All of these statements about life-expectancy in ancient Egypt are accurate. At birth, life expectancy was around twenty, but those that survived infancy could expect to live into at least their thirties. It was even common for Pharaohs and noblemen to survive well into old age. Women had a much lower life-expectancy than men, however, primarily due to the inherent dangers of childbirth and the infant mortality rate was roughly fifty percent — meaning half of all children did not survive.

The average lifespan of an ancient Egyptian individual was around twenty, although this, of course, varied dramatically at different times in Egyptian history. A large number of people, however, died when they were infants and if a person survived until their fifth birthday, they might more reasonably expect to live to thirty or forty on average. The biggest killer of the ancient Egyptians was famine and disease. Diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis routinely devastated the Egyptian population and could even precipitate famine through depressed manpower.

Most archaeologists estimate the population of ancient Egypt during the height of the Old Kingdom (during the fourth and fifth dynasties) to have been around two million.

Mery is believed to be the first person to be convicted of tax evasion in Ancient Egypt. He was forced to withstand 100 blows as his punishment. Pharaoh Kety advised that beatings were better than killings for crimes like these. Many scholars believe that Egyptians were the first to sew wounds closed, a fact that perhaps helped Mery at the time.

The Battle of Megiddo was fought during the fifteenth century BCE between the forces of Egypt, led by Thutmose III, and an alliance of Canaanite and Asiatic city-states (including the influential Mittani). It ended in victory for the Egyptian forces and was an important battle in the territorial expansion of Thutmose III’s reign.

The New Kingdom was most characterized by wartime. This kingdom was ruled by "warrior pharaohs", mainly because the Egyptian borders in the desert regions did not offer protection from invasion any longer, as seen by the devastating earlier invasions by the Hyksos. In the New Kingdom, pharaohs greatly built up their armies and began to seek out conquering surrounding areas outside of Egypt, leading to much warring and conflict.

El-Amarna (often called Akhetaten) was founded by Akhenaten as the capital of his newly reformed Egypt. It was only briefly inhabited, during the life of Akhenaten, before being abandoned upon his death. Egyptian religion and society was quite different under Akhenaten’s reign and, as a result, Egyptologists are reluctant to base their conclusions about Egyptian society on evidence drawn solely from El-Amarna.

The Middle Kingdom gave rise to more democratic practices in Egyptian politics and society. More interest was taken in the more downtrodden members of society, public works projects were undertaken to benefit the greater good, ordinary people had access to mummification services and civil servants acquired posts formerly held by royals. However, these royals continued to have a strong grip on Egyptian politics.

The number of Egyptians living in urban centers rose significantly during the New Kingdom which contributed significantly to the eventual decline of the New Kingdom’s power. The percentage of Egyptians living in cities, however, probably never exceeded five percent, as the vast majority of the population was still required to farm the fields.

When King Tuthmosis I died, the crown passed to son Tuthmosis II, who actually married Hatshepsut, his half sister. Thus, Hatshepsut was also the daughter of Tuthmosis I. As Tuthmosis II was a weak king, Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh and led a peaceful, prosperous reign for many years until her death.