Thutmose III

Inheritance during the XVIII dynasty was carried out on the maternal side, so that by birth Thutmose III could not claim the throne. The legal line of succession ascended to Hatshepsut - the daughter of Thutmose I and sister and, apparently, the wife of Thutmose II .

However, having no obvious right to the throne, Thutmose III at one of the holidays in honor of Amon was proclaimed by the pharaoh the oracle of Amon, allegedly by the will of God. Apparently, this happened due to the absence of other male candidates for the throne.

In the 3rd year of his reign, Thutmose erected on the site of the ancient brick temple of Senusert III in Semna, south of the second rapids, a new temple from the beautiful Nubian sandstone, in which he carefully restored the ancient border plate of the Middle Kingdom , and renewed the Senusert decree, which provides the temple with offerings regular income. However, he did not say a word in his royal title, standing at the beginning of the dedicatory inscription, about any co-government with Hatshepsut. However, then the ambitious widow of Thutmose II, probably with the active support of Theban priesthood, seized all the real power in her own hands and proclaimed herself a 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 governing the country and is hardly mentioned in the documents until the death of the queen, which happened at the end of the 20th year of the formal rule of Thutmose.

After the death of Hatshepsut, there were no more direct descendants of the pharaoh Ahmosis I , both male and female, and Thutmose continued to rule without any obstacles alone. Fiercely pursuing the memory of his stepmother, he ordered the destruction of all her statues, and her name from the walls of the temples. There was no mercy for the people from the entourage of the deceased queen, who had died earlier, like Senmouth , whose tomb was destroyed, and still alive ^[1] . The political life of the country has changed dramatically. Relying, first of all, on the army and the new service to know, Thutmose began active conquests. The young pharaoh was not only unusually warlike, but also a very strong warrior; he claimed to have shot through a 3-finger-thick wrought-copper target, so that the arrow exited 3 palms behind.

Annals inscribed on the walls in the Karnak Temple of Amon and representing extracts from detailed chronicles placed in the temple library tell about his Syrian victories, which is specifically stated as follows:

“Everything that His Majesty did regarding the city, regarding this worthless enemy-prince and his miserable army - is immortalized in the daily records under the name (of the corresponding day), under the name of the corresponding campaign. This is too much to perpetuate with a letter in this inscription - it is already immortalized on a leather scroll in the temple of Amon until now. "

By a fluke, we even know the author of these "annals", which is generally extremely rare in Egyptian literature. In Sheikh abd al-Qurn there is a tomb of the nobleman, a contemporary of Thutmose III, the “royal scribe” Tanini (Chanini), who is depicted on the walls of her recording recruits, cattle, tribute, etc. He wears honorary titles and says among other things: “I followed the good god, the king of truth. I have seen victory; king, possessed by him in all countries, when he captivated the princes of Phoenician and led them to Egypt, when he robbed all their cities and cut their trees, and no country could resist him. I immortalized the victories won by him in all countries on a letter, according to perfect ... ” Of course, there can be no doubt that we are faced with the true author of the annals of the royal campaigns, maybe not all and not from the very beginning, as there are references to the fact that he was still carrying out important assignments under Thutmose IV .

• Annals themselves have been lost in antiquity. What we have at our disposal is an extract made from these chronicles, recorded 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, taken apart; of the long inscriptions, only fragments remained on pieces of the walls, but nevertheless they are enough to restore the magnificent annals of Thutmose's victories and make up a general concept of the vast distances that he traveled with his army. The texts of the Annals Hall in the Karnak Temple are a unique source on the military operations of the Egyptians in Asia of the era of Thutmose III.
• The Jebel-Barkal stela was also preserved - the memoirs of Thutmose III about his first Asian campaign, when the Egyptians reached the banks of the “great Naharina River,” that is, the Euphrates.
• Noteworthy is the biography of Amenemheb, 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 a single origin, whom the monuments call by the common name "Rechina." These peoples were ruled by kings who were sitting in fortified cities. Among the kings, the king of the city of Kinza played a particularly prominent role (this city is better known under its Egyptian name - Kadesh ). As a leader, other princes and their peoples obeyed him "from the country of the rivers of Naharin ( Mesopotamia ) to the waters of Egypt . "

The Phoenicians , who lived in a coastal strip called the Egyptians of Jahi, joined this union of peoples. their main city was Arvad . In addition, the Hittites apparently joined the alliance.

At the end of the 22nd year of the reign of Thutmose on April 19, the Egyptian army, led by the pharaoh, from the border fortress of Charu (Greek Sile) went on his first campaign for a long time. Nine days later (April 28), Thutmose in Gaza (Azzatu) celebrated his 23th anniversary of his accession to the throne ^[1] . On the 24th day of the campaign (May 14), the Egyptian army reached the foot of the Carmel Range. According to Egyptian information, the whole country to the far north was engulfed in "rebellion against (that is, against) his majesty . " On the other side of the mountains, in the Ezdraelon Valley, near the city of Megiddo , the Egyptians awaited the allied army of the Syrians. “Three hundred and thirty” Syro-Palestinian rulers, each with his own army decided to jointly block the road to the Egyptian king. The head of the union was the ruler of Kadesh on the Orontes , who managed to raise almost the whole of Syria-Palestine to fight with Egypt.

Contrary to the persuasion of his associates to choose a workaround, Thutmose, not wanting to pass the enemy as a coward, went to the enemy’s troops along the most difficult but shortest road, right through the gorge, where you could easily destroy the entire Egyptian army. This gorge was so narrow that the warriors and horses were forced to move along it into the column one by one, one after another, and Thutmose himself led his warriors. The enemy, who did not expect such a speed of advance of the Egyptians, did not manage to block the mountain gorges and the whole army of the pharaoh unhindered entered the plain in front of the city. Such strange behavior of the Syrians is explained, perhaps, by the fear of leaving the camp near the city, beyond whose walls one could 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 enemy warriors and their commanders fled under the protection of the walls of Megiddo, abandoning their horses, chariots and weapons ^[1] . However, the gates of the city, in fear of the Egyptian warriors, were locked and the inhabitants of the city were forced to raise their fugitives to the walls with the help of knitted clothes and ropes. Although King Megiddo and King Kadesh were thus able to escape, the son of King Kadesh was captured. The Egyptians, however, were not able to take advantage of the opportunity and take the city on the move, as they engaged in collecting equipment and weapons thrown by the enemy and robbing the abandoned camp ^[1] . The Egyptians captured 3,400 prisoners, more than 900 chariots, more than 2,000 horses, royal property and many cattle.

