Brave Heroes

Welcome to Egyptian heroes!

Thutmose III

Egypt's Warrior King

Thutmose III was one of ancient Egypt's most successful military pharaohs. He ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty for more than fifty years, first alongside his stepmother and aunt Hatshepsut, then for about three decades on his own. His armies campaigned through Nubia and the eastern Mediterranean, while wealth and tribute supported temples and royal building. He is sometimes called the 'Napoleon of Egypt', but I prefer to remember him on his own terms as a skilled ancient ruler, commander and organiser.

Fun fact: Thutmose III recorded an elephant hunt in Syria.

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Ahmose I

Founder of a New Dynasty

Ahmose I was the pharaoh who reunited Egypt and began the New Kingdom, one of the most powerful periods in Egyptian history. He ruled in the sixteenth century BCE, after generations of conflict had divided the country. Northern Egypt was controlled by rulers called the Hyksos, while Ahmose's family ruled from Thebes in the south. He completed the struggle begun by his relatives, captured the Hyksos capital and rebuilt a united kingdom. I think his story feels like the opening chapter of a completely new age.

Fun fact: The name Ahmose means 'the Moon is born'.

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Bata

The Hero of Two Brothers

Bata is the younger brother and hero of an ancient Egyptian tale usually called The Story of the Two Brothers. It survives on a papyrus written more than three thousand years ago during the New Kingdom. The story mixes farm work with talking cattle, magical transformations, betrayal, death and royal power. Bata is not a historical person like a pharaoh. He belongs to literature and may also have links with Egyptian gods. I enjoy the tale because it changes direction so often that it feels like several adventures joined together.

Fun fact: The papyrus containing the story was written by a scribe named Ennana and is now in the British Museum.

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Narmer

The King Who United Egypt

Narmer was an early Egyptian king who ruled around 3100 BCE, close to the beginning of Egypt's First Dynasty. He is strongly associated with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, although the process was probably more complicated than one battle won on one day. His reign sits where archaeology, royal symbols and the first short inscriptions begin to illuminate Egyptian history. I find Narmer exciting because objects from his time show ideas about pharaohs taking shape almost five thousand years ago.

Fun fact: The Narmer Palette is about 64 centimetres tall, far too large and elaborate to be an ordinary make-up tool.

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