The names of these two thrones refer to Thoth, the god of language and wisdom, and the supreme sun god. Thutmose III is the son of Thutmose II and a little wife named Hissett. Thutmose II (reigned from BC 1492 to BC 1479) and Queen Hatshepsut (reigned from BC 1479 to BC 1458), the royal daughter of Thutmose I (reigned from BC 1520 to BC/Kloc).
After Thutmose II's death, Hatshepsut became the Regent of Egypt, because Thutmose III was too young to rule Egypt. She should have kept this position, but instead she declared herself a Pharaoh and ruled independently. When Tuthmus III came of age and proved himself capable, he was commanded by his stepmother. This is a choice she won't regret, because he proved himself to be an outstanding strategist and charismatic leader. He is often called "Napoleon of Egypt" today, but unlike Napoleon, Thutmose III never lost his participation, expanded and maintained his empire, and was worshipped by his people for centuries after his death.
Youth and power under Hatshepsut's leadership
Thutmose III was born in BC 148 1 year. He was only three years old when his father died. Hatshepsut was appointed Regent and then ruled. During most of the New Kingdom period (BC 1570-BC 1069), he grew up in the court of Thebes, the capital of Egypt. Although there is almost no record of his life during this period, people attach great importance to the physical and intellectual development of the princes during the new kingdom of Egypt, because they expect to rule an expanding empire one day.
So Thutmose III will spend a lot of time in school, track and field, learning military tactics and strategies. He may have participated in the early battles commissioned by Hatshepsut, because it is common for pharaohs in the new kingdom to familiarize their successors with war when they were young. During this period, Thutmose III developed archery, equestrian, unarmed combat and athletic ability. There is no doubt that military training is his primary task, but his education far exceeds the tactics of fighting and the use of weapons; His later rule clearly showed that he was a highly educated and experienced man. He realized the value of culture beyond the borders of Egypt, the importance of art and music, and respected human life very much.
When he was growing up, his stepmother ruled one of the most prosperous periods in Egyptian history. After the initial battle to consolidate her position, Hatshepsut had no other army during the whole period of her rule, and the army was only deployed in small units to protect the trade expedition and maintain the border. However, Hatshepsut did not let her army idle or weaken, which was proved by the speed of mobilizing and leading the army after Thutmose III took office.
Hatshepsut may have married his daughter Nevru-Ra to Thutmose III to ensure his inheritance, but he didn't seem to spend much time in court when he was young. Henry james brest, an orientalist, said that he might live among soldiers in his early years to avoid Hatshepsut's influence and prove himself useful to her rule. Under the decision of the current monarch, it is very common for the noble prince to be dismissed. Thutmose III showed too much ambition and made himself so fragile.
Before the end of Hatshepsut's rule, she asked him to command her army, which proved that his plan was successful. Her rule ended in 1458 BC, and Thutmose III succeeded her to the throne. Hatshepsut has always strictly controlled Egypt's borders and provinces, but with her death, the Egyptian-controlled kings of Canaan and Syria rebelled. Tuthmus III was not interested in negotiations, and certainly would not let these provinces simply leave the empire, so he started his first military action.
Military campaign
During his tenure as Pharaoh, Tuthmus III led 17 successful military operations in 20 years. He ordered the details of his victory to be registered on the website of the Karnak Temple of Amon, which is considered to be the most extensive military action record in ancient Egypt. His first novel was described in his most famous Battle of Megiddo, which is also the most rigorous narrative. His later battles lost this form, with less details, and were more manifested as a list of trophies than a narrative of the king's victory.
During his tenure as Pharaoh, Tuthmus III led 17 successful military operations in 20 years.
The reasons for the decline in narrative form are not clear, but some scholars claim that this shows that the country is more cohesive. In this state, it is untenable for the list of practical goods to replace Pharaoh's victory narrative. In the centuries after Tuthmus III ruled, there were many such narratives, the most famous of which was Ramesses II (BC165444) about Cadiz and Ramesses III (BC165444). The most reasonable explanation for the brevity of the later inscription is that the author of Migido's narrative died.
The story of the Battle of Megiddo was written by Tuthmus III's private secretary, military scribe and general Tjaneni (also known as Thanuny, BC 1455), who accompanied him throughout the event. Tjaneni wrote his diary on a leather scroll (which was later preserved in the temple of Amon in Thebes for future generations). Thutmose III admired it so much that he ordered this narrative to be engraved on the walls of temples and other parts of Egypt.