The rich booty captured by the Egyptians in the abandoned camp did not make any impression on the pharaoh - he addressed his soldiers with an encouraging speech in which he proved the vital necessity of taking Megiddo:

The Egyptians were forced to go to a prolonged siege , as a result of which Megiddo was surrounded by an Egyptian siege wall, called "Menheperra (the throne name of Thutmose III), who captured the plain of the Asians . " The siege of the city lasted quite a while, as the Egyptians managed to harvest in the surrounding fields. During the siege, Thutmose arrived with tribute to the rulers of Syrian cities, who escaped encirclement in Megiddo. “And the rulers of this country crawled up on their stomachs to bow down to the glory of His Majesty and to pray for their nostrils (that is, to give them life), because the power of his hand was great and his power was great. And Pharaoh forgave the foreign kings . ”

During the first campaign, Thutmose also captured three cities in the Upper Rechenu: Inuama, Iniugas and Hurenkara (whose exact location is unknown), where more than two and a half thousand prisoners were captured and huge values ​​in the form of precious metals and skillful things. To top it off, Thutmose laid a very strong fortress in the country of Remenen, he called “Men-heper-Ra connecting the barbarians” , and he uses the same rare word for “barbarians” that Hatshepsut attaches to the Hyksos . From this it is clear that Thutmose considered his campaign against the Syrian princes as a continuation of the war with the Hyksos, begun by his ancestor Yahmos I. In light of this, it becomes clear why Manetho (in the transfer of Josephus Flavius ) attributes the victory over the Hyksos to Thutmose III, whom he calls Misfragmoufosis (from the throne name of Thutmose - Menheperr).

Then Thutmose returned to Thebes , taking with him to Egypt as hostages the eldest sons of the kings, who expressed humility to him. Thus, Thutmose III gave rise to the practice that the Egyptian administration used throughout the New Kingdom, since it simultaneously neutralized the possibility of anti-Egyptian unrest, and ensured the loyalty to the power of the pharaoh of the local rulers of the cities of the Eastern Mediterranean, brought up in the Egyptian court. On the wall of the Third Pylon, an almost complete list of Syrian-Palestinian cities belonging to the alliance defeated by the pharaoh at Megiddo has been preserved. The list contains 119 names, including such well-known cities as Kadesh , Megiddo , Hamat , Damascus , Hazor , Acre , Berit , Joppa , Afek , Taanah and many others. The inscription is immediately placed:

The story of the first campaign of Thutmose III ends with the image of the triumph of the pharaoh who returned to Thebes with his army. In honor of his grand victory, Thutmose III arranged three holidays in the capital, lasting 5 days each. During these holidays, the Pharaoh generously presented his military leaders and distinguished soldiers, as well as temples. In particular, during the main 11-day holiday dedicated to Amon - Opet , Thutmose III transferred to the temple of Amon three cities captured in South Phenicia, as well as extensive possessions in Egypt itself, on which prisoners captured in Asia worked.

Second and Fourth Campaigns

In the annals of Thutmose nothing was preserved about the 2nd, 3rd, 4th campaigns. Apparently, at this time Thutmose strengthened his power over the conquered territories.

Fifth Campaign

In the 29th year of his reign, Thutmose embarked on his 5th campaign in Asia Minor. By this time, the Syro-Phoenician principalities formed a new anti-Egyptian coalition, in which both the coastal Phoenician cities and the cities of Northern Syria began to play a significant role, among which Tunip advanced. On the other hand, Egypt, mobilizing both its own resources and the resources of the previously conquered areas of Palestine and Southern Syria (Haru and Lower Rechenu), began to prepare for a new large military campaign in Asia Minor. Knowing full well that Egypt would never be able to dominate Syria if it did not get a strong foot on the Phoenician coast, Thutmose III organized a fleet whose task was to conquer the cities of the Phoenician coast and protect the sea lanes leading from Phenicia to Egypt. It is quite possible that this fleet was commanded by precisely that old associate of not only Thutmose III, but also Thutmose II, the nobleman Nebamon, whom Thutmose III appointed commander of "all the king’s ships . " The fifth campaign of Thutmose III was intended to isolate Kadesh from its strong allies on the Phoenician coast and thereby create favorable conditions for a complete blockade and further capture of Kadesh.

At present, it is not possible to identify the name of the city of Wardjet (Warchat), which, as the chronicler points out, was captured during this campaign. Judging by the further text of the “Annals”, one might think that Warget was a rather large Phoenician city, since, according to the chronicler, it contained a “depot of victims” and, obviously, also the sanctuary of Amon-Khorakhte, in which the pharaoh made sacrifices Theban Supreme God. Apparently, in this large Phoenician city there was a fairly significant Egyptian colony. There is reason to believe that Huarchet was relatively close to Tunipa, and was within the sphere of influence of this large city of Northern Syria, since the pharaoh, during occupation of Huarchet, captured along with another large booty “the garrison of this enemy from Tunip, prince of this city” . It is only natural that the ruler of Tunip, economically and politically closely connected with the cities of the Phoenician coast, fearing an Egyptian invasion, sent auxiliary troops to Huarchet in order to jointly repel the onslaught of the Egyptian troops.

Egypt's desire to capture not only the cities of the Phoenician coast, but also sea communications is emphasized in the passage from the Annals, which describes the capture by the Egyptians of “two ships [equipped with their crew] and loaded with all sorts of things, slaves and slaves, copper, lead, white gold (tin?) and all the beautiful things . " Among the captured booty, the scribe noted slaves, slaves, and metals as the most desirable values ​​for the Egyptians.

On the way back, the Egyptian pharaoh devastated the large Phoenician city of Iartitu with "his [stocks] of grain, cutting down all his good trees." The victories gained by the Egyptian troops over the enemy on the Phoenician coast gave the Egyptians a rich agricultural area. According to the chronicler, the country of Jahi, occupied by Egyptian troops, abounded in gardens in which numerous fruit trees grew. The country was rich in grain and wine. Therefore, the Egyptian army was abundantly equipped with everything that he was supposed to receive during the campaign. In other words, the rich Phoenician coast was given over to the looting of the Egyptian army.

Judging by the fact that the description of the fifth expedition of Thutmose III to Asia Minor mentions only the capture of one city of Ouarget and the devastation of the city of Iartit alone, the rest of the cities of the Phoenician coast were not captured by the Egyptians. That is why the Egyptian scribe, describing the wealth of the country of Jahai, lists only orchards, wine and grain that fell into the hands of Egyptian warriors, which made it possible to supply the army with everything necessary. A listing of those offerings that were delivered to the pharaoh during this campaign is also consistent with this. This list of offerings attracts a large number of cattle and small cattle, bread, grain, wheat, onions, “all good fruits of this country, olive oil, honey, wine” , that is, mainly agricultural products. Other values ​​are listed either in a very small amount (10 silver dishes) or in the most general form (copper, lead, lapis lazuli, green stone).

Obviously, the entire local population hid with their values ​​behind the strong walls of numerous Phoenician cities, which the Egyptian army could not occupy.

Thus, the most important result of the fifth campaign of Thutmose III was the capture of the country of Jahi ( Phenicia ) - a rich agricultural region that provided several strong points on the Phoenician coast. During the next campaign, this bridgehead would have allowed the landing of larger military forces here with the aim of penetrating the Oronta Valley and capturing the most important cities of internal Syria. The mood of the Egyptian army was upbeat - according to the chronicler, "His Majesty's army reveled [in plenty] and smeared with olive oil every day, as on holidays in the Egyptian country . " With these words, the Egyptian scribe very openly described the material security of the Egyptian army, which won a number of major victories in Phenicia.

