View source for Thutmose III

{{Short description|Fifth Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty (c. 1479 – 1425 BC)}}
{{Other people|Thutmose or Thutmosis|Thutmose}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| name=Thutmose III
| alt_name=Tuthmosis III, "Manahpi(r)ya" in the [[Amarna letters]]
| image= Thutmosis III-2.jpg
| caption=Thutmose III statue in [[Luxor Museum]]
| nomen_hiero= <hiero>G26-ms-nfr-xpr</hiero>
| nomen= {{center|''Djehutymes Neferkheperu''<br/>Thoth is born, beautiful of forms}}
| prenomen_hiero= <hiero>ra-mn-xpr</hiero>
| prenomen= {{center|''Menkheperre''<br/>Lasting is the Manifestation of [[Ra|Re]]<ref name="Clayton 104">Clayton, Peter. ''Chronicle of the Pharaohs'', Thames & Hudson Ltd., 1994. p. 104</ref>}}
| golden= {{center|''Sekhempahtydjeserkhaw''<br/>Powerful of strength, holy of diadems}}
| nebty= {{center|''Wahnesytmireempet''<br/>Enduring in kingship like Re in heaven}}
| horus= {{center|''Kanakht Khaemwaset''<br/>Mighty Bull, Arising in [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]]}}
| golden_hiero= <hiero>-sxm-F9:F9-D45:N28-Z3-</hiero>
| nebty_hiero= <hiero>-V29-sw-t-i-i-ra:Z1-mi-m-Q3*X1:N1-</hiero>
| horus_hiero= <hiero> E1:D40-N28-m-S40-t:O49 </hiero>
| reign= 54 regnal years<br>28 April 1479 – 11 March 1425 BC (LC)
| predecessor= [[Thutmose II]]
| successor= [[Amenhotep II]]
| spouse= [[Satiah]],<ref name="RoyalFamilies"/> [[Hatshepsut-Meryetre]], [[Nebtu]], [[Menhet, Menwi and Merti|Menwi, Merti, Menhet]], [[Nebsemi]]
| children= [[Amenemhat (son of Thutmose III)|Amenemhat]], [[Amenhotep II]], [[Beketamun]], [[Iset (daughter of Thutmose III)|Iset]], [[Menkheperre (prince)|Menkheperre]], [[Meritamen (daughter of Thutmose III)|Meritamen C and Meritamen D]], [[Nebetiunet]], Nefertiri, [[Siamun (son of Thutmose III)|Siamun]]<ref name="RoyalFamilies"/>
| dynasty= [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]]
| father= [[Thutmose II]]
| mother= [[Iset (queen)|Iset]]
| birth_date=1481 BC
| death_date= 11 March 1425 BC (aged 56)
| burial= [[KV34]]; Mummy found in the [[Deir el-Bahri]] [[Royal Cache|royal cache]] (Theban Necropolis)
| monuments= [[Mortuary temple of Thutmose III]]<br>[[Cleopatra's Needle]]<br>[[Obelisk of Theodosius]]
|Coregency=[[Hatshepsut]] (until 22nd year of his rule)}}
'''Thutmose III''' (variously also spelled '''Tuthmosis''' or '''Thothmes''', {{Langx|egy|𓅝𓄟𓄤𓆣}}), sometimes called '''Thutmose the Great''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dokus.w4f.eu/2019/03/18/ancient-egypts-greatest-warrior-tuthmosis-the-3rd-egypts-napoleon-full-history-documentary/|title=Ancient Egypt's Greatest Warrior: TuthmosIs The 3rd – Egypt's Napoleon (Full History Documentary)|date=18 March 2019|website=dokus4free|language=en-US|access-date=30 March 2019}}</ref> (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth [[pharaoh]] of the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]] of [[Egypt]]. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and military strategists of all time;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |author-link=Richard A. Gabriel |url=https://archive.org/details/thutmose-iii-the-military-biography-of-egypts-greatest-warrior-king-pdfdrive/page/3 |title=Thutmose III: A Military Biography of Egypt's Greatest Warrior King |publisher=Potomac Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59797-373-1 |edition=1st |location=Dulles, Virginia |pages=3, 21–23, 81 |language=en}}</ref> as Egypt's preeminent warrior pharaoh and conqueror;<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 2, Part 2: The Middle East and the Aegean Region, c. 1380–1000 BC |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1975 |isbn=0-521-08691-4 |editor-last=Edwards |editor-first=I. E. S. |editor-link=I. E. S. Edwards |edition=3rd |volume=II |pages=21 |language=en |editor-last2=Gadd |editor-first2=C. J. |editor-link2=C. J. Gadd |editor-last3=Hammond |editor-first3=N. G. L |editor-link3=N. G. L. Hammond |editor-last4=Sollberger |editor-first4=E. |editor-link4=Edmond Sollberger}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |author-link=Richard A. Gabriel |url=https://archive.org/details/thutmose-iii-the-military-biography-of-egypts-greatest-warrior-king-pdfdrive/page/2 |title=Thutmose III: A Military Biography of Egypt's Greatest Warrior King |publisher=Potomac Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59797-373-1 |edition=1st |location=Dulles, Virginia |pages=2–3, 26, 81, 203–204 |language=en}}</ref> and as a dominant figure in the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] period.<ref>{{cite book |last=Putnam |first=James |title=An Introduction to Egyptology |date=1990 |publisher=Crescent Books |isbn=9780517023365 |pages=33–34}}</ref> 

Officially, Thutmose III ruled [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] from his coronation on 28 April 1479 BC at the age of two until his death on 11 March 1425 BC. But for the first 22 years of his reign, he was [[coregency|coregent]] with his stepmother and aunt, [[Hatshepsut]], who was named the [[pharaoh]].<ref name=":1">Partridge, R., 2002. Fighting Pharaohs: Weapons and warfare in ancient Egypt. Manchester: Peartree. pp. 202–203</ref> He became sole ruler after Hatshepsut's death in 1458. 

