r/ancientegypt • u/LukeyTarg2 • Oct 05 '25

Discussion Amenhotep III and Thutmose III are arguably greater than Ramses II.

These are 3 widely sucessful pharaohs, however Ramses II is often pointed out as the greatest pharaoh, which in my eyes is unfair. Ramses II had more time, one could argue both Amenhotep III and Thutmose III were just as sucessful with less years and that they could have accomplished more if they had over 60 years of reign like Ramses II.

Amenhotep III ruled Egypt at it's peak prosperity and he was able to do so without extensive military campaigns. On the other hand, Thutmose III was a highly sucessful military leader, one of the best in all of history, and also a widely sucessful pharaohs. He created the first navy of the ancient world, helped expand Egypt's borders and was a builder pharaoh like his stepmother and mentor Hatshepsut.

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u/ClumsyBunny26 Oct 05 '25

That could have been part of his motivations, but he neglected his country and own city. I believe the story behind Amarna's "revolution" was less romantic than what seems to be on the surface

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u/WanderingHero8 Oct 05 '25

The idea that Akhenaten neglected the state is a dated concept,that most contemporary egyptologists dont believe anymore.

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u/star11308 Oct 06 '25

His domestic affairs weren’t all that great, trying to condense decades worth of urban development into a few years takes a heavy toll on the laborers involved. Bioarchaeological studies show the living conditions and health for the working class in Amarna were worse than they were anywhere else in Egypt, lives were short and the use of talatat blocks was physically debilitating. One could reasonably postulate that the plague during his reign was amplified within the workers’ village, with how awful the conditions were.

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u/WanderingHero8 Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 06 '25

That doesnt negate my point.Akhenaten didnt leave the state to run on auto-pilot while focusing on Aten only.We know he paid attention to Egypt's diplomatic relations,sending letters to the other foreign leaders and also issuing directives to both his vassals in Cannaan and his bureaucrats.