Settlement From the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties
Deir el-Medina was founded in the 18th Dynasty, which also marked the start of the Egyptian New Kingdom (16th century BC - 11th century BC). The New Kingdom brought about Egypt's most prosperous time, also marking the peak in Egypt's power, but was only inhabited for 500 years. The New Kingdom was also called the Ramesside period from the 19th Dynasty to the 20th due to eleven pharaohs that took on the name Ramesses during their rule.
The 18th Dynasty is one of the most well known dynasties in Egypt, and saw some of the most famous Pharaohs of Egypt's time, including names like Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamen. Each of these Pharaohs decided to focus on a different part of Egypt's society, such as Queen Hatshepsut deciding to work on external trade in Egypt, or Thutmose III deciding to expand the Egyptian army.
The first Pharaoh of the New Kingdom was Ahmose I, who was either a brother or a nephew from the ruler Kamose. Kamose was the last King of the previous Dynasty, and spent most of his rule trying to expel the Hyksos from Egypt, but died before he finished his attempts. The Hyksos were emigrant people that took over rule in Northern Egypt and gradually gained more power politically, thus taking over the lower part of Egypt. They were known as alien rulers, so when Ahmose took over power, it was his job to expel them for good, a task that he took seriously, and eventually managed.
Once Ahmose I had managed to overthrow his opposition, he had to focus on consolidating the borders of Egypt. He achieved this swiftly after a series of campaigns. Egypt was once again being ruled by one person who is credited to strengthening the economy of Egypt, giving power and land to the lower class citizens, building temples, restoring trade with other countries, restoring damaged government buildings, and rewarding people in support of him during the war of liberation.
When Ahmose I passed away in 1546 BC, his successor was Amenhotep I, his son. There is not much known about the reign of Amenhotep I, besides that he was a great deity alongside his mother in the Village. Amenhotep I was not the heir to the throne, but due to the death of his elder brother, the duty was passed down to him. It is speculated that his mother was acting as his regent when he first came to power, as he probably took over his fathers duties as a child. Amenhotep I also launched an expedition to Libya when they decided to take advantage of the death of Ahmose I and launched an attack on the delta. Amenhotep I and his forces quickly dealt with the threat. Amenhotep I died sometime in his forties and was succeeded by Thutmose I 1504 BC -1492 BC.
Thutmose I married the sister of Amenhotep I, Ahomse. He had two children with Ahmose. Thutmose I led many military campaigns to Nubia as he wanted the treasures that their Kingdom could offer him. He defeated the Nubian chief and came back to Deir el-Medina. Thutmose I was the first confirmed Pharaoh to have built a tomb for himself in the Valley of the Kings. Although he had sons from his wife Ahmose, when Thutmose I passed away, his son from another women Mutnofert, took over the throne. His name was Thutmose II.
Thutmose II had two minor campaigns and had various minor monuments, but does not seem to have done much in his rule other than that. Thutmose married his half-sister, Hatshepsut who took over reign from him when he passed away.
Hatshepsut is known as one of the most successful Pharaohs that Egypt has had. She is credited as the Pharaoh that brought back trade links that had vanished due to problems with neighbors, in turn making the the wealth of the Kingdom much greater. She also funded as mission to the Land of Punt. She sent five ships, and when the Egyptians returned they brought back thirty one Myrrh trees. This was the first recorded attempt at trying to bring in foreign trees. Hatshepsut also commissioned hundreds of different building projects throughout her reign. When she died, she was placed in the tomb of her father. She died within her 22nd year of reign.
Thutmose III was then appointed to the role of Pharaoh after his father Thutmose II died. Hatshepsut was then appointed to the role of regent, as he was only about nine years of age at the time. Hatshepsut managed all of the affairs for him until he was old enough to rule without her help. She was crowned as Pharaoh during the reign of Thutmose III, thus becoming co-regent with him. This appointment brought about some controversy in the eyes of some Egyptians.
