Egyptian Military
The military might of the Egyptians during the time of the pharaohs was probably not comparable to the sheer numbers of the Roman Legions. They didn't compare to the unique military formations and strategies of the Greeks. Actually, modern day Switzerland might be able to beat the ancient Egyptians. But that doesn't take away from the fact that its one of the oldest in recorded history.
“Recruitment”
The best guess that most scholars have as to how Egypt got the bulk of her native infantry was not volunteers, recruits or foreign mercenaries, but actually conscripts called up in times of war. The territories in Egypt at around the time of Ramesses were basically sub-divided among members of the Pharaohs court who each in turn, ruled that territory as if it were their own little kingdom. Each of these little principalities was obligated to sacrifice a particular amount of men to each Egyptian military campaign. “Recruiting” agents came through the cities and villages and recorded the names of all young, able-bodied men that hadn't been conscripted yet.
These men were gathered by the mayor of their particular village and brought before the governor of the territory who selected a set number of the most qualified looking men and sent the rest back to the villages. In this way the Egyptians built their infantry. When chariots and horses were introduced by the Hyksos during their occupation of Egypt beginning in 1900 B.C., it became customary for men of the upper class to become charioteers. By the New Kingdom, there was a division in the military for archers, infantry, and one for charioteers. In 1275 B.C, Ramesses II divided his army in a manner typical of the Egyptians for his campaign against the Nubians and the Hittites; he divided his army of 20,000 into four divisions, each named after a major Egyptian god. There was a division of 5,000 men for Amen, Ra, Set and Ptah. The division was made up of 20 companies, each having 250 men. Each company was divided further into 5 platoons containing 50 men each.
Weaponry
During the Old Kingdom, the weapons used by the soldiers of Egypt were for the most part smaller and more crudely made than the weapons of the later times. Clubs and stone-headed maces, daggers and spearheads of copper were common. The invasion of the Hyksos produced a renaissance in military technology in Egypt. The composite bow was introduced as well as the horse and chariot, as mentioned above. The composite bow was able to shoot farther and was stronger than the current bow the Egyptians were using at the time. During the occupation, the Egyptians made improvements on the chariot. They left the back of the chariot open for a quick exit if needed. They moved the drivers area closer to the axle, which reduced the weight. This in turn took a lot of weight off of the horse, which could go faster now.
Armor was also improved during this time of military build-up; before the Hyksos, no body armor or head protection was used by the Egyptian army. The Hyksos introduced skull-caps, metal helmets, and leather body armor. The chariot was one of the most formidable components of the Egyptian military for its time. A skilled driver could skirt the enemy lines while a bowman shot quivers of arrows at a short range. The driver also held a shield that would protect himself and the bowman from return fire. In the midst of the battle, the chariot could crash right into the fray and wreak havoc on compacted masses of enemy troops, separating them so that the bowmen and spearmen could cut them apart.
The Egyptian military continued this way for over 1500 years before finally being overwhelmed from within by foreign mercenaries fighting for Egypt, internal political riot and the onslaught of the Greek Empire in 332 B.C. After being conquered by the Greeks, Egypt was under foreign leadership until the Battle of Actium, in 30 B.C. in which Rome finally subjugated the Egyptians and the time of the Pharaohs was gone forever.
Resources:
Ruiz, Ana. The Spirit of Ancient Egypt. New York; Algora Publishing, 2001.
Maspero, Gaston. Life in Ancient Egypt and Assyria. New York; Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1971.
Strouhal, Eugen. Life of the Ancient Egyptians. Norman; University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.
Written by Matt Iffert, 2002
 |
Archaeology of Egypt | History | Hieroglyphs |
| Religion | Daily Life | Links |