Cult of the Levites

Pharaoh	Dates of Rule
Tuthmosis III	1479-1425 B.C.E.	Tutmosis III was a great military leader who conquered Canaan at the battle of Meggido. His goal was to control the passes and thereby prevent invading armies from entering Egypt. At that time, the hill country was sparsely populated and control of that area was not too important. That part of Canaan remained semi-autonomous.
Tuthmosis IV	1400-1390 B.C.E.	Tutmosis IV was the first Pharaoh known to acknowledge Aten worship. Scholars believe his motives may have been diplomacy as all religions in the area had a sun deity among their pantheon of gods. The Amun clergy kept total control of the national religious institutions. They had no reason to believe their power could be threatened.
Amenhotep III	1390-1353 B.C.E.	The only Pharaoh for which the Bible has any kind words is the Pharaoh who appointed Joseph as Vizier. This Pharaoh could well be Amenhotep III, a popular leader whose reign is remembered as one of peace, prosperity, and stability. His reign saw an increase in the importance of the Aten, but the Amun clerics were content, as were the rest of the Egyptian people.
Akhenaton	1353-1336 B.C.E.	Akhenaton began his reign as Amenhotep IV but his name was not the only thing he changed. His fanatical attempt to introduce monotheistic Aten worship to Egypt defied tradition and upset the balance of the country's infrastructure. The Amun clerics lost their wealth and power, and the city of Thebes lost its status of the nation's capital. Perhaps his religious belief was ahead of its time, but his attempt to change too much too soon was neither wise nor pragmatic.
Tutankhamen	1336-1327 B.C.E.	""King Tut" is famous because no other Pharaoh had his tomb remain intact until its modern discovery. His reign saw the return of the Amun clerics to power, but Tutankhamen died before he was old enough to have an impact on government. In fact, his mummified body shows he was possibly murdered before reaching the age where he could rule. Many scholars believe his death was to ensure he did not return Egypt to the religion in which his father, Akhenaton, had raised him.
Horemheb	1323-1295 B.C.E.	Horemheb was an opportunist who began his career in the service of Akhenaton and rose up through the ranks to become General. When the Amun clerics returned to power, Horemheb turned against the Amarna Cult. As Pharaoh, he was an iron-fisted ruler who aggressively persecuted all forms of monotheism. He is almost certainly the Pharaoh which The Bible says "did not know Joseph" and goes on to depict in a vile manner.
Ramses I	1295-1294 B.C.E.	By Biblical accounts, the Pharaoh of the Exodus followed the Pharaoh who originally enslaved the Hebrews. Nowhere in the Bible does it say the second Pharaoh was the son of the first, as Hollywood storytellers portray him. Horemheb had no children by his chief wife, Queen Mutnodjme. When he died, the throne passed to his Vizier. Little is known of Pharaoh Ramses I as he reigned for less than two years.
Ramses II	1279-1213 B.C.E.	Ramses II ruled Egypt for seventy years. This egotistical Pharaoh is best known for a multitude of beautiful monuments he had built to himself. Some monuments claim a great victory against the Hittites at Kadesh, but historical evidence shows the battle did not go as well as Ramses claimed. After Kadesh, the Amarna Refugees in Canaan were able to peacefully practice their beliefs.