Other Pharaohs in the 18th dynasty include:
Amenhotep II
Thutmose IV
Amenhotep III (His mortuary temple was the second largest built, but was later destroyed by Rameses II in order to make room for his own mortuary temple)
Amenhotep IV (founder of a brief solar-centered religion known as Atenism)
Tutankhamun (known as the boy King, restored traditional Egyptian religion after Amenhotep IV)
Horemheb
The 19th Dynasty is also known as the Ramesside Period, so called because of the eleven Pharaohs called Ramesses. The first pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty (1292 to 1186 BC) was Ramesses I. Ramesses started out as part of the Egyptian military, and eventually worked his way up to the role of general. He was later appointed to be the vizier of King Horemheb. Horemheb did not have any heirs when he passed away, so the reign of the Kingdom then fell upon Ramesses I. He then fathered a son named Seti I, who then took over the throne upon his fathers death. He ruled for 13 years.
Seti I was also in the military, and married the daughter of a lieutenant of charioteers. He fathered a son, who died young, but then had another son known as Ramesses II. Seti I's period of reign is known as the best period for art and culture. In various building projects that he took on, the designs are shown to be of the best quality and had the most interesting designs. This is shown to have never been done better than when any other Pharaoh was ruling. The mummy of Seti is said to be the finest mummy of all the royal Kings that has ever been found.
Upon his fathers death, Ramesses II took over leadership. He is known as one Ramesses the Great.
A list of 19th Dynasty and 20th Dynasty Pharaohs:
Merenptah
Amenmesse
Seti II
Siptah
Tausret (A female ruler)
20th Dynasty:
Ramesses III (fought the sea peoples)
Ramesses IV
Ramesses V
Ramesses VI
Ramesses VII
Ramesses VIII
Ramesses IX
Ramesses X
Ramesses XI
Ramesses XI was the last Pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty. During his reign, the village of Deir el-Medina had increased in size, but the tombs in the Valley of the Kings were becoming plundered more often. Ramesses XI was the last Pharaoh that ruled over Deir el-Medina, as during his reign, the village was abandoned. This occurred because the control of the government was becoming weaker and the workers did not receive their payments regularly anymore. More threats were also evident, and the Theban area was attacked by Libyan raiders. Civil wars also became more evident, and fighting became so bad that the workers at Deir el-Medina sought refuge behind the mortuary temple at Medinet Habu. The villagers were however discovered and were then conscripted in the Nubian campaigns.
The 18th Dynasty is one of the most well known dynasties in Egypt, and saw some of the most famous Pharaohs of Egypt's time, including names like Ahmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamen. Each of these Pharaohs decided to focus on a different part of Egypt's society, such as Queen Hatshepsut deciding to work on external trade in Egypt, or Thutmose III deciding to expand the Egyptian army.
The first Pharaoh of the New Kingdom was Ahmose I, who was either a brother or a nephew from the ruler Kamose. Kamose was the last King of the previous Dynasty, and spent most of his rule trying to expel the Hyksos from Egypt, but died before he finished his attempts. The Hyksos were emigrant people that took over rule in Northern Egypt and gradually gained more power politically, thus taking over the lower part of Egypt. They were known as alien rulers, so when Ahmose took over power, it was his job to expel them for good, a task that he took seriously, and eventually managed.
Once Ahmose I had managed to overthrow his opposition, he had to focus on consolidating the borders of Egypt. He achieved this swiftly after a series of campaigns. Egypt was once again being ruled by one person who is credited to strengthening the economy of Egypt, giving power and land to the lower class citizens, building temples, restoring trade with other countries, restoring damaged government buildings, and rewarding people in support of him during the war of liberation.
When Ahmose I passed away in 1546 BC, his successor was Amenhotep I, his son. There is not much known about the reign of Amenhotep I, besides that he was a great deity alongside his mother in the Village. Amenhotep I was not the heir to the throne, but due to the death of his elder brother, the duty was passed down to him. It is speculated that his mother was acting as his regent when he first came to power, as he probably took over his fathers duties as a child. Amenhotep I also launched an expedition to Libya when they decided to take advantage of the death of Ahmose I and launched an attack on the delta. Amenhotep I and his forces quickly dealt with the threat. Amenhotep I died sometime in his forties and was succeeded by Thutmose I 1504 BC -1492 BC.