Thutmose III conducted between 17 and 20 military campaigns, all victorious,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |author-link=Richard A. Gabriel |url=https://archive.org/details/thutmose-iii-the-military-biography-of-egypts-greatest-warrior-king-pdfdrive |title=Thutmose III: A Military Biography of Egypt's Greatest Warrior King |publisher=Potomac Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59797-373-1 |edition=1st |location=Dulles, Virginia |pages=3, 23, 199 |language=en}}</ref> which brought [[ancient Egypt]]'s empire to its zenith. They are detailed in the [[inscriptions]] known as the [[Annals of Thutmose III]]. He also created the [[ancient Egyptian navy]], the first [[navy]] in the ancient world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |author-link=Richard A. Gabriel |title=Great Captains of Antiquity |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-313-31285-0 |edition=1st |pages=43–44 |language=en}}</ref> Historian [[Richard A. Gabriel]] called him the "[[Napoleon]] of Egypt".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |author-link=Richard A. Gabriel |title=Great Captains of Antiquity |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-313-31285-0 |edition=1st |pages=20 |language=en}}</ref> 

Two years before his own death, and after the death of his firstborn son and heir [[Amenemhat (son of Thutmose III)|Amenemhat]], Thutmose III appointed a later son, [[Amenhotep II]], as junior co-regent and successor-in-waiting.

== Name ==

[[File:A fragment of a wall block. The hieroglyphs Son of Ra were inscribed over the cartouche of the birth-name of Thutmos III. 18th Dynasty. From Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|thumb|left|A wall block fragment inscribed with the birth name of Thutmose III. Now in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London]]

Thutmose's two main names transliterate as '''[[:wikt:mn-ḫpr-rꜥ|mn-ḫpr-rꜥ]] [[:wikt:ḏḥwtj|ḏḥwtj]]-[[:wikt:ms#Egyptian|ms]]'''. The first name is usually transcribed as ''Menkheperre'' and means "the Established One of the Manifestation of [[Ra]]". The second name is transliterated as ''Thutmose'' or ''Tuthmosis'' and means "Born of [[Thoth]]" or "Thoth is born."<ref name="Clayton 104"/><ref>Leprohon, Ronald (2013). ''The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary'', Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature. p. 98</ref> [[Manetho]] in his ''Aegyptiaca'' (''History of Egypt'') written in Greek and paraphrased by [[Eusebius]] called him ''Miphrês'' ({{lang|grc|Μίφρης}}) and ''Misphragmuthôsis'' ({{lang|grc|Μισφραγμούθωσις}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manetho |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Manetho/History_of_Egypt/2*.html#Fragment_53a.King_5 |title=History of Egypt and Other Works |publisher=Harvard University Press – Loeb Classical Library no. 350 |year=1940 |location=Cambridge, MA |page=115 |language=En |translator-last=Waddell |translator-first=W.G.}}</ref>

==Family==
{{see also|Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt family tree}}Thutmose III was the son of [[Thutmose II]] by a secondary wife, [[Iset (queen)|Iset]] (or Aset).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Strudwick|first=Helen|title=The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt|publisher=Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4351-4654-9|location=New York|pages=72–73}}</ref><ref>Joyce Tyldesley, ''Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh,'' pp. 94–95 Viking, 1996.</ref> His father's [[Great Royal Wife]] was [[Hatshepsut]]. Her daughter, [[Neferure]], was Thutmose's half-sister.

When Thutmose II died, Thutmose III was too young to rule. Hatshepsut became his [[regent]] and ultimately declared herself pharaoh, while never denying kingship to Thutmose III. As a result, Thutmose III was relegated to junior coregent ([[Horus]]), while Hatshepsut became senior coregent ([[Osiris]]). During his childhood, Hatshepsut ruled Egypt in practice and name, achieving prosperity and success. While Thutmose is depicted as the first on surviving monuments, both were assigned the usual royal names and insignia.<ref name=":1" />

When Thutmose III reached a suitable age and demonstrated his capacity, Hatshepsut appointed him to head her armies, and at her death in 1458, he was ready to rule.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Kingdom Rulers Thutmose III |url=https://egyptianmuseum.org/explore/new-kingdom-ruler-thutmose-iii |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=egyptianmuseum.org |language=en}}</ref>

Some Egyptologists speculate that Thutmose married his half-sister, Neferure,<ref>{{harvnb|Cline|2006|p=297}}.</ref> but there is no conclusive evidence. Neferure may have been the mother of Thutmose's firstborn son, [[Amenemhat (son of Thutmose III)|Amenemhat]],<ref name="RoyalFamilies" /> or alternatively his mother might have been the Great Royal Wife [[Satiah]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cline|2006|p=415}}</ref> Amenemhat predeceased his father.<ref name="RoyalFamilies">Dodson, Aidan. Hilton, Dyan. ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt'', Thames and Hudson. p. 132. 2004. {{ISBN|0-500-05128-3}}</ref>

Surviving records attest to several other wives of Thutmose. He is known to have at least three foreign wives, [[Menhet, Menwi and Merti]], who were buried together.<ref name="RoyalFamilies"/> At least one other wife, [[Nebtu]], is known from a pillar in Thutmose's tomb.<ref name="RoyalFamilies"/> Following the death of Satiah, a woman named [[Merytre-Hatshepsut]] became the Great Royal Wife. She was the mother of several of his children, including the future king [[Amenhotep II]] and another son, [[Menkheperre (prince)|Menkheperre]], and at least four daughters: [[Nebetiunet]], [[Meritamen C and D (daughters of Thutmose III)|Meritamen C and D]] and [[Iset (daughter of Thutmose III)|Iset]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cline|2006|p=34}}.</ref>

==Dates and length of reign==
[[Image:Thutmose III and Hatshepsut.jpg|thumb|Relief from the [[Chapelle Rouge|Red Chapel]] showing Thutmose III following [[Hatshepsut]].]]
[[File:ThutmosesIII-AnnalsOfThutmosesIII-Karnak.png|thumb|upright|[[Annals of Thutmose III]] at Karnak depicting him standing before the offerings made to him after his foreign campaigns]]

Thutmose III reigned from 1479 BC to 1425 BC according to the [[Egyptian chronology|Low Chronology]] of [[Ancient Egypt]]. This has been the [[conventional Egyptian chronology]] in academic circles since the 1960s,<ref>Campbell, Edward Fay Jr. ''The Chronology of the Amarna Letters with Special Reference to the Hypothetical Coregency of Amenophis III and Akhenaten.'' p. 5. Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1964.</ref> though in some circles the older dates 1504 BC to 1450 BC are preferred from the High Chronology of Egypt.<ref name="Lipinska 401">Lipinska, Jadwiga. "Thutmose III", p. 401. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt.'' Ed. Donald Redford. Vol. 3, pp. 401–403. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref> These dates, just as all the dates of the Eighteenth Dynasty, are open to dispute because of uncertainty about the circumstances surrounding the recording of a [[Sothic cycle|Heliacal Rise]] of [[Sirius|Sothis]] in the reign of [[Amenhotep I]].<ref>Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 202. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988.</ref> A papyrus from Amenhotep I's reign records this astronomical observation which theoretically could be used to perfectly correlate the Egyptian chronology with the modern calendar; however, to do this the [[latitude]] where the observation was taken must also be known. This document has no note of the place of observation,{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} but it can safely be assumed that it was taken in either a [[Nile Delta|Delta]] city, such as Memphis or Heliopolis, or in Thebes. These two latitudes give dates 20 years apart, the High and Low chronologies, respectively.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

