Egyptian

Ancient Egyptian civilization

reached the peak of its power, wealth and influence in the New Kingdom period (1550 to 1070 B.C.), during the reigns of iconic pharaohs like Tutankhamun, Thutmose III and Ramses II, who may have been the biblical pharaoh of the Exodus story.

At its height, the Egyptian Empire controlled an expansive territory stretching from modern-day Egypt up through the northern Sinai peninsula and the ancient land of Canaan (which encompasses modern-day Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan and the southern portions of Syria and Lebanon).

But starting with the murder of Ramses III in 1155 B.C., the once-great Egyptian Empire was slowly brought to its knees by a centuries-long drought, economic crises and opportunistic foreign invaders.