Thutmose, << thoot MOH suh, >> III ranks among the greatest kings of ancient Egypt. His name means son of Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom. Thutmose (also spelled Tuthmosis) succeeded his father, Thutmose II, when still a child and reigned from about 1479 to 1425 B.C. For about the first 20 years of Thutmose III’s reign, his aunt and stepmother, Hatshepsut, ruled Egypt as regent (temporary ruler) and as pharaoh.
Thutmose III was a brilliant general. His military campaigns in the region east of the Mediterranean Sea increased Egypt’s control there and greatly expanded Egypt’s trade with southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region. The rich loot and captives taken in his wars provided the means and labor for extensive building projects in Egypt and Nubia, a region to the south.
Loading the player...Valley of the Kings in Egypt
Thutmose enlarged and rebuilt temples throughout Egypt. He decorated their walls with scenes and hieroglyphic texts celebrating his victories. He also built a temple alongside Hatshepsut’s at Deir el Bahri and renovated the temple of Amun-Re at Karnak.
Thutmose was also interested in science and history. Some walls in the Temple of Karnak have pictures of plants and animals Thutmose encountered in his travels. His Annals, a series of texts inscribed at Karnak, are among the earliest historical accounts of an Egyptian king’s accomplishments.
See also Hatshepsut ; Karnak, Temple of ; Megiddo, Battle of .
