Thutmose III Dies: Egypt's Greatest Conqueror

Thutmose III died on March 11, 1425 BC, after a reign of 54 years that transformed Egypt from a regional power into the ancient world's dominant empire. His military genius was unmatched in Egyptian history: seventeen campaigns across the Levant, Syria, and Nubia conquered over 350 cities and extended Egyptian control from the Euphrates River to the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. His most celebrated victory came at the Battle of Megiddo in 1457 BC, where he led his army through a narrow mountain pass that his generals considered suicidal, catching the Canaanite coalition by surprise. The battle is the first in history for which a detailed tactical account survives, recorded on the walls of the Temple of Karnak. Thutmose also expanded the temple complex at Karnak extensively, commissioned obelisks that now stand in Istanbul, London, and New York, and established Egypt's first botanical garden based on plants he collected during his campaigns. Modern historians often call him the 'Napoleon of Egypt.'