Most likely, the literary work “The Capture of Yupi ” refers to this campaign, which tells of the conquest of the rebellious city of Yupa by the Egyptian commander Jehuti (Thuti) ^[2] . It came in a later edition, relating to the XIX dynasty ( Harris Papyrus 500 ).

Sixth trip

In the 30th year of rule, Thutmose undertook his 6th campaign with the aim of expanding the conquered territories and capturing the most important military and political center of Syria - Kadesh . It was decided to take a campaign by sea. In the Mediterranean Sea, ships sailed to Phenicia, and it can be assumed that Egyptian troops landed in Simir . After all, it was from here that the shortest and most convenient path opened, leading along the valley of the Eleuthera River (Nar-El-Kebir) to the Valley of Oronta . On the other hand, the capture of the big city of Simira allowed the Egyptian forces to strengthen their positions on the Phoenician coast. The assumption that the Egyptians landed in Simir is also confirmed by the fact that, according to the "annals", the Egyptian troops after the siege of Kadesh returned to Simira, which is called the Egyptian chronicler "Dzhemara".

From Simira, the Egyptian army went to Kadesh. Kadesh lay on the west bank of the Orontes. A small influx from the west connected with Orontes directly north of the city so that the latter was between them. Across the spit, south of the city, a canal was dug, which can still be traced now and which undoubtedly existed in the days of Thutmose, it connected both streams, and thanks to this the city was surrounded on all sides by water. The high walls, to top it off, made him a very fortified point. Kadesh was probably the most formidable fortress in Syria. The siege of Kadesh lasted from spring to autumn, as the Egyptians managed to harvest in the vicinity of the city, but Tutmos could not take the city, and limited himself to devastating its surroundings.

On the way back to Simira, the Egyptians again took the city of Iartita and completely destroyed it. To finally crush the resistance of the rebellious Syro-Phoenician princes, Thutmose took their children and brothers as hostages and took them with him to Egypt. “Annals of Thutmose III” mark this event in the following words: “And so the children of the princes and their brothers were delivered to be kept in the fortified camps of Egypt . ” Pharaoh tried to subjugate these hostages to Egyptian cultural and political influence in order to raise from them future friends of Egypt. Therefore, "if any of these princes was dying, then His Majesty brought [his] son ​​to put him in his place . "

Seventh Campaign

In the 31st year of rule, the 7th campaign, also a sea one, was undertaken. In the Annals, it is briefly reported that the pharaoh during this campaign occupied the Phoenician city of Ullazu, located near Simira, which was named by the Egyptian chronicler Iunrachu. Obviously, Ullaza was a major center around which the forces of the anti-Egyptian coalition of Syro-Phoenician princes grouped. The Syrian city of Tunip, which supported Ullase during this campaign, also played a large role in this coalition. In the “Annals” it is reported that during the capture of Ullaza, the Egyptians captured about 500 prisoners, and among others “the son of this enemy from Tunip,” that is, the son of Prince Tunip, who, apparently, was sent to Ullaza with a detachment of auxiliary troops delay the further advance of the Egyptian troops. However, despite the help of the Syrian cities, Ullaza was occupied by the Egyptian army, as emphasized in the Annals, “in a very short time. And all his property became easy prey ”for the Egyptians. From this we can conclude that the Egyptians had a significant numerical superiority over the coalition of Syro-Phoenician princes, not only on land but also at sea. After all, the mention that the enemy city was captured very quickly is found in the Annals for the first time.

Local kings, as usual, appeared with an expression of humility, and Thutmose collected almost 500 kg of silver from them, not counting a large number of natural products. Then Thutmose sailed along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea from one port to another, demonstrating his strength and everywhere organizing the administration of cities.

In the Annals, it is reported that "all the harbors into which His Majesty arrived were supplied with beautiful forests, all kinds of bread, olive oil, incense, wine, honey and all kinds of wonderful fruits of this country . " Obviously, Thutmose III organized in the cities of the Phoenician coast permanent food supply bases of the Egyptian troops, which due to this could make long trips inland.

Returning to Egypt, Thutmose found there ambassadors from Nubia, from the countries of Ganabut and Wahuat, who paid tribute to him, mainly consisting of cattle, but also mention elephant fangs, ebony, panther skins and other valuable works of these countries.

Eighth Campaign

On the 33rd year of the reign, the 8th campaign took place. The conquest of Palestine, the cities of the Phoenician coast and southern Syria, finally, the penetration of the Oronta Valley opened Egyptian troops strategically important roads leading north, to Northern Syria, and northeast, to the valley of the middle Euphrates, where the country of Nakharin and the powerful state of Mitanni were located . The fact that the main strategic blow during this campaign was dealt to the Mitanni state is quite clearly emphasized in the Annals. The author of the "Annals", who very sparingly described the eighth campaign of Thutmose III, at the very beginning of his description reports on the most important achievements of the Egyptians, which were expressed in the passage through the Euphrates and the devastation of the country of Naharin. Fortunately, the other two inscriptions preserved from this time - the inscription from Jebel Barkal and the autobiography of Amenemheb, allow at least a general outline to restore the events that occurred during the eighth expedition of Thutmose III to Asia Minor.

This campaign, as can be seen from the inscription Amenemheb, was undertaken by land. Egyptian troops under the command of the pharaoh moved from the borders of Egypt to the country of the Negeb , which was located in southern Palestine. This route is apparently due to the fact that the Egyptians, in view of the range of the campaign, needed to firmly consolidate their rear and provide basic land communications. It is also possible that an uprising of local tribes broke out in southern Palestine against Egyptian rule, which forced the Egyptians to give the rebels a battle in Negeb. Suppressing the uprising, the Egyptian army marched through all of Palestine and entered southern Syria. The "Annals", as obviously the first major success of the Egyptians, mark the "arrival at the Keden region." Keden, as the Egyptians called Katna , was occupied by Egyptian troops, as can be assumed from the text of the “Annals”, as well as from a fragment of the inscription preserved on the seventh pylon of the Theban temple of Amon. The capture by the Egyptians of Katna, a large city that had long been of great commercial and military-political importance, was a major military success, which greatly facilitated the further advance of the Egyptian troops to the north. Judging by the fact that Katna is not mentioned in the “Annals” when describing the previous campaigns of Thutmose III, the city until this time retained its independence from Egypt, which, of course, made it very difficult for the Egyptian troops to advance further.

Having occupied Katna, the Egyptian army moved further north and near the "heights of Uan, west of Harabu" (apparently Aleppo ) fought the enemy, who, perhaps, concentrated quite large forces here. Describing this battle, Amenemheb reports: "I took the Asians as prisoners - 13 people and 70 live donkeys, as well as 13 bronze axes, [and] the bronze was decorated with gold . " Apparently, among the enemy troops there were selected troops of either one of the major cities of Syria, or even the Mitannian king himself, armed with the precious weapons described by Amenemheb. Having defeated the enemy’s troops, the Egyptian troops occupied Aleppo , after which they moved further to the northeast, captured the entire area up to the Euphrates and approached this river, which was a natural border between Syria and Mesopotamia, near Karkemish . Here, near this large and strong city, located on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, the Egyptian troops, as stated in the inscription of Amenemheb, gave a great battle to the enemy troops.