=== Year 54 ===
The length of Thutmose III's reign is known to the day thanks to findings in the tomb of the military commander Amenemheb-Mahu.<ref>Redford, Donald B. ''The Chronology of the Eighteenth Dynasty.'' Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol 25, No 2. p. 119. University of Chicago Press, 1966.</ref> Amenemheb-Mahu records Thutmose III's death to his master's 54th regnal year,<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt,'' Vol. II p. 234. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.</ref> on the 30th day of the third month of ''[[Season of the Emergence|Peret]]''.<ref>Murnane, William J. ''Ancient Egyptian Coregencies.'' p. 44. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 1977.</ref> The day of Thutmose III's accession is known to be I Shemu day four, and astronomical observations can be used to establish the exact dates of the beginning and end of the king's reign (assuming the low chronology) from 28 April 1479 BC to 11 March 1425 BC respectively.<ref>[[Jürgen von Beckerath]], Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten. Mainz, Philipp von Zabern, 1997. p. 189</ref>

==Military campaigns==
{{further|Djehuty (general)|The Taking of Joppa}}

Thutmose III conducted at least 16 campaigns in 20 years.<ref name="AEL">{{cite book |last1=Lichtheim |first1=Miriam |author-link=Miriam Lichtheim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hHKxDwAAQBAJ&q=%2C+Thutmose+III+conducted+at+least+++campaigns+in+20+years.&pg=PA340 |title=Ancient Egyptian Literature |date=2019 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=9780520305847 |page=340 |language=en |access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref> American Egyptologist [[James Breasted]] referred to him as  "the [[Napoleon]] of Egypt" for his conquests and expansionism.<ref name=":0"/><ref>[[James Henry Breasted|J.H. Breasted]], Ancient Times: A History of the Early World; An Introduction to the Study of Ancient History and the Career of Early Man. Outlines of European History 1. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1914, p. 85</ref> He is recorded to have captured 350 cities during his rule and conquered much of the [[Near East]] from the [[Euphrates]] to [[Nubia]]. He was the first pharaoh after [[Thutmose I]] to cross the Euphrates, doing so during his campaign against [[Mitanni]]. His campaign records were inscribed onto the walls of the temple of [[Amun]] at [[Karnak]] (transcribed in [[Urkunden der 18. Dynastie|Urkunden IV]]). He transformed [[Egypt]] into an international superpower, an empire stretching from the Asian regions of Syria in the North, to Upper Nubia in the south.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url= https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thutmose-III | title=Thutmose|encyclopedia=Britannica| date=October 2024}}</ref>

Much is known about Thutmose III as a [[warrior]] and ruler, through the writings of his royal scribe and army commander Thanuny. The pharaoh was able to conquer so many lands because of revolutionary developments in military technology. The [[Hyksos]] may have brought advanced weaponry, such as horse-drawn chariots, around 1650 BC, which the Egyptians adopted in the process of driving them out. Thutmose III encountered little resistance from neighbouring kingdoms, allowing him to expand his realm easily. His army also portaged boats over dry land.<ref>{{Cite journal|title= The Euphrates Campaign of Tuthmosis III |last= Faulkner |first= R. O. |journal= The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |year= 1946 |volume= 32 |pages= 39–42|doi= 10.1177/030751334603200105 }}</ref>

===Campaign 1: Battle of Megiddo===
{{Main|Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC)}}
[[File:Thutmose III at Karnak.jpg|thumb|Thutmose III smiting his enemies. Relief on the seventh pylon in [[Karnak]]]]
When Hatshepsut died on the 10th day of the sixth month of Thutmose III's 21st year, according to a stela from [[Armant, Egypt|Armant]], the king of [[Kadesh (Syria)|Kadesh]] advanced his army to [[Tel Megiddo|Megiddo]].<ref>Redford, Donald B. ''Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times.'' p. 156. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1992.</ref> Thutmose III mustered his own army and marched from Egypt, passing through the border fortress of [[Tjaru]] (Sile) on the 25th day of the eighth month. The army moved through the coastal plain as far as [[Yavne|Jamnia]], then turned inland, reaching Yehem, a small city near Megiddo, in the middle of the ninth month of the same year.<ref name="Steindorff 53">Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. When Egypt Ruled the East. p. 53. University of Chicago, 1942.</ref>

The ensuing [[Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC)|Battle of Megiddo]] was likely the largest battle of Thutmose's 17 campaigns. A ridge of mountains jutting inland from [[Mount Carmel]] stood between Thutmose and Megiddo and he had three attack routes to choose from.<ref name="Redford 157">Redford, Donald B. ''Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times.'' p. 157. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1992.</ref> The northern and southern routes around the mountain were judged by his generals to be safest, but Thutmose (as he boasted in an inscription) called them cowards and took the dangerous route through the [[Wadi Ara|Aruna]] mountain pass,<ref name="Steindorff 54">Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. When Egypt Ruled the East. p. 54. University of Chicago, 1947.</ref> which he said was only wide enough for single-file "horse after horse and man after man."<ref name="Steindorff 53" /> Such a pass does exist, although it is not as narrow as Thutmose claims.<ref>Gardiner, Alan. ''Egypt of the Pharaohs.'' p. 192 Oxford University Press, 1964</ref> The army emerged on the plain of Esdraelon, brilliantly cutting between the rear of the Canaanite forces and Megiddo city.<ref name="Redford 157"/> According to Thutmose III's Hall of Annals in the Temple of Amun at Karnak, the battle occurred on "Year 23, I Shemu [day] 21, the exact day of the feast of the new moon",<ref>[[Urkunden der 18. Dynastie]] 657.2</ref> a lunar date. This date corresponds to 9 May 1457 BC, based on Thutmose III's accession in 1479 BC. In the battle, Thutmose routed the Canaanite forces,<ref name="Steindorff 54"/><ref name="Redford 157"/> but allowed many to escape into Megiddo while his troops stopped to plunder.<ref name="Steindorff 55">Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. ''When Egypt Ruled the East.'' p. 55. University of Chicago, 1942.</ref> Thutmose was forced to besiege the city, and finally took it after a siege of seven or eight months.<ref name="Steindorff 55" />