Thutmose I married the sister of Amenhotep I, Ahomse. He had two children with Ahmose. Thutmose I led many military campaigns to Nubia as he wanted the treasures that their Kingdom could offer him. He defeated the Nubian chief and came back to Deir el-Medina. Thutmose I was the first confirmed Pharaoh to have built a tomb for himself in the Valley of the Kings. Although he had sons from his wife Ahmose, when Thutmose I passed away, his son from another women Mutnofert, took over the throne. His name was Thutmose II.
Thutmose II had two minor campaigns and had various minor monuments, but does not seem to have done much in his rule other than that. Thutmose married his half-sister, Hatshepsut who took over reign from him when he passed away.
Hatshepsut is known as one of the most successful Pharaohs that Egypt has had. She is credited as the Pharaoh that brought back trade links that had vanished due to problems with neighbors, in turn making the the wealth of the Kingdom much greater. She also funded as mission to the Land of Punt. She sent five ships, and when the Egyptians returned they brought back thirty one Myrrh trees. This was the first recorded attempt at trying to bring in foreign trees. Hatshepsut also commissioned hundreds of different building projects throughout her reign. When she died, she was placed in the tomb of her father. She died within her 22nd year of reign.
Thutmose III was then appointed to the role of Pharaoh after his father Thutmose II died. Hatshepsut was then appointed to the role of regent, as he was only about nine years of age at the time. Hatshepsut managed all of the affairs for him until he was old enough to rule without her help. She was crowned as Pharaoh during the reign of Thutmose III, thus becoming co-regent with him. This appointment brought about some controversy in the eyes of some Egyptians.
Other Pharaohs in the 18th dynasty include:
Amenhotep II
Thutmose IV
Amenhotep III (His mortuary temple was the second largest built, but was later destroyed by Rameses II in order to make room for his own mortuary temple)
Amenhotep IV (founder of a brief solar-centered religion known as Atenism)
Tutankhamun (known as the boy King, restored traditional Egyptian religion after Amenhotep IV)
Horemheb
The 19th Dynasty is also known as the Ramesside Period, so called because of the eleven Pharaohs called Ramesses. The first pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty (1292 to 1186 BC) was Ramesses I. Ramesses started out as part of the Egyptian military, and eventually worked his way up to the role of general. He was later appointed to be the vizier of King Horemheb. Horemheb did not have any heirs when he passed away, so the reign of the Kingdom then fell upon Ramesses I. He then fathered a son named Seti I, who then took over the throne upon his fathers death. He ruled for 13 years.
Seti I was also in the military, and married the daughter of a lieutenant of charioteers. He fathered a son, who died young, but then had another son known as Ramesses II. Seti I's period of reign is known as the best period for art and culture. In various building projects that he took on, the designs are shown to be of the best quality and had the most interesting designs. This is shown to have never been done better than when any other Pharaoh was ruling. The mummy of Seti is said to be the finest mummy of all the royal Kings that has ever been found.
Upon his fathers death, Ramesses II took over leadership. He is known as one Ramesses the Great.
A list of 19th Dynasty and 20th Dynasty Pharaohs:
Merenptah
Amenmesse
Seti II
Siptah
Tausret (A female ruler)
20th Dynasty:
Ramesses III (fought the sea peoples)
Ramesses IV
Ramesses V
Ramesses VI
Ramesses VII
Ramesses VIII
Ramesses IX
Ramesses X
Ramesses XI
Ramesses XI was the last Pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty. During his reign, the village of Deir el-Medina had increased in size, but the tombs in the Valley of the Kings were becoming plundered more often. Ramesses XI was the last Pharaoh that ruled over Deir el-Medina, as during his reign, the village was abandoned. This occurred because the control of the government was becoming weaker and the workers did not receive their payments regularly anymore. More threats were also evident, and the Theban area was attacked by Libyan raiders. Civil wars also became more evident, and fighting became so bad that the workers at Deir el-Medina sought refuge behind the mortuary temple at Medinet Habu. The villagers were however discovered and were then conscripted in the Nubian campaigns.
