The Assyrian expansion into Syria continues under…

Tukulti-Ninurta I succeeds Shalmaneser I, his father, as king of Assyria in 1233 BCE.

The Assyrian victory shakes the Hittite state to its foundations as its king Tudhaliya IV is placed in a difficult situation since he faces several internal revolts against his reign, one of which may well have been an attempted coup d'etat led by Kurunta, a son of Muwatalli II and younger brother of the deposed Hittite king Mursili III.

Tudhaliya IV will ultimately overcome all these challenges to his authority and retain the kingship of Hatti.

The Temple of Ishtar, constructed by Tukulti-Ninurta I from 1241 to 1207, is an internalized ziggurat that features an off-axis doorway to the cult room and two flights of interior stairs leading to a niche for the cult statue.

There are again numerous deportations from Hanilgalbat (Mitanni) to Assur under Tukulti-Ninurta I (who reigns from about 1243 BCE to 1207 BCE), probably in connection with the construction of a new palace.

As the royal inscriptions mention an invasion of Hanilgalbat by a Hittite king, there may have been a new rebellion, or at least native support of a Hittite invasion.

The Assyrian towns may have been sacked at this time, as destruction levels have been found in some excavations that cannot be dated with precision, however.

Tukulti-Ninurta I eventually defeats Kashtiliash IV, the Kassite king, and captures the rival city of Babylon to ensure full Assyrian supremacy over Mesopotamia.

Kashtiliash IV is captured and deported to Assyria.

Hittite control over Anatolia has begun to loosen following the death of Hattusili in 1237, as allies and vassals in the west attempt to gain independence.

Construction of the temple complex at Abu Simbel started in approximately 1244 BCE and lasts for about twenty years.

Known as the "Temple of Ramesses, beloved by Amun," it is one of six rock temples erected in Nubia during the long reign of Ramesses II.

Their purpose is to impress Egypt's southern neighbors, and also to reinforce the status of Egyptian religion in the region.

Historians say that the design of Abu Simbel expresses a measure of ego and pride in Ramesses II.

Ramesses II, called Ramesses the Great (also called Usermare Ramses) is the first truly historical redhead.

The third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, his reign is the second longest in Egyptian history.

Ramesses, whose family comes from the Nile Delta region, is given to boasting.

Creditably, he fought the Hittites to a standstill at Kadesh, but called it a victory rather than the draw it really was.

In addition to his wars with the Hittites and Libyans, he is known for his extensive building programs and for the many colossal statues of him found all over Egypt.

Microscopic inspection of the roots of Ramesses II's hair proved that the original color of the king's hair was once red, which suggests that he came from a family of redheads.

This has more than just cosmetic significance; in ancient Egypt, people with red hair are associated with the god Seth, the slayer of Osiris, and the name of Ramesses II's father, Seti I, means "follower of Seth.

The exodus of the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt, as described in the Biblical Book of Exodus, is supposed to have occurred during the last third of the thirteenth century BCE, but historians and archaeologists have been unable to verify any of the events recounted in Exodus.

According to the story, the Hebrews flee east to freedom, leading a nomadic existence in the Sinai peninsula.

Ramesses II’s rock temple at Abu Simbel is one of the most grandiose achievements of Egypt's New Kingdom.

Hewn from a pink sandstone cliff with an entrance one hundred and five feet (thirty-two meters) high, it extends two hundred feet (sixty-one meters) into the mountain and is flanked by four massive statues of the king.

Ramesses II is also famed for the huge number of children he sires by his various wives and concubines; the tomb he builds for his sons, many of whom he outlives, in the Valley of the Kings has proven to be the largest funerary complex in Egypt.

Ramesses II dies in 1213, having reigned sixty-seven years, fathered more than one hundred children, and outlived eleven of his sons.

His twelfth, Merneptah, succeeds him as pharaoh.

The Egyptian empire begins to decline.