The size of the two forces is difficult to determine. Most scholars believe that the Egyptian army was more numerous.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}} Redford uses the time to march the army through the pass estimate the Egyptian numbers, and the number of sheep and goats captured in the battle to estimate the Canaanite force, concluding both armies were around 10,000 men.<ref>{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=197}}.</ref> 

This campaign drastically changed the political situation in the ancient Near East. By taking Megiddo, Thutmose gained control of all of northern [[Canaan]], forcing the Syrian princes to send tribute and noble hostages to Egypt.<ref name="Steindorff 56">Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. ''When Egypt Ruled the East.'' p. 56. University of Chicago, 1942.</ref> Beyond the Euphrates, the [[Assyria]]n, [[Kassites|Babylonian]] and [[Hittites|Hittite]] kings honored Thutmose with gifts, which he claimed as "tribute" on the walls of Karnak.<ref>Gardiner, Alan. ''Egypt of the Pharaohs.'' p. 193 Oxford University Press, 1964</ref> The only notable absence was [[Mitanni]], which would bear the brunt of subsequent Egyptian campaigns into [[Western Asia]].

===Campaigns 2-4: Tours of Canaan and Syria===
[[File:Lateran obelisk 2013-2.jpg|thumb|upright|Thutmose's ''tekhen waty'', today standing in Rome as the [[Lateran Obelisk|Lateran obelisk]]. The move from Egypt to Rome was initiated by [[Constantine the Great]] (Roman Emperor, 324–337) in 326, though he died before it could be shipped out of Alexandria. His son, the Emperor [[Constantius II]] completed the transfer in 357. An account of the shipment was written by contemporary historian [[Ammianus Marcellinus]].]]
Thutmose's second, third, and fourth campaigns appear to have been nothing more than tours of [[Syria]] and [[Canaan]] to collect tribute.<ref name="Grimal 214"/> Traditionally, the material directly after the text of the first campaign has been considered to be the second campaign.<ref name="Redford War 53">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=53}}.</ref> This text records tribute from the area which the Egyptians called [[Retjenu]] (roughly equivalent to Canaan) and it was also at this time that Assyria paid a second "tribute" to Thutmose III.<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt,'' Vol. II p. 191. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.</ref> It is probable that these texts come from Thutmose's 40th year or later and thus have nothing to do with the second campaign at all. If so, no records of this campaign have been found.<ref name="Redford War 53"/> Thutmose's third campaign was not considered significant enough to appear in his otherwise extensive Annals at Karnak. A survey was made of the animals and plants he found in Canaan, which was illustrated on the walls of a special room at Karnak.<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt,'' Vol. II p. 192. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.</ref> This survey is dated to Thutmose's 25th year.<ref>{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=213}}.</ref> No record remains of Thutmose's fourth campaign,<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt,'' Vol. II p. 193. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.</ref> but at some point a fort was built in lower Lebanon and timber was cut for construction of a processional barque, and this probably fits best during this time frame.<ref>{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=214}}.</ref>

===Campaigns 5-7: Conquest of Syria===
The fifth, sixth and seventh campaigns of Thutmose III were directed against the [[Phoenicia]]n cities in [[Syria]] and against [[Kadesh (Syria)|Kadesh]] on the [[Orontes River|Orontes]]. In Thutmose's 29th year, he began his fifth campaign, where he first took an unknown city (the name falls in a [[lacuna (manuscripts)|lacuna]]) which had been garrisoned by [[Tunip]].<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II'' p. 195. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.</ref> He then moved inland and took the city and territory around Ardata;<ref name="Redford War 217">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=217}}</ref> the town was pillaged and its wheatfields burned. Unlike previous plundering raids, Thutmose III garrisoned [[Djahy]], a name which probably refers to southern Syria.<ref name="Grimal 214">Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 214. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988.</ref> This would have permitted him to ship supplies and troops between Syria and Egypt, and some have supposed that Thutmose's sixth campaign, in his thirtieth year, commenced with naval transport of troops directly to [[Byblos]], bypassing [[Canaan]].<ref name="Redford War 217"/> After the troops arrived in Syria, they proceeded into the Jordan River valley and moved north, pillaging Kadesh's lands.<ref name="Redford War 218">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=218}}.</ref> Turning west again, Thutmose took [[Simyra]] and quelled a rebellion in Ardata, which apparently had rebelled again.<ref name="Grimal 215">Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 215. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988.</ref> To stop such rebellions, Thutmose began taking hostages from the cities in Syria. The policy of these cities was driven by their nobles, aligned to Mitanni and typically consisting of a king and a small number of foreign Maryannu. Thutmose III found that taking hostages from these noble families largely ensured their loyalty.<ref name="Redford War 218"/> Syria rebelled again in Thutmose's 31st year and he returned for his seventh campaign, taking the port city of Ullaza<ref name="Redford War 218"/> and the smaller Phoenician ports,<ref name="Grimal 215"/> and imposing more measures to prevent rebellion.<ref name="Redford War 218"/> By taking away the grain stores of Syria to his recently conquered harbors for support of his occupying troops and administrators,<ref name="Redford War 218"/> he left the famished cities of Syria without the means to fund further rebellions.<ref name="Redford War 219">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=219}}.</ref>

{{multiple image
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| image1 = Syrians bringing presents in the tomb of Rekhmire (actual).jpg
| image2 = Syrians bringing presents in the tomb of Rekhmire.jpg
| footer = Depiction of Syrians bringing presents to Tuthmosis III, in the tomb of [[Rekhmire]], {{Circa|1400 BC}} (actual painting and interpretational drawing). They are labeled "Chiefs of [[Retjenu]]".<ref>"The foreigners of the fourth register, with long hairstyles and calf-length fringed robes, are labeled Chiefs of Retjenu, the ancient name tor the Syrian region. Like the Nubians, they come with animals, in this case horses, an elephant, and a bear; they also offer weapons and vessels most likely filled with precious substance." in {{cite book |last1=Hawass |first1=Zahi A. |last2=Vannini |first2=Sandro |title=The lost tombs of Thebes: life in paradise |date=2009 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |page=120 |isbn=9780500051597 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjZZAAAAYAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Zakrzewski |first1=Sonia |last2=Shortland |first2=Andrew |last3=Rowland |first3=Joanne |title=Science in the Study of Ancient Egypt |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-39195-1 |page=268 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6pACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA268 |language=en}}</ref>
}}

