Assess the significance of the Warrior image during this period.

From the beginning of the 18th Dynasty to Thutmose IV’s reign, there were a variety of roles and images maintained by New Kingdom kings, the most significant of which was that of a powerful warrior pharaoh. Though the image had endured from about 3000 BC, archaeological evidence conveys that it truly came to fruition in this period, establishing that Egypt’s security depended on a brave, skilled military leader such as Ahmose or Thutmose III who held divine support and approval. New Kingdom Egypt was united under a nationalistic support base and its ‘empire’ extended greatly, aided by the superhuman warrior pharaoh image to a great extent.

The role of warrior pharaoh was crucial in the early 18th Dynasty, with the expulsion of the hated as well as the expansion of Egypt’s influence. Under the rules of I and II against the Hyksos, the pharaoh took an active role in battle, exemplified by the head mace wounds found on Seqenenre Tao II’s body. also conducted campaigns to expel the Hyksos but it was not until the reign of “enraged panther” Ahmose that the Hyksos were finally defeated at and .

He was the ideal model of a warrior pharaoh for his successors, as “his heart [rejoiced] in valour and victory” and he “conquered southerners, northeners…” (autobiography of Ahmose, son of Ebana), laying the foundations for an empire.

Ahmose, son of Ebana also details the military exploits of Ahmose’s successor, , who destroyed Hyksos bases in the Sinai desert. Although after decades of aggressive military leaders Egypt may not have needed extensive campaigns in his 21 year reign, Amenhotep I still perpetuated the warrior image in inscriptions to maintain ma’at (order) in the face of isfet (chaos) caused by the enemy.

The idea of the pharaoh as warrior resurged with the reign of , who extended Egypt’s boundaries beyond the 3rd Cataract to Argo “as far as the Sun encircles” (Ahmose, son of Ebana). This was a military feat never before achieved by a pharaoh, and the importance of this can be seen in Thutmose I’s strong emphasis on it in his Tombos Stela. Later, both his daughter and grandson Thutmose III were keen to stress their relationship to such an accomplished military leader to strengthen their own image.

However, his successor Thutmose II seemed to differ from other , as there is no evidence of him personally fighting in campaigns, inscriptions only suggesting “he dispatched an army”. Nonetheless, his small successes in Palestine and possibly Kush were still emphasised, demonstrating the importance of a military image in strengthening one’s power as pharaoh.

Questions about the validity of the warrior pharaoh image began to be raised about female king Hatshepsut, who was initially labelled as a pacifist, “not interested in warfare” (Cotteral) because of her sex. However, inscriptions from her tomb at Dier-el-Bahri such as “her arrow is among the Northeners” suggest she took on some military campaigns in and Syria-Palestine. Parallel to her gradual adoption of male characteristics, she was depicted with more militaristic elements over time. Later statues show her in full pharaonic war regalia or as a sphinx, a key symbol of military might used by the majority of pharaohs. In addition, trade was portrayed as tribute in tomb paintings of her expedition to Punt, ascribing it a military connotation. Although “her pride was in the internal development of Egypt” (Wilson), evidence shows she still used the image to a large extent, and it was significant in legitimising her title and keeping rebellion at bay.

The convergence of all the typical warrior pharaoh qualities was exemplified by Hatshepsut’s stepson Thutmose III, whose reign was characterised by an extensive list of successful campaigns in Nubia and the Near East. Termed by Breasted as ‘the Napoleon of ’, he is credited with having extended Egypt’s “boundaries with might” (The Annals) to Napata at the 4th Cataract. In the first twenty years of his reign, he conducted 17 campaigns into Syria-Palestine, evidenced by his Annals and a number of commemorative stelae. The Gebel Barkal stela inscription states “A king is he, strong of arms…the iron wall of his people,” aligning military prowess with true kingship. He was regularly portrayed as having great tactical and logistical skill, such as in his choice of the Aruna road in the Capture of Megiddo in Year 22, detailed in his Annals. Like Amenhotep II, he was likened to Montu, the war-god of Thebes. This boasting of military prowess was a feature of the image utilised by many pharaohs to reinforce their capability as leader and protector of an increasingly militaristic Egypt.

Even though he was highly militarily active, Thutmose III did not refrain from conveying himself as so, using iconography to liken him to other great warrior kings. In a relief on the 7th Pylon at Karnak, he is shown larger than life-size in the act of smiting the enemy with the khopesh sword, and wears the khepresh blue war crown. This crown was shown in the depiction of most pharaohs not only in battle, but whenever they wanted to emphasise their power and military might. Thus, although Thutmose III did not need to use the image to pretend he was a great warrior, it was highly significant in the way he was seen by his people, enemies and future kings.

Amenhotep II spent the first decade of his reign consolidating the achievements of his father Thutmose III in military campaigns to suppress rebellion in the Northern Lands. He was one ‘Who Conquers all Lands by his Might’, and did not refrain from detailing on The Amada Stela how he bashed to death 7 Asiatic princes in Takhshy and hung them on the city wall. This ruthless military image was supplemented with that of a hunter and athlete as Thutmose III’s was. Animal kings slayed for sport such as birds and gazelles represented isfet and thus this hunter image reinforced the king’s image of immense skill and superiority. Amenhotep II’s Great Sphinx Stela boasts “Not one among them could draw his bow; he could not be beaten in running,” an image shared by Thutmose III, shown on reliefs as a hunter trained by the god Seth himself.

By Thutmose IV’s reign, however, there was more emphasis on diplomacy, evidenced by his marriage to a Mitannian princess. Although historians only know of one campaign into Syria- Palestine, he is still shown unrealistically on a war chariot in his tomb firing the composite bow at the Syrians. Upon examination of model kings such as Ahmose and Thutmose III, even he understood the great significance of the warrior ideology in bolstering his power.

Because the New Kingdom was founded on military conquest that created a militaristic society, the warrior image was hence of great significance. Regardless of whether the king was a true war leader like Ahmose, Thutmose I and III, or only participated in campaigns shortly following their accession, each strengthened their power and control over both their people and their enemies by strongly projecting this image.