Having completely defeated the enemy, the Egyptians captured the strongholds of Karchemish and the crossing through the Euphrates, which enabled the Egyptian army to invade the area of ​​the state of Mitanni , already in Mesopotamia. This major success of Egyptian weapons was rightly regarded by contemporaries as the victorious end of the entire campaign, which confirmed Egypt’s dominance in Asia Minor and gave the Egyptians hands vast and rich areas not only of Northern Syria, but also of Mitanni. Therefore, the passage through the Euphrates is reported in all three inscriptions describing the eighth campaign of Thutmose III. In the Annals, it is briefly reported that the pharaoh, at the head of his army, crossed the "great inverted river of Naharina," that is, the river, which flows not to the north, like the familiar and familiar to the Egyptians Nile, but to the south.

An inscription from Jebel Barkal eloquently describes how the Egyptian army devastated this vast area, putting all settlements to fire and a sword, cutting down fruit trees and capturing all the inhabitants as slaves, as well as a lot of cattle and grain reserves. The same inscription, which contains a number of essentially important data on the eighth campaign of Thutmose III, which is not found in other inscriptions, describes in detail how the pharaoh ordered the construction of many ships from the solid Lebanese cedar , cut down “in the mountains of the land of God” near “Lady Biblus ” . Then the ships were loaded onto large carts drawn by bulls and delivered to the shores of the Euphrates. On these ships, Egyptian troops crossed "across the large river that flows between this foreign country and the country of Nakharin . " These last words clearly indicate that the Egyptians during the reign of Thutmose III called the country "Naharin" a region lying directly east of the middle course of the Euphrates.

These major military successes of the Egyptian troops and the successful crossing through the Euphrates gave not only the western, but also the eastern coast of the Euphrates to the hands of the Egyptians. Judging by the text of the “Annals”, Thutmose III, realizing these successes, moved south, partly sailing on the river in ships, partly walking along its eastern bank, “taking over cities, devastating areas of this enemy of the despicable country of Nakharin . ” “I lit them, my majesty turned them into ruins ... I took away all their people, taken away by the captives, their livestock without numbers, and also their things, I took away their lives, I pulled out their barley, I cut down all their groves, all of them fruit trees". Obviously, the resistance of the Mitannian army was completely broken. The Egyptian chronicler figuratively depicts the demoralization of a defeated enemy who was rapidly retreating to the southeast, saying that "not one of them looked back, for they fled and jumped like the goats of the mountains . " In the inscription from Jebel Barkal, the complete defeat of the Mitannian army was emphasized by the indication that the Mitannian king was forced to take flight and that the pharaoh "sought out a despicable enemy in the foreign lands of Mitanni." He fled from the pharaoh in fear to another country, to a distant place . " 30 tsars and their wives alone were captured; 80 representatives of the nobility were also captured.

Obviously, Thutmose III limited himself to the devastation of the western part of the Mitannian kingdom and did not consider it necessary to pursue the Mitannian king, who fled to the far eastern borders of his state. Considering that the Egyptian troops had fully fulfilled the strategic objectives of this campaign, Thutmose III erected two commemorative stones, one on the eastern side of the Euphrates, and the other near the stove, which was set by Thutmose I. This was reported both in the Annals and in the inscription from Jebel Barkal. Apparently, the installation of memorial plates on the banks of the Euphrates was the solemn moment that was to mark the end of the victorious campaign. Having reached the maximum possible, the pharaoh turned back.

Near Nii, the pharaoh decided to hunt for elephants, which were then abundant in these places. Thutmose on his chariot attacked a huge herd of 120 individuals, but almost died during this hunt. A huge furious, apparently wounded elephant, the leader of this herd, grabbed the king with a trunk and was ready to throw him on the ground to trample. However, the faithful Amenemheb, from the inscription in the tomb of which we know this incident, was nearby. He chopped off the trunk of an elephant and rushed to run, diverting the elephant's attention to himself. Pharaoh at this time was able to take refuge.

However, on the way back, Thutmose III had to overcome some resistance from certain regions and cities of Syria, which were still not completely conquered by the Egyptians. Amenemheb reports in his autobiography that "he saw the king’s victories" "in the country of Senger" when he "committed a great massacre there . " Further, on this return trip, the Egyptian army again had to fight the prince of Kadesh, who apparently tried to use the current situation to raise an uprising against the pharaoh. However, with his forces still large enough, Thutmose III "captured the city of Kadesh . " Finally, Amenemheb reports that he "again saw his Majesty's victories in the despicable country of Tahsi, near the city of Meriu . " All these battles, described by Amenemheb, were not random small skirmishes, but rather significant battles, during which the resistance of certain still unruly Syrian regions and cities was finally suppressed. Especially significant is the fact that the Phoenician cities and regions had to pay annual taxes to Egypt. Thus, these conquered countries were, as it were, economically introduced into the Egyptian state.

During the eighth campaign, Thutmose III was able to consolidate Egyptian dominance in Syria, Palestine and Phenicia, inflict serious damage on the Mitannian state, crossing the Euphrates and ruining its western regions, finally, the Egyptians captured a huge booty, as evidenced by the "Annals" ^[3] .

In addition, the undoubted result of the eighth campaign was the strengthening of the military-political and economic influence of Egypt in Asia Minor. This was expressed in the fact that Assyria and the Hittite state sent their "tribute" to Egypt. Of course, they were not subject to Egypt and as independent states were not obliged to pay tribute to Egypt. But since both Assyria and the Hittite state were constantly fighting with Mitanni , by sending gifts to the pharaoh they seemed to be in solidarity with his policy in Asia Minor, recognized his conquests and put themselves in the position of his allies. This was one of the moments of the highest tension of the aggressive policy of the Egyptian state, when Egypt's continuous aggressive campaigns in Asia Minor reached their climax.

Egypt was at the top of its military power. The Annals indicate that the army, led by Pharaoh, "arrived ... safely in Egypt . " The chronicler notes twice that the pharaoh expanded the “borders of Egypt” with this campaign. Quite consciously placing in the same description of the eighth campaign lists of receipts from Punta and Nubia, Tanini underlines the enormous extent of the Egyptian state, which has constantly flocked untold riches from Western Asia and distant African regions up to the "land of God" - distant Punta, trade with which was restored at Hatshepsut.

Ninth Campaign

In the 34th year of rule, Thutmose undertook his 9th campaign. After the major victories won in Northern Syria and Northwest Mesopotamia during the eighth campaign of Thutmose III, the Egyptian forces had to keep their positions and suppress the uprisings, which was necessary to strengthen the position of Egypt in the conquered countries. Therefore, it is natural that during the next campaigns Thutmose III tried only to keep what was held and did not consider it necessary to advance deep into the conquered countries. During the ninth campaign, Egyptian troops occupied the main city of the Nuhashshé region and two other minor cities of the same region.