===Campaign 8: Attack on Mitanni===
After Thutmose III had taken control of the Syrian cities, the obvious target for his eighth campaign was the state of [[Mitanni]], a [[Hurrians|Hurrian]] country with an [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] ruling class. However, to reach Mitanni, he had to cross the Euphrates River. He sailed directly to [[Byblos]]<ref name="Redford War 226">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=226}}.</ref> and made boats which he took with him over land on what appeared to otherwise be just another tour of Syria,<ref name="Grimal 215"/> and he proceeded with the usual raiding and pillaging as he moved north through the lands he had already taken.<ref name="Redford War 225">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=225}}.</ref> He continued north through the territory belonging to the still unconquered cities of [[Aleppo]] and [[Carchemish]] and quickly crossed the Euphrates in his boats, taking the Mitannian king entirely by surprise.<ref name="Redford War 225"/> It appears that Mitanni was not expecting an invasion, so they had no army of any kind ready to defend against Thutmose, although their ships on the Euphrates did try to defend against the Egyptian crossing.<ref name="Redford War 226"/> Thutmose III then went freely from city to city and pillaged them while the nobles hid in caves, or at least this is the typically propagandistic way Egyptian records chose to record it. During this period of no opposition, Thutmose put up a second [[stele]] commemorating his crossing of the Euphrates next to the stele his grandfather, Thutmose I, had put up several decades earlier. A [[militia]] was raised to fight the invaders, but it fared very poorly.<ref name="Redford War 225"/> Thutmose III then returned to Syria by way of Niy, where he records that he engaged in an [[elephant]] hunt.<ref name="Grimal 216">Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 216. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988.</ref> He collected tribute from foreign powers and returned to Egypt in victory.<ref name="Redford War 226"/>
[[File:Thutmose III holding the statue of Min-MBA Lyon E501-IMG 0196.jpg|thumb|Thutmose III holding the statue of Min-MBA Lyon E501-IMG 0196]]

===Campaigns 9-16: Tours of Syria===
[[File:Diadem with two gazelle heads MET 26.8.99 EGDP013732.jpg|thumb|Crown of Thutmose III's Asiatic Princesses [[Menhet, Menwi and Merti]].]]
Thutmose III returned to Syria for his ninth campaign in his 34th year, but this appears to have been just a raid of the area called [[Nuhašše|Nukhashshe]], a region populated by semi-nomadic people.<ref name="Redford War 81">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=81}}.</ref> The plunder recorded is minimal, so it was probably just a minor raid.<ref name="Redford War 83">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=83}}.</ref> Records from his 10th campaign indicate much more fighting. By Thutmose's 35th year, the king of Mitanni had raised a large army and engaged the Egyptians around [[Aleppo]]. As usual for any Egyptian king, Thutmose boasted a total crushing victory, but this statement raises suspicion due to the very small amount of plunder taken.<ref name="Redford War 229">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=229}}.</ref> Thutmose's annals at Karnak indicate he only took a total of 10 prisoners of war.<ref name="Redford War 84">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=84}}.</ref> He may have fought the Mitannians to a stalemate,<ref name="Redford War 229"/> yet he did receive tribute from the Hittites after that campaign, which seems to indicate the outcome of the battle was in Thutmose's favor.<ref name="Grimal 216"/>

The details about his next two campaigns are unknown.<ref name="Grimal 216"/> His 11th is presumed to have happened in his 36th regnal year and his 12th is presumed to have happened in his 37th year since his 13th is mentioned at Karnak as happening in his 38th regnal year.<ref name="Redford War 87">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=87}}.</ref> Part of the tribute list for his 12th campaign remains immediately before his 13th begins, and the contents recorded, specifically wild game and certain minerals of uncertain identification, might indicate that it took place on the steppe around Nukhashshe, but this remains mere speculation.<ref name="Redford War 234">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=234}}.</ref>

In Year 38, Thutmose III conducted his 13th military campaign returning to [[Nuhašše]] for a very minor campaign.<ref name="Redford War 87"/>

His 14th campaign, waged during his 39th year, was against the [[Shasu]]. The location of this campaign is impossible to determine since the Shasu were nomads who could have lived anywhere from Lebanon to the [[Transjordan (region)|Transjordan]] to [[Edom]].<ref name="Redford War 92">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=92}}.</ref> After this campaign, the numbers given by Thutmose's scribes to his campaigns all fall in lacunae, so they can only be counted by date.

In his 40th year, tribute was collected from foreign powers, but it is unknown if this was considered a campaign (i.e. if the king went with it or if it was led by an official).<ref name="Redford War 235">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=235}}.</ref>

Only the tribute list remains from Thutmose's next campaign,<ref name="Redford War 94">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=94}}.</ref> and nothing may be deduced about it except that it was probably another raid to the frontiers around Niy.<ref name="Redford War 238">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=238}}.</ref>

His final Asian campaign is better documented. Sometime before Thutmose's 42nd year, Mitanni apparently began spreading revolt among all the major cities in Syria. Thutmose moved his troops by land up the coastal road and put down rebellions in the Arka plain ("Arkantu" in Thutmose's chronicle) and moved on Tunip.<ref name="Redford War 238"/> After taking Tunip, his attention turned to [[Kadesh (Syria)|Kadesh]] again. He engaged and destroyed three surrounding Mitannian garrisons and returned to Egypt in victory.<ref name="Redford War 240">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=240}}.</ref> His victory in this final campaign was neither complete nor permanent since he did not take Kadesh,<ref name="Redford War 240"/> and Tunip could not have remained aligned to him for very long, certainly not beyond his own death.<ref name="Redford War 239">{{harvnb|Redford|2003|p=239}}.</ref> This victory however, must have had quite an impact, for the next tribute lists include Adana, a Cilician city.<ref>{{Cite book |title= A History of Ancient Egypt |last= Grimal|first= Nicolas|publisher= Wiley-Blackwell (1994) |year= 1994 |pages=216}}</ref>
[[File:Wide-necked jar and lid naming Thutmose III MET 21K CAT30 32R2.jpg|thumb|Jar, wide-necked, krateriskos, inscribed for Thutmose III]]

===Campaign 17: Nubian campaign===
In Year 50, Thutmose III waged his last military campaign. He attacked Nubia, but only went so far as the fourth cataract of the Nile. Although no king of Egypt had ever penetrated so far with an army, previous kings' campaigns had spread Egyptian culture that far already, and the earliest Egyptian document found at [[Gebel Barkal]] dates from three years ''before'' Thutmose's campaign.<ref name="Grimal 215"/>

