The force that forged an empire. The furious thunder of thousands of hooves, the clatter and sheen of bronze armor sparkling in the desert sun, the crunch of wooden wheels racing across a rock-strewn battlefield-and leading this terrifying chariot charge, the gallant Pharaoh, the ribbons of his blue war crown streaming behind him as he launches yet another arrow into the panicking mass of his soon-to-be-routed enemies. While scenes like the one depicted above did occur in ancient Egypt, they represent only one small aspect of the vast, complex, and sophisticated military machine that secured, defended, and expanded the borders of the empire during the late Eighteenth Dynasty. In Tutankhamun's Armies, you'll discover the harsh reality behind the imperial splendor of the New Kingdom and gain a new appreciation for the formidable Egyptian army-from pharaoh to foot soldier. You'll follow "the heretic king" Akhenaten, his son Tutankhamun, and their three Amana-Period successors as they employ double-edge diplomacy and military might to defeat competing powers, quell internal insurrections, and keep reluctant subject states in line. This vivid and absorbing chronicle will forever change the way you think about the glories and riches of ancient Egypt.

Table of Contents:
Atlas xi Acknowledgments xix Note to the Reader xxi Chronology xxiii 1 Land of Desert and Nile 1 2 The Amarna Interlude 12 The Founding of the New Kingdom 13 Eighteenth-Dynasty Kingship 16 Amunhotep III: The King as Solar Disk 19 Akhenaten: The Solar Disk as King 24 Four Features of Atenism 27 Aket-aten: A New Capital 28 The “Amarna” Style of Art 30 Proscription of Other Deities 32 The Importance of Women at Amarna 34 Atenism: Re-creation of Creation 36 The Location of Akhet-aten: The Home of the Ogdoad 37 Akhenaten as Creator Deity 40 The Gods Have Not Yet Been Born 42 The Female Light Powers 43 Ankh(et)kheperure Neferneferuaten and Smenkhkare: The Ephemeral Kings 44 Tutankhamun: The Boy King 47 After Tutankhamun: Aye 51 Horemhab: The General 54 3 Trampling the Nine Bows: Military Forces and Weaponry 58 Branches of the Egyptian Military 60 Weapons and Armor 70 Horses and Chariots 77 War Dogs 80 Clothing, Armor, and Defensive Weapons 81 Signaling Equipment 83 Fortifications, Camps, and Siege Technology 85 4 Land of Gold: The Southern Empire 91 Egyptian Fortifications in Nubia 93 The Southern Border of the New Kingdom 102 The Viceroys of Nubia 106 Amarna Cities in Nubia 110 The Tutankhamun Stela from Kurkur Oasis 113 Nubian Wars of the Amarna Period 117 The Spoils of Battle: Durbars of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun 125 The Nubian Experience of Colonization 131 5 Wretched Asiatics: The Northern Empire 137 Prelude to Amarna: Early Eighteenth-Dynasty Wars with Mitanni 139 The Egyptian Empire in Syria-Palestine 142 The Amarna Letters 147 “The Vile Dog of Amurru” 156 The Fall of Sumur and the Great Syrian Campaign 161 The Realpolitik of Akhenaten 170 Akhenaten’s Attack on Kadesh 172 The Asiatic War of Tutankhamun 178 The Affair of the Egyptian Queen 184 6 Uniting the Two Lands: Domestic Security and the Army in Peacetime 187 Akhenaten’s Domestic Policy 189 Police and Military Installations at Akhet-aten 191 The Western Frontier 196 Corps of Engineers 200 Naval and Port Security 201 Religious Functions of the Military 204 Epilogue 211 Notes 213 Further Reading 275 Index 277