In the “Annals” it is reported that the pharaoh captured the city of Iniugas, and “people of another city located in his area, completely pacified by his majesty, came to him with a bow . ” Further in the attached list of “cities captured this year” , “two cities and a city surrendered in this region of Iniugas are mentioned. There are only three [cities]. ” This area was of great economic importance, because there were important trade routes connecting the Euphrates Valley with the North Phoenician coast and the deep regions of Northern Syria. The country of Nuhash was, of course, of great strategic importance as a border region, located at the junction of the spheres of influence of three large states: Egypt, Mitanni and the Hittite kingdom . Therefore, the strong occupation of this outpost provided Egypt with dominance in the entire vast area between the middle course of the Euphrates and the North Phoenician coast.

In this rich principality, Egyptian troops captured a large booty listed in the Annals. The chronicler, keeping records of captured values, mentions here captives, their wives and children, obviously enslaved, horses richly decorated with gold and silver chariots of the Syrian aristocrats, gold vessels, gold in rings, silver vessels, silver in rings, copper, lead , bronze, all kinds of weapons “for battle”, a lot of cattle and small cattle, donkeys, valuable varieties of wood and luxurious wood products - chairs and wooden parts of the tent, decorated with bronze and precious stones.

The list of tributes received by Thutmose III in the 34th year of his reign is striking in the number and variety of articles. From Phenicia (Jahi) the Egyptians still received "all kinds of beautiful things", which were rich in all Phoenician harbors. In this case, it is of great interest to mention the chronicler that all products and goods were sent on a variety of ships: on the ships of Keftiu (Cretan ships), on Bible ships and on sea (maybe even military) ships. In particular, these ships were loaded with masts, wooden poles and large beams for large royal buildings. Obviously, the scribe had in this case meant to emphasize the development of maritime trade in Egypt, which now established stronger trade ties with Crete and Phenicia. This is confirmed by the fact that in the further lines of the “Annals” it is said about the delivery of “tribute” or about receiving special deliveries (literally: “offerings”) from the country of Isi (obviously Cyprus), from where the Egyptians received primarily copper, and then lead, lapis lazuli, ivory and the valuable Chaga tree. Also the offerings were sent this year by the king of Assyria.

Tenth Campaign

In the 35th year of reign - 10 campaign. Thutmose III was forced to undertake this campaign in Syria in order to suppress the uprisings in the northern part of this country and in the adjacent areas of North-Western Mesopotamia, which were covered by the somewhat obscure and vague Egyptian geographical term “Naharina”.

The main enemy of the Egyptians this year was “this despicable enemy from Naharina” , which, according to the chronicler, gathered a large army “from the ends of the country” , and the enemy’s soldiers were “more numerous than sand on the shore” . Obviously, this time Egypt in Syria was opposed by a rather significant coalition of North Syrian and, possibly, Mitanni regions and cities, headed by one of the local princes. The battle took place near the "city of the country of Jarayana" , the location of which cannot be precisely determined at present.

The Annals describes the brilliant victory of the Egyptian army, after which the enemies "fled, falling on one another . " However, it is clear that in fact the battle was stubborn, and only yielding to the military skill of the Egyptian army did the Syrians retreat under the cover of the city walls. But this retreat was not a stampede, as stated in the annals, but, obviously, took place in an organized manner, since the Egyptians were able to capture only 10 prisoners, but 180 horses and at least 60 chariots.

As a result of the reconciliation by Egyptian troops of the rebellious regions of Northern Syria, the countries of Rechen and Remenen (Syria and Lebanon), as well as other Asian countries, sent their offerings and tributes to the Egyptian pharaoh, and gold, gold vessels, incense, chariots, horses should be noted in the lists of values ​​by the chronicler. finally a large amount of olive oil and wine. Systematically suppressing the resistance of the peoples of Central Asia, the Egyptians from year to year pumped out of these rich regions a great variety of products and values ​​themselves, which could not but strengthen the material base of the Egyptian slaveholding economy and the military power of the Egyptian state.

Eleventh to Twelfth Campaigns

In the “Annals” no information was preserved about the campaigns that Thutmose III made to Western Asia during the 36th and 37th years of his reign. But since the thirteenth “victorious campaign” is mentioned and described in the same chronicle under the 38th year, then obviously the eleventh and twelfth campaigns relate to the two previous years.

Thirteenth Campaign

The campaign of the 38th year was marked by only one major military event, which the chronicler considered worthy to note in his short notes. This was the devastation of cities in the Iniugas region, which was first captured by Thutmose III during his first campaign. However, this region of Syria has repeatedly rebelled against the rule of the Egyptians. During the ninth campaign, the pharaoh again conquered this area; finally, at the sunset of his many years of reign, he was again forced to deliver a strong blow to these unconquered northern Syrian cities.

In the lists of the abundant tribute received by the king from various countries and regions of Asia Minor after the thirteenth campaign, Lebanon (Remenen), Phenicia (Jahi), and the island of Cyprus (Isi) are mentioned. Along with them, the name "country of Iarah" is found for the first time.

Fourteenth Campaign

In the 39th year of his reign, Thutmose again made a trip to Western Asia, of which we are very little aware. In the chronicle in this case, it is only mentioned that during the king’s fourteenth victorious campaign in the country of Rechen, Egyptian troops were confronted with “defeated enemies of the country of Shasu, ” which are usually considered “Bedouins”. Of course, these Shasu tribes have nothing to do with modern Bedouins. It is possible that under the word "shasu" the Egyptians meant the nomads of the desert regions of Western Asia. However, in this case, we mean the tribes of a certain country, as can be seen from the corresponding hieroglyph denoting them.

The events of the next two years are almost not marked in the Annals of Thutmose III. The text related to the 40th year consists of only one poorly preserved line in which you can try to see a mention of the fifteenth campaign. Under the 41st year, the surviving lines of the annals do not mention any campaign at all, but immediately give “a list of the princes' offerings to Rechen” , then describe the harbor supplies, moreover, as usual, the “harvest from Jahi” is mentioned, and then the offerings are reported from the Great Heta, finally, a list of duties from the countries of Cush and Wauat is given. Especially significant in this case is the mention of the Great Khet , with which the Egyptians from this time establish closer than before economic ties.

Thutmose's Last Campaign in Asia

In the 42nd year, Thutmose undertook his last trip to Western Asia. This campaign was a kind of major punitive expedition sent to Syria in order to finally crush the major uprising of the rebellious Syrian cities, led by Tunip and Kadesh .

The Egyptian army, led by the pharaoh himself, arrived in Syria, moved along the coast. Obviously, the expedition was in the nature of a military demonstration, which was to show the power of Egyptian weapons to Phoenician cities. As stated in the annals, the immediate goal of this march was to capture the Phoenician city of the “Irkat country,” located near Simira. The Egyptian troops, having occupied and devastated Irkatu and the cities located in its area, thereby created a strong base on the coast, which enabled them, having secured their rear, to move inland. As can be seen from the extremely concise text of the annals, the Egyptian troops first headed north to deliver the first strike to Tunip. This maneuver was intended to drive a wedge between the rebel cities of Northern and Central Syria and deprive the Egyptian main enemy, Kadesh, of supporting the North Syrian cities, which were probably led by the Prince of Tunipa.

The siege of Tunipa dragged on and continued until the fall, but Tunip was taken and devastated, and the Egyptian troops harvested in the region of Tunipa. Thus isolating Kadesh from the north and cutting it off from its allies in northern Syria, Thutmose III moved his troops against Kadesh and captured 3 cities in its vicinity. Apparently, Kadesh was supported by the Mitannians, since more than 700 Mitannians with fifty horses were captured in these cities.