==Monuments==
Thutmose III, a great builder, constructed more than 50 temples. Some are now lost, recorded only in written records.<ref name="Lipinska 401"/> He also commissioned the building of many tombs for nobles, which were made with greater craftsmanship than ever before. His reign saw stylistic changes in the sculpture, paintings and reliefs associated with construction, much of it beginning during the reign of [[Hatshepsut]].
[[File:Thutmose III, 18th dynasty, from Karnak; National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo (1) (52087101418).jpg|thumb|Thutmose III, 18th dynasty, from Karnak; National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo ]]

===Artistic developments===
[[File:Glaskelch Thutmosis III.jpg|thumb|upright|Glass making advanced during the reign of Thutmose III and this cup bears his name.]]
[[File:ThutmosesIII-RaisingObelisks-Karnak.png|thumb|upright|Depiction of Tuthmose III at Karnak holding a Hedj Club and a Sekhem Scepter standing before two obelisks he had erected there]]
Thutmose's architects and artisans followed traditional relief styles for most of his reign. But after his 42nd year he is depicted wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and a šndyt-kilt, an unprecedented style.<ref name="Lipinska 403">Lipinska, Jadwiga. "Thutmose III", p. 403. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt.'' Ed. Donald Redford. Vol. 3, pp. 401–403. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref> Architecturally, his use of pillars was unprecedented. He built Egypt's only known set of heraldic pillars, two large columns standing alone instead of being part of a set supporting the roof. His jubilee hall was arguably the earliest known building created in the [[basilica]] style.<ref name="Lipinska 402">Lipinska, Jadwiga. "Thutmose III", p. 402. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt.'' Ed. Donald Redford. Vol. 3, pp. 401–403. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref> Thutmose's artisans achieved new heights of skill in painting, and tombs from his reign were the earliest to be entirely painted instead of painted reliefs.<ref name="Lipinska 403"/> It appears that Thutmose's artisans learned glass-making skills, developed in the early 18th Dynasty, to create drinking vessels by the [[Glass#Phoenicia and Egypt|core-formed method]].<ref>W.B. Honey. ''Review of Glass Vessels before Glass-Blowing by Poul Fossing.'' p. 135. The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, (Apr. 1941)</ref>

===Karnak===
Thutmose dedicated far more attention to [[Karnak]] than any other site. In the Iput-isut, the temple proper in the center, he rebuilt the [[hypostyle]] hall of his grandfather [[Thutmose I]], dismantled the red chapel of Hatshepsut, built Pylon VI, a shrine for the bark of Amun in its place, and built an antechamber in front of it, the ceiling of which was supported by his heraldic pillars. He built a [[temenos]] wall around the central chapel containing smaller chapels, along with workshops and storerooms. East of the main sanctuary, he built a jubilee hall in which to celebrate his [[Sed festival]]. The main hall was built in basilica style with rows of pillars supporting the ceiling on each side of the aisle. The central two rows were higher than the others to create windows where the ceiling was split.<ref name="Lipinska 402"/> Two of the smaller rooms in this temple contained the reliefs of the survey of the plants and animals of Canaan which he took in his third campaign.<ref name="Grimal 302">Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 302. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988.</ref>

East of the Iput-Isut, he erected another temple to Aten, where he was depicted as being supported by [[Amun]].<ref name="Grimal 303">Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt.'' p. 303. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988.</ref> It was inside this temple that Thutmose planned on erecting his ''tekhen waty'', or "unique obelisk."<ref name="Grimal 303"/> The ''tekhen waty'' was designed to stand alone instead as part of a pair and is the tallest [[obelisk]] ever successfully cut. It was not, however, erected until Thutmose IV raised it<ref name="Grimal 303"/> 35 years later.<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II.'' p. 330. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.</ref> It was later moved to Rome by Emperor [[Constantius II]] and is now known as the [[Lateran Obelisk]].

In 390 AD, Christian Roman Emperor [[Theodosius I]] re-erected another obelisk from the Temple of Karnak in the [[Hippodrome of Constantinople]], now known as the [[Obelisk of Theodosius]].

Thutmose also undertook building projects to the south of the main temple between the sanctuary of Amun and the temple of [[Mut]]. Immediately to the south of the main temple, he built the seventh pylon on the north–south road which entered the temple between the fourth and fifth pylons. It was built for use during his jubilee and was covered with scenes of defeated enemies. He set royal colossi on both sides of the pylon and put two more obelisks on the south face in front of the gateway. The eastern obelisk's base remains in place, but the western obelisk was transported to the Hippodrome in Constantinople.<ref name="Grimal 303"/> Farther south along the road, he put up Pylon VIII, which Hatshepsut had begun.<ref name="Lipinska 402"/> East of the road, he dug a [[sacred lake]] of 250 by 400 feet and placed another alabaster bark shrine near it.<ref name="Lipinska 402"/> He commissioned royal artists to depict his extensive collections of fauna and flora in the [[Botanical garden of Thutmosis III]].

===Other Attestations===
At Heliopolis, a stela dated to year 47 of Tuthmosis III.<ref>Berlin, Ägyptisches Museum, 1634</ref>

===Defacing of Hatshepsut's monuments===
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Hatshepsut temple38c.jpg|thumb|Sokaris receiving gifts from Thutmosis III in Anubis temple, Hatshepsut temple, Deir el-Bahari, Theban Necropolis, Egypt]]
For many years, egyptologists theorized that following the death of [[Thutmose II]], his queen [[Hatshepsut]] [[usurper|usurped]] the throne from her stepson Thutmose III. Although Thutmose III was co-regent during this time, early historians have speculated that he never forgave his stepmother for overshadowing him.<ref>Shaw, Ian, and Nicholson, Paul. <cite>The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt</cite>. p. 120. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. {{ISBN|0-8109-9096-2}}. 1995.</ref> Some time after her death, many of Hatshepsut's monuments and depictions were defaced or destroyed, including those in her famous [[mortuary temple]] complex at [[Deir el-Bahri]]. These were interpreted by early modern scholars as ''[[damnatio memoriae]]'' (erasure from recorded existence) by Thutmose III in a fit of vengeful rage shortly after his accession.

However, recent research casts serious doubt upon the popular theory of Thutmose III's vengeance. Scholars such as Charles Nims and [[Peter Dorman]] have re-examined the erasures and found that those which could be dated only began during year 46 or 47, toward the end of Thutmose's reign ({{Circa|1433/2&nbsp; BC}}).<ref name=" Oxford University Press 2000">Shaw, Ian. <cite>The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt</cite>. p. 241. Oxford University Press. 2000. {{ISBN|0-19-280458-8}}</ref> Also the monuments of Hatshepsut's chief steward, [[Senenmut]], closely associated with her rule, were similarly defaced where they were found.<ref>Russman, Edna R. (ed) <cite>Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art from the British Museum</cite>. pp. 120–121. University of California Press. 2001. {{ISBN|1-885444-19-2}}.</ref> Furthermore, it is known that Hatshepsut trusted Thutmose III to command her armies. No strong evidence has been found that Thutmose III sought to claim the throne, and after her death he kept her religious and administrative leaders. He even built his mortuary temple directly next to Hatshepsut's, showing no grudge against her.

