General Weni was important to Ancient Egypt because he organized the army of Pepi I during the Old Kingdom so successfully that the organization lasted into the New Kingdom. He lived during the 6th Dynasty and originally served under Pepi I, who ruled from 2289-2255 B.C.E. He also served under Pepi I’s successor, Nemtyemzaf. He became Commander in Chief of the army while Pepi I was the Pharaoh. He was a genius in tactics and defense. He fought many campaigns and is the first person other than a pharaoh to be depicted leading the army into battle. His leadership in battles renewed the Egyptian military spirit. He led an attack against the Sinai Bedouins amongst many other campaigns. Weni reorganized the army into battalions with a core of professional soldiers. Scribes and administrators also followed the army on campaigns. Weni trained his soldiers to be aggressive rather than to be defensive. He also included Nubian warriors in the army. While serving under Nemtyemzaf, Weni became the governor of Upper Egypt. While governor, he made many improvements that benefited the military, such as digging a groups of channels alongside the Nile at the First Cataract.
General Weni also wrote his own autobiography. Battles in Palestine were fought to gain a buffer zone along the Isthmus of Suez. Once, when Weni was sent to repel raiding nomads, he wrote that he had to gather many recruits, including Nubians and then organize them in such a way that quarrel with each other or steal from communities along the way to the battle. He wrote extensively about the planning he did, but gives no details of the actual battle. He only says that they returned in peace after ravaging the land of the Sand-Dwellers. Weni went on a total of five missions to the land of the Sand-Dwellers.
Guillemette, Andreu. Egypt in the Age of the Pyramids. Translated by David Lorton. Cornell University Press. 1997.
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