Thutmose III

Thutmose III was the son of Thutmose II and a secondary wife named Iset. Although he inherited the throne as a young child around 1479 BC, his stepmother and aunt Hatshepsut governed first as regent and then as dominant co-regent for over two decades. Following Hatshepsut's death around 1458 BC, Thutmose III assumed sole control of Egypt, ruling until his death in about 1425 BC. His total reign spanned nearly fifty-four years, with chronological dates uncertain by about a decade.

Upon gaining sole authority, Thutmose III embarked on an extraordinary series of military expeditions that fundamentally altered Egypt's imperial standing. Over roughly twenty years, he led seventeen campaigns into the Levant, beginning with a daring victory at the Battle of Megiddo. His armies pushed across the Euphrates River into the territory of Mitanni and secured Egyptian domination southwards past the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. These triumphs established an empire of unprecedented wealth, funneling massive tribute, precious metals and foreign craftsmanship into Egypt's administrative centres.

This influx of wealth fueled extensive religious building. At Karnak, Thutmose III constructed the monumental Akh-menu, or Festival Hall, celebrated for its unique tent-pole style columns and the detailed Botanical Garden reliefs depicting exotic foreign plants and animals encountered on his campaigns. Near the fourth cataract in Nubia, he erected the Gebel Barkal victory stela marking the southern edge of his empire. For his burial, he commissioned tomb KV34 deep in the southern cliff of the Valley of the Kings, distinguished by its rounded burial chamber decorated like an unfurled papyrus scroll.

Scholars reconstruct his life and governance through the detailed Annals inscribed on the temple walls at Karnak, historical stelae, tomb autobiographies of contemporary officials and the king lists. His mummy was recovered from the Deir el-Bahari royal cache.

Monuments

• Karnak Akh-menu (Festival Hall)
• Tomb KV34
• Gebel Barkal stela

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.