Then came the turn of Kadesh, whose inhabitants rebuilt the walls again after the pharaoh destroyed the city in the 33rd year, that is, 9 years ago. In the annals of Thutmose nothing is said about the capture of Kadesh himself, but a colorful story about this has been preserved in the tomb of Amenemheb. As the Egyptians approached, the ruler of Kadesh set off on a trick: to meet their chariot teams, he released a swift-footed mare in the hope of upsetting their fighting system, but the undertaking failed. Amenemheb on foot caught up with a mare who had already burst into the Egyptian detachments, ripped her belly up and chopped off her tail and carried it to the pharaoh. Kadesh was taken by an attack after breaking the city wall by the daredevils who volunteered, led by the same Amenemheb.

Thus, this last campaign of Thutmose III to Western Asia for a long time strengthened the rule of Egypt in Phenicia and Syria. During this campaign, Egyptian troops dealt a crushing blow to the main centers of resistance in Syria - Tunip and Kadesh. The memory of the conquering pharaoh was preserved for a long time among the peoples of Syria-Palestine conquered by them: even a century later, loyal Egyptian vassals in the region, calling to Akhenaten with pleas for military assistance, asked: “Who could rob Tunip earlier, without being (then) robbed by Manahbiriya (from Thutmose’s throne name - Menheperra)? ”

Measures to Strengthen Influence in Nubia at the Beginning of the Reign

Despite the fact that the focus of the Egyptian government during the reign of Thutmose III was on the conquest of Palestine , Syria and Phenicia and the strengthening of Egypt's economic, political and military influence in Asia Minor, Egypt had to continue its military-aggressive policy in the south, in Nubia and the countries adjacent to it, from which the Egyptians have long exported a number of goods necessary for the development of slaveholdings, as well as many slaves.

Already at the very beginning of the reign of Thutmose III, the Egyptian government set itself the task of energetically renewing the aggressive policy in the south in order to fully strengthen the rule of Egypt in all of Nubia and even in the countries adjacent to it. This is clearly indicated by the inscription of Thutmose III, referring to the 2nd year of his reign and preserved on the walls of the temple built by the pharaoh in Semna , at the 2nd threshold of the Nile , on the site of the already collapsed temple of Senusert III , which once conquered Nubia. This inscription says that “the good god Men-heper-Ra (the throne name of Thutmose III), he built a monument for the father of Dedun , the head of Nubia and for the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Ha-kau-Ra (the throne name of Senusert III), having built they have a temple of white beautiful stone of Nubia . " Having depicted Senusert III as the enriched ruler of Nubia on the walls of this temple, Thutmose III thereby proclaimed himself the continuation of his work - the conquest of Nubia. The images of the Nubian god Dedun, placed right there, should have clearly shown that the Nubian priesthood sanctioned the Egyptian conquest.

Thus, during the conquest of Nubia, the Egyptians tried to use the Nubian religion by including the Nubian god Dedun in the Egyptian pantheon. To the same time belong the inscriptions of Thutmose III on the island of Sechel , in the temple in , in Silsil and Wadi Halfa .

Conquests in Nubia after Hatshepsut's death

However, it was only after Hatshepsut's death that Tutmos III could really begin to completely conquer all Nubia, when all the fullness of the supreme power was concentrated in his hands and he could abandon all the resources of Egypt to complete his aggressive policy. In the "Annals", which describes the campaigns of Thutmose III to Asia Minor, starting with the seventh campaign, committed on the 31st year of his reign, the tribute received by the pharaoh from Nubia and the neighboring southern countries is listed. It is quite possible that this tribute was sent to Egypt far from voluntary, but entered the royal treasury as a result of military expeditions. The surviving documents of this time contain very little information about the hostilities that the Egyptians took in Nubia and neighboring countries.

The attention that Thutmose III began to pay to Nubia after the death of Hatshepsut is evidenced by the construction of numerous temples that he undertook at various points in Nubia, mainly those of strategic importance. So, after the 30th year of his reign, Thutmose III significantly expanded the temple, built earlier in Semna. In the temple in Wadi Halfa, he built a large columned hall. In Amada, Thutmose III began the construction of a temple in honor of the god Horachte. Finally, in Upper Nubia between the 2nd and 3rd rapids on the island of Sai, the governor of the pharaoh in Nubia, the “royal son of Kush” named Nehi, built not only a temple, but also a fortress, which clearly indicates the military nature of the intensive construction undertaken Pharaoh in Nubia.

It is possible that during this era in Nubia there were already Egyptian settlements, which were the strongholds of Egyptian economic, political and cultural influence in Nubia. Such, for example, is a city excavated in Sessebi, in the ruins of which, among the many objects of the XVIII dynasty, a scarab was found with the name of Thutmose III. Finally, the southernmost Egyptian settlement in Nubia was a settlement near the “sacred mountain” of Jebel Barkal , where the capital of the Ethiopian state Napata subsequently grew. Here in the ruins of the temple built by Thutmose III, a large stele was found with a valuable historical inscription describing the military campaigns and the power of this pharaoh. It is very possible that the text of this inscription, compiled in the 47th year of the reign of Thutmose III, was a kind of manifesto addressed to the Egyptian population of Nubia on the southernmost border of the Egyptian state.

The farthest initiation inscription dating from the reigns of Thutmose I and Thutmose III is found in the town of Kanisah Kurgus (Kanisa Kurgus, Kanisa-Kurgus), 35 km upstream from the modern Abu Hamad - 2 inscriptions carved on stone blocks, indicating the southern border of Egypt , later confirmed by Thutmose III ^[4] .

The Final Conquest of Nubia

This major construction activity of the Egyptians in Nubia became possible only due to the fact that the whole of Nubia was firmly conquered by the Egyptian troops and the Egyptian garrisons were deployed in the entire conquered country.

The lists of the territories conquered in Nubia, preserved on the sixth and seventh pylons of the Karnak Temple of Amon, are said about this conquest of Nubia. An inscription on one of these lists reads: “a list of these southern areas of the Nubian troglodytes in Hent-hen-nofer, who were killed by his majesty, who produced a massacre among them, the number of which is unknown, which brought all their people as living captives to Thebes to fill The “work house” of Amon-Ra’s father, the lord of Thebes. And then all the countries became slaves of His Majesty, according to the order of the father of Amun . " These lists list 269 geographical names that still cannot be identified, but which nevertheless indicate that in those days Nubia was already firmly conquered by the Egyptians.

