Some details of the war on Avaris that followed have been discovered at the temple built by Ahmose at Abydos. The city of Avaris was under siege for a considerable time after which the Hyksos surrendered and agreed to a treaty which forced the exodus of all Hyksos from Egypt.

Following the capture of Avaris Ahmose led a further campaign to Southern Palestine and then into Lebanon. Ahmose then took his army south to Khent-Hen-Nefer (south of the second cataract) in order to destroy the threat of the Nubian bowmen. He then regained control of Buhen. There were a further two confrontations that Ahmose then had to deal with. The first was with a small group of Nubians that went into Upper Egypt on a raid .This was not a significant problem as the perpetrators did not even attack the army.

The other was led by Teti-An, an Egyptian. He had gathered together a group of people who had previously served the Hyksos king to attempt to overthrow King Ahmose. Ahmose`s army killed Teti-An and his rebel supporters.

During the rest of his reign Ahmose had many temples and monuments erected at Memphis, Karnak, Heliopolis, Abydos, Avaris and Buhen. Following the re-unification of Egypt there was an increase in wealth and a development of skills by artists. The style of art that had developed by the end of Ahmose`s reign set the standard of artwork found in the remainder of the 18th Dynasty. There appears to have been some contact with the peoples of the Aegean as, a palace built by Ahmose in Avaris, was decorate with Minoan frescoes. Memphis was also the center of further building work in the early 18th Dynasty. During Ahmose`s reign temples were built in honor of the gods, Ptah,  Amun,  Montu and Osiris.

Two steles have been found in the third pylon of the Karnak temple. One stele called the "Tempest Stele" states that Ahmose rebuilt tombs and pyramids in Thebes that had been damaged "by a storm sent to Upper Egypt by the power of Amun", whose statue had been left in a state of decay. It also states that the land was covered with water,this may mean that the usual Nile flood had been excessive. Ahmose supplied expensive goods in order to restore the area.

Ahmose was succeeded by his son, Amenhotep I. It is uncertain if there was a period of co-regency with Ahmose, but Amenhotep`s mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, continued to have some influence in her son's reign. Amenhotep I continued the building programme that his father had begun and completed the military gains in the south. The financial rewards for conquering Nubia brought wealth to the Egyptian economy.

Amenhotep I built a chapel in honor of his father at Abydos. He also dedicated monuments on Sai Island following his victory in upper Nubia. A number of building projects were undertaken by him at Karnak. One such building has recently been reconstructed, which is a large gateway made of limestone showing scenes of jubilee festival celebrations. It is thought that this may have been the southern entrance to Karnak Temple, which was later replaced by the seventh pylon. A stone enclosure was built around the Middle Kingdom court containing chapels. These were rebuilt by Thutmose III some years later in sandstone, leaving only a few blocks inscribed with the names of Amenhotep and his mother.

It was during Amenhotep`s reign that the village of Deir El-Medina was established. This is where the workers and craftsmen lived while they were building and decorating the tombs in Western Thebes. Amenhotep I and his mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, became patron-deities of this village after their deaths. They continued to be worshipped throughout the New Kingdom. This was probably because of their involvement with the beginning of the New Kingdom, their building projects and the improvement of the state of wealth of Egypt during their time in power. The cult of Amun of Karnak became a central part of Egyptian religious beliefs by the end of Amenhotep`s reign. This would continue throughout this period.

Amenhotep I had no sons to succeed him and it is uncertain how Tuthmosis I became the next king. During Tuthmosis I`s reign several building projects were undertaken throughout Egypt. A stele has been found at Abydos listing the donations made by Tuthmosis I to the cult of Osiris of various objects and statues. The priests of the cult proclaimed Tuthmosis was the offspring of Osiris. It was from "Divine Descent" that Tuthmosis legitimized his position as king. Various other Egyptian rulers adopted this idea on their accessions, e.g. Hatshepsut and Amenhotep III.

Tuthmosis I also built around the Middle Kingdom court at Karnak and created two new pylon gates (the Fourth and Fifth) which became the temples entrance. The chapel built by Amenhotep I was decorated by Tuthmosis I, along with the building of the "Treasury" in the northern part of Karnak.

It is uncertain exactly where Tuthmosis I was buried as his name has been found on two sarcophagi found in the Valley of the Kings. There was no body found in either coffin and it may be that his body was one found in the "Royal Cache". No funerary temple for him has been found although some bricks inscribed with both his and Queen Hatshepsut's names have been discovered near the valley temple at Deir El-Bahri.

Tuthmosis II, the son of Tuthmosis I and his minor wife, Mutnefret, succeeded his father on his death. He was married to his half sister, Hatshepsut, who was the daughter of Tuthmosis I and his chief wife, Ahmose-Nefertari. Hatshepsut was already known as "Gods wife of Amun" during her fathers reign and became "Great Royal Wife" when Tuthmosis II became king.