Tjaneni described in detail the situation in which Thutmose III served as commander-in-chief. He is fully aware of his and his troops' abilities and is full of confidence in victory. In the most famous passage in this record, Pharaoh called his spin doctor for a meeting to discuss the order to March on Megiddo, and told them that they would take a narrow road from Aruna, and the army would advance on this road alone, instead of taking any wider and easier road than other roads.
The generals objected to this and thought that they had information. The enemy was waiting for them on the passage from Aruna Highway to Migido Plain. When the vanguard troops engaged with the enemy, their defenders would move on. Thutmose III listened to their suggestions, but disagreed, telling them that they could take any road they chose, but he would lead his army along the Aruna Highway and lead from the front. Then the generals agreed to follow him wherever he chose to take them.
His decision on the Aruna Highway reflects Thutmose III's determination to pursue what he thinks is the best route despite difficulties. It will be easier for troops on other roads-especially considering that they have to dismantle transport vehicles and supply vehicles on the Aruna road-but it will cost the army, which Thutmose III thinks is crucial.
Facts have proved that the enemy didn't wait at the end of Aruna highway, but waited on two easier roads. They expected that Thutmose III would lead such a huge army. No one expects him to lead the troops along a road that is essentially a cow road. Let his army rest for one night, and after recovering, the next morning he ordered an attack, charged from the front and drove his opponent out of the battlefield. The report went on to describe in detail how his army rejoiced in victory and collected treasures from fallen people instead of chasing survivors and occupying cities. This made Thutmose III win a complete victory on the battlefield that day, because it gave the people of Megiddo time to prepare for defense.
Even so, Thutmose III broke into the city and surrounded it with moats and stockades for seven or eight months until it surrendered. He offered very generous conditions to the people-none of the leaders who survived the uprising were executed-which basically boils down to a promise that he would not incite rebellion in the future. Then, he turned his army around and went home with a lot of trophies from the battle, stopped to harvest the crops of the defeated and took them back to Egypt.
In Megiddo, he also initiated a policy that he would insist on bringing the aristocratic children of the defeated king back to Egypt for Egyptian education in all sports. These children were taken hostage to ensure their parents' good behavior, but they were respected by the royal family, placed in the palace and given many freedoms. When they are adults, they are allowed to return to their hometown because they have now spent their youth in Egypt. When they were promoted to positions of power, they supported and encouraged Egyptian culture and national interests.
Thutmose III's victory in Megiddo gave him control of northern Canaan, from which he would attack Syria and capture Kadesh. He fought against the Mitannis and erected a stone tablet on the Euphrates River to commemorate his inscription in the Karnak Temple, namely "Ode to the Victory of Thutmose III". His Nubian campaign was equally successful. By the time he was 50 years old, he had expanded the territory of Egypt beyond any of his predecessors, making the country better than the fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt (about 26 BC13-2181).
Art patron
However, as his sponsorship of art shows, his rule was not only focused on military conquest. Tuthmus III commissioned the construction of more than 50 temples, countless tombs and monuments, and made greater contributions to the temple of Karnak and the temple of Amon than any other Pharaoh. In fact, his renovation and expansion of the Karnak Temple is the most important, because they retain the names of past kings (he sometimes removes their monuments during renovation) and provide a narrative of his own activities and initiatives. Facts have proved that these stories are extremely important for scholars of cultural studies.
Under the rule of Thutmose III, artistic skills and experiments reached a new height. Glass has been made for centuries, but now it is perfect enough to make drinking utensils out of glass. Statues are less idealistic and more realistic-this trend began in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040-1782 BC)-but were abandoned to support the traditional artistic idealism established in the old kingdom. Thutmose III is depicted in his statue as a tall and handsome man with excellent physical condition, which is considered as a realistic portrayal. First of all, all descriptions are unified. Secondly, other people's descriptions-which are consistent-are far from satisfactory.
His craftsmen produced some of the best works in Egyptian history, including exquisite tombs decorated with complex paintings and independent columns, and the huge towers of the Karnak Temple. In order to maintain Egyptians' respect and love for nature, he encouraged the construction of public parks and gardens, created lakes and ponds for people's entertainment and enjoyment, and planted private gardens around his palace and Karnak Temple.