Thutmose III was able to devote all his attention to Nubia only after the rule of Egypt was fully consolidated in Asia Minor. That is why only at the end of his reign, in the 50th year, Thutmose III took real measures to ensure that Nubia was more firmly attached to Egypt. To be able to smoothly transport troops and goods across the Nile, Thutmose ordered that an old, clogged canal be cleared near the 1st threshold. This is stated in the inscription on the rock on the island of Sekhel in the following words:

“The year is the 50th, 1st month of the 3rd season ( Shemu ), the 22nd day with His Majesty, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Men-heper-Ra, who gives life. His Majesty ordered him to dig this canal, after he found it littered with stones, so that the ship did not pass through it. He headed south along it with a joyful heart, defeating his enemies. The name of this channel: “Opening the happy journey of Men-heper-Ra, living forever.” Fishermen Abu ( Elephantine ) must clear this channel annually. "

During the military campaigns of Thutmose, Egypt turned into a powerful world power, along with its subordinate territories stretching from north to south for 3,500 km. None of his successors went beyond the boundaries achieved with him, both in the north and in the south. The degree of dependence on the conquered countries and cities in Egypt varied. Nubia, directly controlled by the Egyptian administration led by the governor, was most closely associated with Egypt. Thutmose could not 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 stood in the nearest Asian cities, and the heirs of their rulers were brought up as hostages at the Egyptian court in a spirit acceptable to the pharaoh. As for the kings of the larger states, such as Mitanni , Babylonia and the Hittite kingdom , they maintained their independence and called themselves “brothers” of the Egyptian king. This, however, did not prevent the pharaoh from considering the gifts they sent as a tribute, although there was no question of real submission.

The tremendous wealth coming to Egypt from conquered countries allowed Thutmose to deploy extensive construction. Its traces are visible not only throughout Egypt, but also beyond its borders, even in Syria-Palestine and Nubia. The construction of temples, primarily with the glorification of the pharaoh himself, served the glory and greatness of the god Amun. One after another in the main temple of Amon pylons, obelisks, majestic sculptures rose, residential chambers and passages were erected.

The national temple in Karnak turned into a monument in honor of the victories of Amon and the "son" of his Thutmose III. On the walls and towers, the masters of the pharaoh depict treasures donated by him to Amon.

Under Thutmose III, construction work within Egypt did not stop. Traces of the construction activities of Thutmose III have been preserved in Fayyum (a city with a temple), Kumme , Dendera , Koptos (Kopte), El-Kaba , Edfu , Kom-Ombo , Elephantine . The construction was carried out with the help of prisoners of war, and the architectural projects were often made by the pharaoh himself, which indicates certain creative talents of the king. The most grandiose construction project of Thutmose III was the Karnak Temple of Amun-Ra . In fact, it was rebuilt by the chief architect Puemra on the thirtieth anniversary of his reign (1460 BC), when the pharaoh participated in a heb-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 reference to Thutmose, "crossing the Nakharina Bend", is located in Istanbul . When Thutmose III in Heliopolis in 1450 BC. e. two more large obelisks were erected - the so-called Cleopatra's Needles. In 14 BC e. ^{[5] The} 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 at Thutmose III, an obelisk was begun at the temple of Ra in Heliopolis , completed at Thutmose IV .

The right hand of the pharaoh, chati (equivalent to the vizier in medieval Muslim countries) of Upper Egypt - Rehmir (Rehmira), the grandson and nephew of the two previous viziers under Hatshepsut, effectively ruled Upper Egypt during the military campaigns of Thutmose III, however, the pharaoh himself proved to be a talented administrator . It is thanks to the images and texts in the tomb of Rehmir (TT 100 in Sheikh Abd al-Qurna ) that the order of government in Egypt of the New Kingdom is known.

Another loyal companion of Thutmose III was the descendant of the early Dynastic rulers of Tinis Iniothef (or Garsiniothef), who controlled the oases of the Libyan desert , and was also somewhat analogous to Mameluke Rustam in Napoleon, as he was preparing the royal apartments. In peacetime, Thutmose III was engaged in the construction of temples, especially dedicated to the supreme god Thebes Amon. For the needs of the temples of Thutmose in 1457 BC. e. again equipped the expedition to Punt , trying not to concede Hatshepsut in its scope. Myrrh, ivory, gold, ebony and cattle in large quantities were brought from Punta.

Thutmose III was the first pharaoh whose interests went beyond state activities. The outlook of Thutmose III, although against his will, was formed under the influence of the stepmother of Pharaoh, who patronized the arts in every way. This fact also explains Tutmosis III’s wide interest in culture, which is uncharacteristic of the ancient Eastern lord. The inscription in the Karnak temple informs the list of species of plants and animals unknown to the Egyptians who were brought into the country from Asia by special personal order of the pharaoh (" Botanical Garden of Thutmose III ").

In addition, as evidenced by the relief in the Karnak Temple, the pharaoh devoted his free time to modeling a variety of products, in particular vessels. He handed over his projects to the head of artisans of state and temple workshops. It is hard to imagine any other pharaoh engaged in such an occupation. It is interesting that the first glass products that have survived to our time were created in Egypt under Thutmose III, and keep the name of this pharaoh.

Thutmose III died on March 11, 1425 BC. e. (on the 30th day of the month, the 54th year of his reign ), leaving his son Amenhotep II a huge state, which was the hegemon in the entire Middle East. The inscription in the tomb of the closest royal associate Amenemheb confirms that Thutmose III ruled 53 years, 10 months and 26 days - this is the third longest reign of the Egyptian pharaoh (only Pepi II and Ramses II ruled longer - 94 and 67 years, respectively). Amenhotep II (1436-1412 BC), who was the co-ruler of his father in the last two years of his reign, will conduct another punitive campaign in Asia, accompanied by cruelties against the local population, in stark contrast to his father’s humane attitude towards prisoners of war, after which the Egyptian dominion in Syria and Palestine will remain unbreakable until the reign of Akhenaten.

"Napoleon of the Ancient World" was buried in the Valley of the Kings in the tomb of KV34 . The tomb of Thutmose III was discovered in 1898 by an expedition led by the French Egyptologist Victor Lore . In the tomb of Thutmose III, Egyptologists for the first time discovered the full text of Amduat - "Books about what is in the other world" , which James Henry Brested called "the monstrous creation of a perverted priestly fantasy." Amduat in a peculiar fantastic manner tells of the twelve caves of the underworld, passed by the Sun - Ra for twelve hours of the night.

The mummy of Thutmose III was discovered as early as 1881 in a cache in Der al-Bahri near the funeral temple of Hatshepsut Jesser Jesser. Mummies were placed in such hiding places since the end of the 20th dynasty, when, by order of the High Priest Amon Herihor , most of the mummies of the rulers of the New Kingdom were transferred, the safety of which was in danger due to the frequent robberies of tombs. Next to the mummy of Thutmose III, the bodies of Yakhmos I , Amenhotep I , Tutmosis I , Thutmose II , Ramesses I , Seti I , Ramesses II and Ramses IX , as well as a number of rulers of the XXI dynasty - Siamon , Pinejem I and Pinejem II were also found .

Although it is generally believed that the mummy of the pharaoh was first examined by the French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero in 1886 , in fact, it first fell into the hands of the German Egyptologist Emil Brugsch , who discovered the mummies of the pharaohs hidden in a cache in Deir el Bahri. At the same time, Thutmose’s mummy was scattered for a short examination, so when Maspero began analyzing the mummy five years later, he discovered the deplorable state of the pharaoh’s body. It was robbed (the bodies of the pharaohs were literally stuffed with amulets) and cut into three parts. Nevertheless, the head of Thutmose III has been preserved much better, which allows us to correlate the real face of the pharaoh with his sculptural images.

