Thutmose III
~1481–1425 BCE · Egyptian · New Kingdom Egypt, 18th Dynasty
Known for: "Napoleon of Egypt"—expanded Egypt to its greatest extent through 17 campaigns
Thutmose III spent decades sidelined by his stepmother Hatshepsut. When she died, he unleashed 17 military campaigns that made Egypt the ancient world's superpower, pushing borders from Syria to Nubia.
His victory at the Battle of Megiddo (~1457 BCE)—choosing a dangerous narrow mountain pass to surprise the enemy—is one of history's first documented military masterpieces. He was methodical in record-keeping and his annals provide extraordinary detail.
Despite his martial reputation, he patronized arts and botany, having plants from conquered territories illustrated on temple walls. Small but enormously energetic, he was a skilled archer who led from the front.
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