By the time the monuments of Hatshepsut were damaged, at least 25 years after her death, the elderly Thutmose III was in a [[coregency]] with his son [[Amenhotep II]]. Currently, the purposeful destruction of the memory of Hatshepsut is seen as an attempt to ensure a smooth succession for Amenhotep II, as opposed to any of the surviving relatives of Hatshepsut with an equal or better claim to the throne. Amenhotep II would have had a motive because his position in the royal lineage was not so strong as to assure his elevation to pharaoh. Later, Amenhotep II even claimed that he had built the structures he defaced.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardiner|1961|p=198}}. </ref> It may also be that the attack on Hatshepsut's memory could not be taken until the death of powerful religious and administrative officials who had served under both Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.<ref name="Oxford University Press 2000" />

==Death and burial==
[[File:Egypt.KV34.04.jpg|thumb|A scene from the [[Amduat]] on the walls of the tomb of Thutmose III, [[KV34]], in the [[Valley of the Kings]].]]
According to Peter Der Manuelian, a statement in the tomb biography of the official Amenemheb establishes that Thutmose III died in Year 54, III Peret day 30 of his reign after ruling Egypt for "53 years, 10 months and 26 days" (Urk. 180.15). Thutmose III died one month and four days before the start of his 54th regnal year.<ref>Peter Der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, Hildesheimer Ägyptologische Beiträge (HÄB) Verlag: 1987, p. 20</ref> When the co-regencies with Hatshepsut and Amenhotep II are deducted, he ruled as sole pharaoh for just over 30 years.

Thutmose's tomb ([[KV34]]) was discovered by [[Victor Loret]] in 1898 in the [[Valley of the Kings]]. Its plan is typical of 18th Dynasty tombs, with a sharp turn at the vestibule preceding the burial chamber. Two stairways and two corridors provide access to the vestibule, which is preceded by a quadrangular shaft or "well".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thutmes III {{!}} Theban Mapping Project |url=https://thebanmappingproject.com/tombs/kv-34-thutmes-iii |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=thebanmappingproject.com |language=en}}</ref>

A complete version of [[Amduat]], an important [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] [[Ancient Egyptian funerary texts|funerary text]], is in the vestibule, making it the first tomb where the complete text was found. The burial chamber, supported by two pillars, is oval-shaped and its ceiling decorated with stars, symbolizing the cave of the deity [[Sokar]]. In the middle lies a large red quartzite sarcophagus in the shape of a cartouche. On the two pillars in the middle of the chamber are passages from the Litanies of Re celebrating the later sun deity, who was identified with the pharaoh at this time. On the other pillar is a unique image depicting Thutmosis III being suckled by the goddess [[Isis]] in the guise of the tree.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Egypt |date=2022-07-31 |title=Interior of the Tomb of Thutmose III |url=https://egypt-museum.com/interior-of-the-tomb-of-thutmose-iii/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Egypt Museum |language=en-US}}</ref>

The wall decorations are executed in a simple "diagrammatic" way, imitating the manner of the cursive script of a funerary papyrus rather than the more lavish wall decorations typical of most other royal tombs. The colouring is similarly muted, executed in simple black figures accompanied by text on a cream background with highlights in red and pink. The decorations depict the pharaoh aiding the deities in defeating [[Apep]], the [[serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] of [[Chaos (cosmogony)|chaos]], thereby helping to ensure the daily rebirth of the sun as well as the pharaoh's own resurrection.<ref>Pemberton, Delia and Fletcher, Joann. <cite>Treasures of the Pharaohs</cite>. p. 61. Chronicle Books LLC. 2004. {{ISBN|0-8118-4424-2}}.</ref>

===Mummy===
[[File:Tuthmosis III coffin.jpg|thumb|Sarcophagus of Thutmose III]]
Thutmose III's mummy was discovered in the [[Deir el-Bahri]] [[DB320|Cache]] above the [[mortuary temple|Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut]] in 1881. He was interred along with those of other 18th and 19th Dynasty leaders [[Ahmose I]], [[Amenhotep I]], [[Thutmose I]], [[Thutmose II]], [[Ramesses I]], [[Seti I]], [[Ramesses II]] and [[Ramesses IX]], as well as the 21st Dynasty pharaohs [[Pinedjem I]], [[Pinedjem II]] and [[Siamun]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Egypt |date=2023-08-22 |title=Mummy of Thutmose III |url=https://egypt-museum.com/mummy-of-thutmose-iii/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Egypt Museum |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Brugsch-ThutmosisIII (photo).jpg|thumb|Mummy of Thutmose III before unwrapping, showing damage by tomb robbers]]
While it is popularly thought that his mummy originally was unwrapped by [[Gaston Maspero]] in 1886, it was in fact first unwrapped by [[Émile Brugsch]], the Egyptologist who supervised the evacuation of the mummies from the Deir el-Bahri Cache in 1881. It was unwrapped soon after its arrival in the [[Egyptian Museum|Boulak Museum]] while Maspero was away in France, and the Director General of the Egyptian Antiquities Service ordered the mummy re-wrapped. So when it was "officially" unwrapped by Maspero in 1886, he almost certainly knew it was in relatively poor condition.<ref>Forbes, Dennis C. <cite>Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology</cite>, pp. 43–44. KMT Communications, Inc. 1998.</ref>