Lacking an accurate portrait resemblance, the pharaoh’s statues are still far from the idealized image of the Egyptian pharaoh, accurately reflecting certain facial features of Thutmose III, for example, the characteristic “nose of the Thutmoseids” and the narrow cheekbones of the conqueror. However, some researchers point out that many of his statues are stylistically inherent in the traits of his predecessor Hatshepsut, depicted in the guise of a male pharaoh (almond-shaped eyes, a somewhat aquiline nose and a half smile on his face), indicating a single canon of the image of the pharaohs of the XVIII dynasty. Often, in order to distinguish the statue of Hatshepsut from the statue of her successor, a number of stylistic, iconographic, contextual and technical criteria are required. There are also many examples of statues depicting the kneeling Thutmose III offering the deity milk, wine, butter, or other offerings. Although the first examples of this style are already found in some successors of Thutmose, it is believed that its distribution under Thutmose testifies to changes in the social aspects of the Egyptian religion.

The possessions of Thutmose III stretched from Cyprus in the north and the Euphrates in the northeast to the V threshold of the Nile (the farthest initiation inscription dating from the reigns of Thutmose I and Thutmose III was found in the town of Kanisah Kurgus (Kanisa Kurgus, Kanisa-Kurgus), 35 km above upstream from modern Abu Hamad - 2 inscriptions carved on stone blocks indicating the southern border of Egypt , later confirmed by Thutmosis III [1] ) in the south and oases in the Libyan desert in the west. The world power of Thutmose exceeded the size of all previously existing states, including Sargon of Akkad and Hammurabi . None of his successors, except perhaps Amenhotep II, who led the aggressive campaign to the south of Nubia, whose geographical borders are unclear, did not go beyond the borders achieved with him, both in the north and in the south. Egypt has become a powerful world power, stretching along with its subordinate territories from north to south for 3,500 km. The degree of dependence of the islands on Egypt has not been finally determined, but it is known that under Thutmose III, the jurisdiction of the military commander Jehuti, appointed "head of the northern countries", included, in addition to Syria-Palestine, also "islands in the sea" - Cyprus and foci located in the Aegean basin Cretan- Mycenaean civilization (Keftiu).

In addition to the unprecedented expansion of the territory of the state, the merit of Thutmose III was also the creation of a professional army and the familiarity of the Egyptians with the cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern peoples. At the same time, the conquests of the pharaoh strengthened slavery and brought enormous wealth and influence to the priesthood of Amun-Ra. Due to the spasmodic increase in the number of slaves mined in Asian countries, the traditional peasant community was somewhat inferior in its importance as the main element of the economic system.

The tendency of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III to form a new service class of middle-class immigrants, as well as the creation of a single state, uniting Egyptian, Nubian, West Semitic and partially Hurrian cultural traditions, ultimately led to Akhenaten 's religious coup and the creation of one of the most ancient religions, containing elements of monotheism , in response to the strengthening of the political and economic power of the priests, also caused by the successful military activities of Thutmose III.

The famous American Egyptologist James Henry Brasted , summing up the reign of Thutmose III, gave this pharaoh the following description:

“His personality is more individual than the personality of any other king of Early Egypt, excluding Akhenaten ... The genius manifested in the once modest priest makes us remember Alexander and Napoleon . Thutmose created the first genuine empire and is therefore the first world person, the first world hero ... His reign marks the era not only in Egypt, but throughout the East, known at that time. Never before in history did one person possess the destinies of such a vast nation and impart to it such a centralized, lasting and at the same time moving character that for many years its influence was transferred with unchanging force to another continent, imprinted there like a blow of a skilled craftsman heavy hammer on the anvil; it should be added that the hammer was personally forged by Thutmose himself ” ^[6] .

Some Egyptologists have proposed assigning Thutmose III the title "Great." It is fair to say that Pharaoh Ramses II - the only pharaoh in relation to whom the established epithet "Great" (Ramses the Great) is used - was not so much a successful ruler as he successfully propagandized and exaggerated his merits, not shying away from reporting about his Board on the construction of the predecessors and even acts of vandalism in their regard.

• “Thutmose III - Tales from the Grave: King of the Warriors of Egypt” / “Thutmose III - Tales from the tomb: Egypt's warrior king” - 2005, USA, National Geographic Channel . ( watch online )

Sources

• Chronicles of Thutmose III // Readings on the history of the Ancient East / Ed. M.A. Korostovtseva et al. - M. , 1980.
  • The Capture of Jupe (Parius Harris 500) // The Tale of Peteise III. Ancient Egyptian prose. Per. from ancient Egypt, will enter. Article and comment. M.A. Korostovtseva. Texts prepared by K. N. Zhukovskaya. - M .: “Hudozh. l-ra ", 1978. - S. 73-75.

General works

• History of the Ancient East. The origin of the oldest class societies and the first foci of slave civilization. Part 2. Front Asia. Egypt / Edited by G. M. Bongard-Levin . - M .: The main edition of the eastern literature of the publishing house " Science ", 1988. - 623 p. - 25,000 copies.
• Avdiev V.I. The military history of ancient Egypt . - T. 2. The period of major wars in Western Asia and Nubia in the XVI-XV centuries. BC e. - S. 97-159.
• Brested G.G. , Turaev B.A. History of Ancient Egypt . - Mn. : Harvest, 2004.
• Mertz B. Ancient Egypt: Temples, tombs, hieroglyphs. / Per from English. - M .: Centerpolygraph, 2003.
• Turaev B.A. . History of the Ancient East / Edited by Struve V.V. and Snegireva I.L. - 2nd stereot. ed. - L .: Sotsekgiz, 1935. - T. 1. - 15,250 copies.
• Turaev B.A. History of the Ancient East. - Mn. : Harvest, 2004.
• Elebracht P. The tragedy of the pyramids! 5000 years of the looting of Egyptian tombs. / Translation from German by O. I. Pavlova. - M .: publishing house "Progress", 1984. / Peter Ehlebracht "Heltet die Piramiden Fest! 5000 Jahre Grabraub in Agypten '' Dusseldorf - W .: Econ Verlag, 1980.
• Ancient East and antiquity . // Rulers of the World. Chronological and genealogical tables on world history in 4 vols. / Compiled by V.V. Erlikhman . - T. 1.

About Thutmose III

• Vasilevskaya V. Thutmose (Series: Golden Library of a historical novel. Great rulers) - M .: AST, Astrel, 2002.
• Mironova A.V. Coronations of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III: analysis of political myth // Bulletin of Ancient History . - 07/2011. - No. 3. - S. 95-106.
• Ed. by Cline, Eric H. and O'Connor, David . Thutmose III: A New Biography. - University of Michigan Press, 2006.
• Gabriel, RA Thutmose III: the military biography of Egypt's greatest warrior king. - Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, Inc., 2009.
• Redford, Donald Bruce The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III, [Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 16]. - Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2003.

• (English) Thutmose III (Egyptology Online)
• (Eng.) Biography of Thutmose III
• Megiddo: Thutmose III's first victory. The site of the book series "Battles that changed the course of history"