=Thothmes III=, the son of Thothmes II and the lady Ȧset, was the greatest of all the kings of Egypt; he reigned for about 53 years, 21 years as co-regent with Ḥātshepset, and 32 years alone. Soon after he became sole ruler of Egypt he began a series of campaigns in Palestine, Syria and other countries of Western Asia, and his arms were everywhere victorious. In the first campaign he captured the city of Megiddo, in Syria, and brought back an immense quantity of spoil. Subsequently he undertook some fifteen campaigns into different parts of Western Asia; and towards the close of his reign he appears to have raided the Sûdân. The vast wealth which he drew from Asia enabled him to be a generous friend of the priesthood, and to repair, rebuild and enlarge and found sanctuaries for the great gods of Egypt. He carried on extensive building operations at Heliopolis, Memphis, Abydos, Denderah, Coptos, Dêr al-Baḥarî, Madînat Habû, Hermonthis, Esna, Edfû, etc.; but his greatest work was the colonnade which he built in the temple of Ȧmen at Karnak, 150 feet long, 50 feet wide, with 50 columns and 32 rectangular pillars (see =Plate XXX=). He founded the temple of Ṣulb (Soleb) near the Third Cataract, and dedicated a temple at Semnah to Usertsen III. At Karnak and elsewhere he set up magnificent granite obelisks, one of which, commonly called =Cleopatra’s Needle=, now stands on the Thames Embankment. He was buried in the valley of the Tombs of the Kings at Thebes; and his mummy was wrapped in a linen sheet inscribed with the text of the CLIVth Chapter of the Book of the Dead, and extracts from the Litany of Rā. [Illustration: PLATE XXX. The Hall of Columns in the great temple of Ȧmen-Rā, at Karnak.] [Illustration: PLATE XXXI. Head from a colossal granite statue of Thothmes III, B.C. 1550. [Northern Egyptian Gallery, Bay 2, No. 360.]]