Arth 9/8

Second intermediate period ends Middle Kingdom; Hyksos (foreign rulers from the Levant) cause upheaval around $1650 ext{--}1550\,\mathrm{BC}$ ; Egypt reunified around $1550\,\mathrm{BC}$ under a strong king, beginning the New Kingdom.
New Kingdom: nationalist fervor; pharaoh as warrior king; advancement of two-wheel horse-drawn chariots; power art (Machtkunst) as a new visual language.

Lower Egypt is at the top of the map ( Nile at its delta, lower elevation ); Upper Egypt is to the south (greater elevation).
Focus areas: West Bank (Deir el-Bahri, mortuary temple of Hatshepsut) and East Bank (Luxor) in Upper Egypt; sacred connections between Upper Egypt sites.

Hatshepsut built a mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri (across the Nile from Luxor) with a terraced ramped approach into living rock; designed to manipulate perception (visibility and Machtkunst).
Architectural sequence: ramp to terrace to inner temple; use of rebuilt path to emphasize power and divine connection.
Sphinxes along the ramp (granite, imported) depict Hatshepsut’s royal image and sun god references.
Reliefs include a Punt expedition: Egypt conquers or trades with Punt; exotic loot shown (plants, animals, captives) highlighting foreign power and wealth; queen of Punt depicted with non-Egyptian traits to emphasize difference.
Political note: Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple signals a new format, new territory, and military prowess as part of the ideal pharaoh.

Luxor temple: sacred site of the sun god Amun on the East Bank; linked to Karnak by a sacred processional way.
Karnak temple (Oldest part near Luxor): monumental complex dedicated to Amun; features a sacred birth room and a hypostyle hall with many columns, symbolically holding up the sky.
The “golden bark” (sun boat) procession: annual ceremony moving the sun god across the sky from Luxor to Karnak and back.
Hypostyle hall is a key architectural statement: columns frame the sky-like space rather than merely supporting a roof.
Karnak includes a large sun court and a grand sacred precinct connected to Luxor via processional axis.
Ramses II later amplifies Karnak and builds a relationship with Luxor through monumental settings.

The Amarna period introduces radical shifts: the capital moved to Akhetaten (Amarna) on the East Bank; religion reoriented toward the Aten (the sun disk) as monotheistic focus.
City planning reflects utopian layout: palace, temple to Aten, and living quarters with ceremonial roads; priests’ power redefined.
Art style emphasized: elongated figures, androgynous features, and the Aten sun disk with rays ending in hands giving life (ankh) to the rulers.
Akhenaten’s portraits stress fertility and dynastic continuity via family scenes (Akhenaten with Nefertiti and children) and a shift away from canonical Old/Moderate Kingdom forms.
Large number of monumental statues of Akhenaten; some depictions connect to the sun and Aten, with distinctive dress (hemp dress) and sun-disc imagery.
Nefertiti depicted in intimate family scenes; artistic experiments challenge earlier norms.

Tutankhamun (originally Tutankhaten) was Akhenaten’s son who returned allegiance to the traditional sun god and restored old religious practices.
He moved the capital back toward Thebes/Luxor; the Amarna period ends with Tutankhamun’s reforms.

After Amarna, power centers shift back toward Thebes (Upper Egypt); Ramesses II becomes the iconic ruler of the Ramesside era.
Karnak temple expansion continues; Karnak–Luxor sacred axis remains central to state religion and royal display.
Abu Simbel (southern edge of Egypt, near the second cataract) is a monumental statement of royal power: four colossal statues of Ramesses II with accompanying figures; dramatic sun alignment effects.
Ramesses II emphasizes self-image and dynasty-building: extensive building projects, colossal statues, and self-promotion across the empire.
Military and diplomacy: Ramesses II’s era includes the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites (north of Egypt); both sides claim victory and sign the oldest known treaty (displayed in Istanbul).
The temple complexes at Luxor and Karnak, along with other monuments, demonstrate the peak of monumental architecture and the integration of political power with religious authority.

Throughout the New Kingdom, royal art expresses the pharaoh’s power and divine status; later Amarna art experiments with new forms, then Ramesside art reinforces monumental imperial propaganda.
The interplay between state religion, military power, and monumental architecture defines the era’s visual culture.

The New Kingdom redefines kingship as military prowess, vast building programs, and expansive propaganda.
Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple exemplifies innovative architecture and political messaging.
The Amarna period experiments with monotheism and new artistic forms, followed by a return to traditional religion under Tutankhamun.
Ramesses II embodies imperial power, large-scale temples, and international diplomacy (Kadesh treaty).
Sacred geography (West Bank vs East Bank) and the Karnak–Luxor axis organize religious and political life in Upper Egypt.