Assess the reign of Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III’s reign is often referred to the “Golden Age”, a time of political stability and economic prosperity for Egypt. With an abundance of tribute, booty, and access/exploitation of natural resources in conquered areas of Nubia, and its sphere of influence in Syria-Palestine; Egypt’s affluence only flourished. This enabled Amenhotep’s expanse/magnificent building programs, also resulting to advances in art and religion. Furthermore, changes in the importance and role of the queen progressed in this period; to the extent of Tiye’s deification, as evident in the temple at Sedeinga, built in dedication to her worship. Despite Amenhotep III’s reputation as a great diplomat, the effectiveness of his foreign policy- particularly the lack of military control over vassal states of Syria- Palestine, is contested as a precursor to the eventual loss of Egypt’s northern vassals with the emergence of the Hittites as a rival power during Akhenaten’s reign.

Building schemes were not only of socio-political importance, but also vital in reinforcing the religious role of the pharaoh as the intermediary between the gods and the people of Egypt- he himself a reincarnation of Horus, or in Amenhotep’s case, Amun. His divine birth scene depicted at Luxor Temple of Amun giving the ankh “breath of life” to his mother, is significant in establishing his divine power as upholder of ma’at- the divinely established order of the universe. Moreover, Amenhotep’s self-proclaimed deification during his reign (as opposed to traditional post-mortem apotheosis), in particular temples of worship built for himself and Tiye at Soleb and Sedeinga respectively, reinforces his imperative of asserting his power/control over conquered regions of Kush/Nubia, which represented the wild or chaos a deity warrior-pharaoh must contain. Additionally, Nubia was the