Destruction of Hatshepsut Monument
His artistic sensitivity and respect for others are inconsistent with the policy almost universally attributed to him: desecrating Hatshepsut's monument and trying to erase her name from history. Scholars disagree that this happened during his reign, but certainly not in the early years. Whenever this happens, Hatshepsut's name and image will be deleted from all public monuments and the external and internal works of her mortuary temple in Deir Bachri.
Deleting a person's name is condemning their non-existence; A person needs to be remembered to continue his eternal journey in the afterlife. In addition, it is believed that the dead need to be provided with their graves in the form of food and drink every day, and their bodies are preserved through mummies and statues representing them, so that their souls can visit and share these sacrifices. The so-called death penalty text in ancient Egypt clearly pointed out that only those who committed serious crimes could be removed from the list, but there was no evidence that Hatshepsut was involved in any such crimes.
Most likely, Thutmose III ordered this action to prevent Hatshepsut from becoming a role model for women who may aspire to rule in the future. The position of Egyptian monarch was traditionally occupied by men, but Hatshepsut deviated from this convention by taking power for himself. The first king of Egypt is believed to be Osiris, murdered by his brother Seth and resurrected by his sister Isis. He was eventually succeeded by his son Horus, who defeated Seth, regained the throne and re-established order in this land. The king was associated with Horus during their reign and with Osiris, who became the king of the dead after his death. In this narrative, women can't have supreme power.
The core cultural value of ancient Egypt is ma'at (harmony and balance), which largely depends on the persistence of tradition. Because of this, the ancient Egyptians are usually described as conservative: deviating from tradition may lead to losing stability-balance-and returning to the original chaotic state. It is the Pharaoh's duty to maintain ma'at, which may be the motive for Tuthmus III to eradicate the name Hatshepsut.
He traced back to his rule, eliminated all evidence of her rule in Egypt, and replaced some images in her mortuary temple with his own. All her public monuments have been demolished-especially in the Karnak Temple-and replaced by his, but in other places, only her name has been deleted. His predecessor was completely obliterated, and Hatshepsut's name was not known in Egyptian history until the19th century. Later kings of Egypt believed that the beautiful Hatshepsut Temple in Deir Bahri was built by Thutmose III, and many of them took her impressive monument as their own.
Thutmose III basically single-handedly established the Egyptian Empire.
Some people think that Tuthmus III has nothing to do with these acts, which were committed by his son and heir Amenhotep II (1425- 1400 BC) in the late period of Tuthmus III's rule or in the early period of his own rule. Although this is possible, it seems unlikely, because in the era of Amenhotep II, Tuthmus III had ordered the demolition of Hatshepsut's works in Karnak Temple and replaced them with his own works. In addition, Hatshepsut's image and name are intact in her mortuary.
If Amenhotep II, who never knew Hatshepsut, tried to erase her from history, he could not keep her memory anywhere. Keeping her name and image, but not leaving the public eye, shows that Thutmose III is only interested in maintaining the tradition of male pharaohs in Egyptian history, and does not want his stepmother to have any malice.
When he died of natural causes in BC 1425, he was buried in his own morgue, next to Hatshepsut in Deir Bachri. Even if he had basically regarded her temple as his own, if he really believed that she deserved it, he would not be so close to her eternal resting place.
conclusion
The unfortunate result of this action is that since Hatshepsut was rediscovered, Thutmose III has often been mentioned to destroy her because of his numerous achievements and brilliant rule. Thutmose III basically single-handedly established the Egyptian Empire. He promoted the status of Egypt as a powerful and prosperous country, hired people to engage in immortal construction projects, and embodied the ideal of the brave Egyptian warrior king. He led his army to victory after victory.
Thutmose III considered his enemies in the defeat and treated them gently, which made his respect far beyond the borders of his country. He built an empire, extending from the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia to Syria and the Levant, to Nubia, and to the fifth waterfall of the Nile.
Although there is no doubt that the people in these lands prefer independence, they are prosperous under his rule through the peace he established and maintained with military and diplomatic skills. In all respects, Thutmose III represents the Pharaoh in his people's ideal, and his memory as one of the greatest kings in ancient Egypt continues to this day.