[[File:Thutmose III Head.jpg|thumb|Mummified head of Thutmose III following unwrapping]]
[[File:Openwork Barrel Bead MET scarabgroup 5.top.jpg|thumb|Beads and scarab finger rings of Thutmose III in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].]]
The mummy had been damaged extensively in antiquity by tomb robbers and its wrappings subsequently cut into and torn by the Rassul family, who had rediscovered the tomb and its contents only a few years before.<ref name="Castle Books 2003">Romer, John. <cite>The Valley of the Kings</cite>. p. 182. Castle Books, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7858-1588-0}}</ref> Maspero's description of the body provides an idea as to the severity of the damage:
<blockquote>His mummy was not securely hidden away, for towards the close of the 20th dynasty it was torn out of the coffin by robbers, who stripped it and rifled it of the jewels with which it was covered, injuring it in their haste to carry away the spoil. It was subsequently re-interred, and has remained undisturbed until the present day; but before re-burial some renovation of the wrappings was necessary, and as portions of the body had become loose, the restorers, in order to give the mummy the necessary firmness, compressed it between four oar-shaped slips of wood, painted white, and placed, three inside the wrappings and one outside, under the bands which confined the winding-sheet.<ref name="Maspero">Maspero, Gaston. {{Cite book |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17324/17324-h/v4c.htm |title=''History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 5 (of 12)'' |access-date=11 March 2015 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523181623/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17324/17324-h/v4c.htm#image-0047 |archive-date=23 May 2006 |date=16 December 2005 }}, Project Gutenberg EBook, Release Date: 16 December 2005. EBook #17325.</ref></blockquote>

Of the face, which was undamaged, Maspero says the following:
<blockquote>Happily the face, which had been plastered over with pitch at the time of embalming, did not suffer at all from this rough treatment, and appeared intact when the protecting mask was removed. Its appearance does not answer to our ideal of the conqueror. His statues, though not representing him as a type of manly beauty, yet give him refined, intelligent features, but a comparison with the mummy shows that the artists have idealised their model. The forehead is abnormally low, the eyes deeply sunk, the jaw heavy, the lips thick, and the cheek-bones extremely prominent; the whole recalling the physiognomy of Thûtmosis II, though with a greater show of energy.<ref name="Maspero"/></blockquote>

Maspero was so disheartened at the state of the mummy and the prospect that all of the other mummies were similarly damaged (as it turned out, few were in so poor a state) that he would not unwrap another for several years.<ref name="Castle Books 2003"/>

Unlike many other examples from the Deir el-Bahri Cache, the wooden mummiform coffin that contained the body was original to the pharaoh, though any gilding or decoration it might have had had been hacked off in antiquity.

In his examination of the mummy, the anatomist [[Grafton Elliot Smith]] stated the height of Thutmose III's mummy to be {{cvt|5|ft|3.58|in|m|order=flip|3}},<ref>Smith, G Elliot. <cite>The Royal Mummies</cite>, p. 34. Duckworth, 2000 (reprint)</ref> but the mummy was missing its feet, so Thutmose III was undoubtedly taller than the figure given by Smith.<ref>Forbes, Dennis C. <cite>Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology</cite>, p. 631. KMT Communications, Inc. 1998.</ref> It resided in the Royal Mummies Hall of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, catalog number CG 61068,<ref name=Habicht>{{cite journal |last1=Habicht |first1=M.E|last2=Bouwman |first2=A.S|last3=Rühli |first3=F.J |date=25 January 2016 |title=Identifications of ancient Egyptian royal mummies from the 18th Dynasty reconsidered |journal=Yearbook of Physical Anthropology |volume=159 |issue=S61 |pages=216–231 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.22909 |pmid=26808107|doi-access=free }}</ref> until April 2021 when the mummy was moved to [[National Museum of Egyptian Civilization]] along with those of 17 other kings and four queens in the [[Pharaohs' Golden Parade]].<ref name=Parisse>{{cite news |last=Parisse |first=Emmanuel |date=5 April 2021 |title=22 Ancient Pharaohs Have Been Carried Across Cairo in an Epic 'Golden Parade' |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/22-ancient-pharaohs-have-been-carried-across-cairo-in-an-epic-golden-parade |work=ScienceAlert |access-date=5 April 2021}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Thutmosis III wien front.jpg|Upper part of a statue of Thutmose III from the Kunsthistorisches Museum
File:Upper part of a statue of Thutmose III MET 07.230.3 10.jpg|Upper part of a statue of Thutmose III from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:Thutmose III, Luxor Museum.jpg|Painted relief depicting Thutmose III, Luxor Museum
File:Sphinx of Thutmose III MET 08.202.6 04.jpg|Sphinx of Thutmose III
File:Bas relief Thutmosis III and Amon-MBA Lyon E501-1731-IMG 0218.jpg|Fragment of a pillar in bas-relief: Thutmose III receiving the breath of life from Amun
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Cleopatra's Needle]]s
*[[History of ancient Egypt]]
*[[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt family tree]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*[[Eloise Jarvis McGraw]], "Mara, Daughter of the Nile"
*{{cite book |last=Redford|first=Donald B.|author-link=Donald B. Redford|year=2003|title=The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III|series=Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 16|place=Leiden|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-12989-4}}
*Der Manuelian, Peter, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, Hildesheimer Ägyptologische Beiträge(HÄB) Verlag: 1987
*{{cite book |last=Cline|first=Eric H.|author-link=Eric H. Cline|title=Thutmose III: A New Biography|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2006 |isbn=0472114670}} This book by Eric H. Cline and [[David O'Connor (Egyptologist)|David O'Connor]] incorporates a number of important new survey articles regarding the reign of Thutmose III, including administration, art, religion and foreign affairs
*Reisinger, Magnus, Entwicklung der ägyptischen Königsplastik in der frühen und hohen 18. Dynastie, Agnus-Verlag, Münster 2005, {{ISBN|3-00-015864-2}}
*[[James Henry Breasted|Breasted, James Henry]]. ''Ancient Records of Egypt'', [Volume Two, The Eighteenth Dynasty], University of Illinois Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-252-06974-9}}
*River God by [[Wilbur Smith|Smith, Wilbur]] along with the rest of his Egyptian series of historical fiction novels are based in a large part on Thutmose III's time along with his story and that of his mother through the eyes of his mother's vizier mixing in elements of the Hyksos' domination and eventual overthrow.
*{{cite book |last=Gardiner|first=Alan H.|author-link=Alan Gardiner|title=Egypt of the Pharaohs: An Introduction|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1961|isbn=0195002679|location=United Kingdom}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Thutmosis III}}
*[http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/history18-20.htm#Thutmoseiii A Short History of Ancient Egypt – Dynasties XVIII to XX], with a few Thutmoside documents translated.
*[https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/82622/rec/1 Hatshepsut: from Queen to Pharaoh], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Thutmose III (see index)
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309013515/http://www.archaeowiki.org/Thutmose_III |date=9 March 2012 |title=Thutmose III page of Archaeowiki }}

{{Pharaohs}}
{{Rulers of the Ancient Near East}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thutmose Iii}}
[[Category:Thutmose III| ]]
[[Category:15th-century BC births]]
[[Category:15th-century BC deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Ancient child monarchs]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian child monarchs]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian mummies]]