Such tender scenes of royal family life also

Such tender scenes of royal family life also may be seen in
the artifacts recovered from the tomb of Egypt’s most famous
king, Tutankhamen, who was probably the son of Akhenaten.
“Tut” was a minor figure who assumed the throne as a boy
after Akhenaten’s death. The real power behind the throne was
with the priests and the military, who returned Egypt’s capital
to Thebes. Tutankhamen died there and was buried in a tiny
tomb that was soon forgotten. It was his obscurity that secured
Tutankhamen’s ultimate fame, for all of the other, much larger,
royal tombs in the Valley of Kings were robbed in ancient times,
while Tut’s remained sealed for more than 3,000 years. Only
in 1922 did English archaeologist Howard Carter breach the
tomb’s entrance and thrust in a candle to behold what he called
“wonderful things.”
Another of the New Kingdom’s most famous pharaohs was
Ramses II (Ramses the Great), who built colossal monuments to
himself throughout the land (including Abu Simbel in Nubia)
and waged wars against Egypt’s Asian enemies. Egypt reached
its peak of power in the “Ramesside” times of Ramses II and his
immediate successors. Then the sun began to set on the glories
of ancient Egypt.