Pharaohs of the Sun

The Rise and Fall of Tutankhamun's Dynasty

Guy de la Bédoyère

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Year: 2023
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781639363070
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies
• Index: History

A vivid story of an astonishing period in ancient Egypt's history—1550BC to 1295 BC—that tears awaythe gold and glamour to reveal how these great pharaohsruthlesslyruled Egypt for twohundred and fifty years. For more than two centuries, Egypt was ruled by the most powerful, successful, and richest dynasty of kings in its long end epic history. They included the female king Hatshepsut, the warrior kings Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, the religious radical Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti, and most famously of all—for the wealth found in his tomb—the short-lived boy king, Tutankhamun. The power and riches of the Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty came at enormous cost to Egypt's enemies—and to most of its people. This was an age of ruthless absolutism, exploitation, extravagance, brutality, and oppression in a culture where not only did Egypt plunder its neighbors, but Egyptian kings (and their people) robbed one another.3, 500 years ago, ancient Egypt began two centuries of growth where it became richer and more powerful than any other nation in the world, ruled by the kings of the 18th Dynasty. They presided over a system built on war, oppression, and ruthlessness, pouring Egypt's wealth into grandiose monuments, temples, and extravagant tombs. Tutankhamun was one of the last of the line—and one of the most obscure. Among his predecessors were some of the most notorious and enigmatic figures of all of Egypt's history. Pharaohs of the Sun is the story of these famed rulers, showing how their glamour and gold became tainted by selfishness, ostentation, and the systematic exploitation of Egypt's people and enemies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Maps and Plans
• Foreword
• Chapter 1: Egypt in the 18th Dynasty
• Chapter 2: Twilight of the Hyksos c. 1555–1550 BC
• Chapter 3: The Dawn of the New Kingdom c. 1550–1525 BC: Ahmose I
• Chapter 4: Mother and Son c. 1525–1504 BC: Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I
• Chapter 5: First of the Thutmosids c. 1504–1492 BC: Thutmose I
• Chapter 6: Brother and Sister c. 1492–1479 BC: Thutmose II and Hatshepsut
• Chapter 7: King of Egypt, Daughter of Amun c. 1479–1458 BC: Hatshepsut
• Chapter 8: Warrior King c. 1479–1425 BC: Thutmose III
• Chapter 9: The Archer King c. 1425–1400 BC: Amenhotep II
• Chapter 10: The Sphinx’s Chosen One c. 1400–1390 BC: Thutmose IV
• Chapter 11: The First Family c. 1390–1352 BC: Amenhotep III and Tiye
• Chapter 12: The Great Living Aten c. 1352–1341 BC: Akhenaten and Nefertiti’s High Summer
• Chapter 13: Latter Days at Amarna c. 1341–1336 BC: Akhenaten, Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten
• Chapter 14: The Strange Case of the Tomb known as KV55
• Chapter 15: The King whose Name the Whole World knows c. 1336–1327 BC: Tutankhamun
• Chapter 16: The Widowed Queen and the God’s Father c. 1327–1323 BC: Ankhesenamun and the Reign of Ay
• Chapter 17: The Enlightened Despot c. 1323–1295 BC: Horemheb
• Epilogue
• Photographs
• Appendices
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Abbreviations
• Notes
• Further Reading
• Index
• List of Illustrations
• Copyright