian victories, which is clearly stated as follows:
“Everything that his majesty did regarding the city, regarding this worthless enemy-prince and his pitiful army, was immortalized in the daily records under the name (of the corresponding day), under the name of the corresponding campaign. This is too much to be immortalized in a letter in this inscription - it has already been immortalized on a leather scroll in the temple of Amun to this day. "
By a happy coincidence, we even know the author of these "annals", which is generally extremely rare in Egyptian literature. In Sheikh-abd-el-Qurna there is a tomb of a nobleman, a contemporary of Thutmose III, the "royal scribe" Chanini (Tanini), who is depicted on the walls of her recording recruits, cattle, taxes, etc. He bears honorary titles and says, among other things: “I followed the good god, the king of righteousness. I have seen victories; king, won by him in all countries, when he captured the princes of Phoenicians and took them to Egypt, when he plundered all their cities and cut their trees, and no country could resist him. I have immortalized the victories won by him in all countries, in writing, in accordance with the perfect "... Of course, there can be no doubt that we have before us the real author of the chronicle of the royal campaigns, maybe not all and not from the very beginning, since we meet him even under Thutmose IV performing important assignments.
· The annals themselves, of course, were lost in antiquity. What we have is an extract made from these chronicles, written on the inside of the walls in front of the sanctuary of the temple of Amun, and the bypass corridors surrounding the sanctuary. All these walls have long been destroyed, dismantled, pulled apart; of the long inscriptions, only fragments on the pieces of the walls remained, but nevertheless they are enough to restore the majestic chronicle of Thutmose's victories and to form a general idea of the vast distances that he traveled with his army. The texts of the Annals Hall at Karnak Temple are a unique source of Egyptian military operations in Asia during the era of Thutmose III.
· Also preserved is the stele of Jebel-Barkala - the memories of Thutmose III of his first Asiatic campaign, when the Egyptians reached the banks of the "great river Naharina", that is, the Euphrates.
· Noteworthy is the biography of Amenemkheb, nicknamed Mahu - a colorful biography of a soldier of the troops of Thutmose III, who participated in several battles and saved the king during an elephant hunt.
At that time, Syria and Palestine were inhabited by a great union of peoples of the same origin, whose monuments are called by the common name "rechenu". These peoples were ruled by kings who sat in fortified cities. Among the kings, the king of the city of Kinza played a particularly prominent role (this city is better known by its Egyptian name - Kadesh). Other princes and their peoples obeyed him as a leader. "From the land of the rivers Naharina (Mesopotamia) to the waters of Egypt."
The Phoenicians, who lived in the coastal zone called Jahi by the Egyptians, also joined this union of the Rechenu peoples; their main city was Arwad. The Hittites apparently joined the union.
3. The first campaign of Thutmose
Basalt statue of Thutmose III at Luxor Museum
At the end of the 22nd year of Thutmose's reign, on April 19, the Egyptian army, led by the pharaoh, set out from the border fortress Dzharu (Greek. Sile) on their first campaign in a long time. After 9 days (April 28) Thutmose in Gaza (Azzatu) celebrated his 23rd anniversary of accession to the throne. On the 24th day of the campaign (May 14), the Egyptian army reached the foot of the Carmel ridge. According to Egyptian information, the whole country to the far north was covered "Rebellion against (that is, against) his majesty"... On the other side of the mountains, in the Ezraelon Valley, near the city of Megiddo, the Egyptians were waiting for the allied army of the Syrians. "Three hundred and thirty" Syro-Palestinian rulers, each with his own army, decided to jointly block the path of the Egyptian king here. The soul of the union was the ruler of Kadesh on Orontes, who managed to raise almost all of Syria-Palestine to fight Egypt.