There is very little evidence of any monuments built during Tuthmosis II's reign and no identifiable tomb has been found for him either. It is believed that the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahri may have been initially started during his reign. The only monuments known to have been built by Tuthmosis II are at Karnak. At the entrance to the Fourth Pylon forecourt a Pylon-shaped gateway was built. This gateway has now been reconstructed following the discovery of the dismantled blocks in the Third Pylon foundations and now stands in the "Open Air Museum" at Karnak. Tuthmosis II was not involved in many military campaigns. The only one that is known about is that of a small uprising in Nubia during the first year of his reign.

His son Tuthmosis III became king at a very early age with his aunt and step-mother, Hatshepsut (1), acting as regent. Hatshepsut legitimized her role as regent through her previous position as "God`s Wife of Amun", its links to the family of Ahmose-Nefertari and its economic power. She then took a throne name, Maatkara and began to project herself as the king. In doing this she was following the example set by Queen Sobekkara Sobekneferu at the end of the 12th Dynasty. In scenes at her temple at Deir El-Bahri she claims that Tuthmosis I had named her as his heir prior to his death and that Queen Ahmose (Hatshepsut`s mother) had been chosen by Amun to bear the next divine ruler. Her only child with Tuthmosis II was their daughter Nefrura. She was known as "King's Daughter", "God's Wife", "Mistress of the Two Lands" and "Lady of Upper and Lower Egypt".

The best known of Hatshepsut`s temples is that at Deir El-Bahri. This is set into a cliff and is built of limestone. It consists of a series of terraces and was similar in design to that built by Mentuhotep II in the 11th Dynasty. Large statues of Osiris were built in front of square pillars on the colonnades. The temple was decorated with scenes from her life e.g. her campaign in Nubia, moving obelisks from Aswan to Karnak, her expedition to Punt and her divine birth. A chapel dedicated to Hathor was also included. Scenes of the "Open Festival" and the "Beautiful Feast of the Valley" processions adorned the walls around the court. Shrines to the sun God "Ra-Horakhty" and to "Amun" were built. The inclusion of both Osiris and Ra-Horakhty symbolized the belief that the king was an earthly form of Ra-Horakhty in life and took an Osirid form in death.

After about 20 years of rule, Hatshepsut was overthrown by Thutmosis III. He then concentrated his military efforts on the north-east, in order to control the links to Syria, Cyprus, Palestine and the Aegean. After many campaigns Thutmosis III controlled Palestine and parts of southern Syria. The wealth gained by these victories was then used to reward the men involved closely with his campaigns and in honoring Amun and other deities.

Thutmosis III was involved in numerous building projects throughout the land from the northern reaches of the Delta to the Third Cataract area of Nubia. Many alterations were made by him at Karnak. The central temple area was restructured, replacing the limestone chapels from Amenhotep I's reign with sandstone. The walls of the central area were covered with scenes celebrating various festivals and his victories in Asia. Further pylons, the Sixth and Seventh, were added with decoration outlining the areas now under Egyptian control. A further temple for the god Ptah was constructed in the Northern region of Karnak. A granite bark shrine was built in the temple's centre, along with another shrine made of alabaster linked to the Fourth Pylon.

Further work was undertaken at Medinet Habu where Thutmosis III dedicated a temple to Amun and a memorial temple to his father. Part of the temple at Deir El-Bahri was altered to become Thutmosis`s own chapel, known as the "Sacred Horizon". His tomb was a deep rock cut tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Writings from the "Litany of Ra", which asks the sun god to look after the king in his journeys in the afterlife, were decorated on the tomb walls, along with scenes from the "Book of what is in the Netherworld" (Amduat), which was a map, along with various spells allowing the king to achieve eternal life.

Throughout his reign, Thutmosis III was involved in numerous military campaigns. He gained control over Mitannian overlords of north-east Syria. Considerable gains were made in goods following the "Battle and siege of Megiddo", including chariots, suits of armour, horses and other animals. The defeated chiefs were replaced by men loyal to Thutmosis III, before he took his army along the Litany River defeating many towns on his way. Goods such as wood, oil, gold, silver, copper, lead and foodstuffs were acquired. All children of the rulers of cities conquered were sent to Egypt for them to become "Egyptianized". Some of the local deities became included in those worshipped in Egypt, e.g. Reshef and Astarte.
 

In the final two years of his reign, Thutmosis III shared his rule with his son, Amenhotep II. It was Amenhotep II that completed the destruction of many of Hatshepsut`s monuments. Some were replaced or hidden by new buildings and on others her name was removed and replaced with the names of Thutmosis II 0r III.

(To be continued)