Contrary to the persuasions of his companions to choose a roundabout path, Thutmose, not wanting to be seen as a coward by the enemies, went to the enemy's troops, along the most difficult, but the shortest road, right through the gorge, where, if desired, it was easy to destroy the entire army of the Egyptians. This gorge was so narrow that the soldiers and horses were forced to move along it in a column one by one, one after another, with Thutmose himself leading his soldiers. The enemy, who did not in any way expect such a speed of advance of the Egyptians, did not manage to block the mountain gorges and the entire army of the pharaoh freely entered the plain in front of the city. Such a strange behavior of the Syrians is explained, perhaps, by the fear of leaving the camp near the city, behind the walls of which it was possible to hide in case of defeat.
In the battle that took place on the 26th day of the campaign (May 15), the rebel coalition was defeated, and the enemy soldiers and their generals fled under the protection of the walls of Megiddo, abandoning their horses, their chariots and their weapons. However, the gates of the city, in fear of the Egyptian soldiers, were locked and the inhabitants of the city were forced to raise their fugitives to the walls with the help of tied clothes and ropes. Although both King Megiddo and King Kadesh were able to escape in this way, the son of King Kadesh was captured. The Egyptians, however, were unable to take advantage of the favorable moment and take the city on the move, as they began to collect equipment and weapons abandoned by the enemy and plunder the camp they had abandoned. The Egyptians captured 3,400 prisoners, more than 900 chariots, more than 2,000 horses, royal property and many livestock.
The rich booty captured by the Egyptians in an abandoned camp did not make any impression on the pharaoh - he turned to his soldiers with an inspiring speech, in which he proved the vital necessity of taking Megiddo: "If you took the city after this, then I would make today (a rich offering) Ra, because the leaders of every country who rebelled are locked in this city and because the capture of Megiddo is like the capture of a thousand cities."... The Egyptians were forced to go to a long siege, as a result of which Megiddo was surrounded by an Egyptian siege wall, which received the name "Mencheperra (throne name of Thutmose III), who conquered the plain of the Asians"... The siege of the city continued for quite a long time, as the Egyptians managed to harvest crops in the surrounding fields. During the siege, rulers of Syrian cities arrived with tribute to Thutmose, who escaped encirclement in Megiddo. “And so the rulers of this country crawled on their bellies to bow to the glory of His Majesty and beg for breath with their nostrils (that is, to give them life), because the strength of his hand is great and his power is great. And Pharaoh forgave foreign kings " .
He ruled around 1479-1425. BC e., of which from 1479 to 1458. - this is the period of his co-rule with Queen Hatshepsut, in which she actually ruled the country on his behalf, and from 1458 - 1428. BC NS. after the death of Hatshepsut, he ruled the country alone. Thutmose III is the son of Pharaoh Thutmose II from the younger wife of Isis. At the time of his father's death, Thutmose III was only twelve years old and he could not rule on his own. His stepmother, the main wife of Thutmose II Hatshepsut, became his regent. Thutmose III and Hatshepsut ruled together until 1473 BC, when she proclaimed herself Pharaoh.
As a child, the new pharaoh married the eldest daughter of Hatshepsut Nefrura, who did not live to come of age. Therefore, the second daughter of Hatshepsut, Meritra Hatshepsut, became the main wife of Thutmose III.
During his lifetime, Hatshepsut Thutmose III was admitted to command posts in the Egyptian army. Probably, he led a number of campaigns to Sinai, to Nubia and Palestine, in which his leadership talent was first manifested. The support of Thutmose III by the army forced the queen to seriously reckon with the pharaoh removed from government.
After the death of Queen Hatshepsut, there were no more direct descendants of Pharaoh Ahmose I, both in the male and female lines, and Thutmose III continued his reign without any obstacles alone. Furiously pursuing the memory of his stepmother, he ordered to destroy all her statues and erase her name from the walls of temples. There was no mercy to the people from the entourage of the late queen, and to those who had died earlier, like the architect Senmut, whose tomb was destroyed, and still alive.
Pharaoh was not only an unusually warlike, but also a very strong warrior. Annals inscribed on the walls in the Karnak temple of Amun tell about his Syrian victories. During his reign, he made fifteen military campaigns, during which Egypt turned into a powerful world power, along with the subordinate territories stretching from north to south for 3500 km. None of his successors went beyond the borders reached under him, both in the north and in the south.
The degree of dependence on Egypt of the conquered countries and cities was different. The most firmly connected with Egypt was Nubia, which was directly controlled by the Egyptian administration headed by the governor. Thutmose was unable to create an equally strong position in Asia Minor because of the difficulty of crossing the desert and the constant opposition of neighboring powers. Dozens of local kings remained in Palestine, Syria and Phenicia.
However, Egyptian garrisons were stationed in the nearby cities of Central Asia, and the heirs of their rulers were brought up as hostages at the Egyptian court, in a spirit pleasing to the pharaoh. As for the kings of broader states, such as Mitanni, Babylonia and the Hittite kingdom, they retained their independence and called themselves "brothers" of the Egyptian king, but the gifts they sent were considered by the pharaoh as a tribute. For the military successes achieved, the Pharaoh is called "Napoleon of the Ancient World."
The enormous wealth coming to Egypt from the conquered countries allowed Thutmose III to develop extensive construction in Fayyum, Kumma, Dendera, Koptos (Kopt), El-Kab, Edfu, Kom-Ombo, Elephantine. The construction was carried out with the help of prisoners of war, and the architectural projects were often drawn up by the pharaoh himself, which testifies to his certain creative talents. The most ambitious building project of Thutmose III was the Karnak temple of Amon-Ra. In fact, it was rebuilt by the chief architect of Puemra on the thirtieth anniversary of his reign (1460 BC), when the pharaoh participated in the cheb-sed ceremony. In addition to general changes in the temple, commemorative obelisks were erected, one of which is now destroyed, and the second, containing a mention of Thutmose crossing the Naharina Bend (Euphrates), is located in Istanbul.
Under Thutmose III at Heliopolis in 1450 BC. NS. two more large obelisks were erected - the so-called "Cleopatra's Needles". In 19 A.D. NS. obelisks by order of the Roman emperor Augustus were transferred to Alexandria. One of them fell on its side and in 1872 was taken to London, and the other in 1881 was brought to New York. Also, under Thutmose III, an obelisk was begun at the temple of Ra in Heliopolis, completed under Thutmose IV. The stele of Jebel Barkala is preserved - the memories of Thutmose III of his first Asiatic campaign, when the Egyptians reached the shores of the Euphrates.
Thutmose III was the first pharaoh whose interests went beyond state activities. The outlook of Thutmose III, albeit against his will, was formed under the influence of the pharaoh's stepmother, who in every possible way patronized the arts. This fact also explains the wide outlook and interest of Thutmose III in culture, uncharacteristic for the ancient Eastern ruler. The inscription in the Karnak temple provides a list of species of plants and animals unknown to the Egyptians, brought into the country from Asia by special personal order of the pharaoh. In addition, as evidenced by the relief in the Karnak temple, the pharaoh devoted his free time to modeling various products, in particular vessels. He handed over his projects to the chief of artisans in state and temple workshops. It is interesting that the first glass products that have survived to our time were created in Egypt under Thutmose III, and they keep the name of this pharaoh.
The inscription in the tomb of the closest royal companion Amenemkheb confirms that Thutmose III ruled for 53 years, 10 months and 26 days - this is the third longest period of the Egyptian pharaoh's reign. Only Pepi II and Ramses II ruled longer - 94 and 67 years, respectively. Thutmose III died in 1425 BC. e., leaving his son Amenhotep II a huge state, which was the hegemon in the entire Middle East. Amenhotep II, who was co-ruler of his father in the last two years of his reign, will conduct another punitive campaign in Asia, accompanied by atrocities against the local population, in sharp contrast to his father's humane attitude towards prisoners of war, after which the Egyptian rule in Syria and Palestine will remain unbreakable until reign of Akhenaten.
Thutmose III was buried in the Valley of the Pharaohs in tomb KV34. His mummy was discovered in 1881 in a cache in Der el-Bahri near the burial temple of Hatshepsut Jeser Jeseru.
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