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Military Personalities
Some individuals have left records of their
particular contributions to the armed services in Egypt. All kings
were commanders in chief of their troops, but some were especially
famous as strategists or warriors. Apart from the early conquerors
such as Scorpion and King Menes who used military force to unify
Egypt and create a nation, others were notable for their actions
against foreign threats. During the Middle Kingdom Senusret III
extended Egypt’s control over Nubia and completed a series of
fortresses there to subjugate and control the local population.
Seqenenre Ta’o II, Kamose, Amosis I, and Amenhotep I fought bravely
during the conflict between the Theban rulers and the Hyksos to
expel the Hyksos and then to establish the foundations of the
Egyptian Empire in Palestine. Under the later kings of Dynasty 18
this policy was extended, and under Tuthmosis I, Tuthmosis III, and
Amenhotep II the Egyptian frontiers were fixed in southern Nubia and
as far north as the Euphrates River. During Dynasty 19, Sethos I and
Ramesses II had to reestablish Egyptian influence in
Syria/Palestine. Finally, Ramesses III, Egypt’s last great warrior
king, fought a vital although defensive battle to prevent the Sea
Peoples from entering the Delta.
Commanders Most of the royal achievements are recorded in scenes and inscriptions on temple walls. Scenes and inscriptions in nonroyal tombs, however, sometimes provide additional information. At el-Kab there are two rock tombs of particular interest. One belonged to Ahmose, son of Ebana, a warrior who served under Amosis I, Amenhotep I, and Tuthmosis I. His father had served under the Theban prince, Seqenenre Ta’o II. A long inscription on the tomb walls at el-Kab records the life and deeds of Ahmose and relates his actions as an admiral in the war fought to expel the Hyksos. Fighting for Amosis, he accompanied the king when he sailed north to attack the Hyksos. As a reward for his bravery, he was promoted from one ship to another; he also received male and female slaves on several occasions and the award of the decoration “Gold of Valor” for his actions in battle. It is clear that although he was transported by ship, he fought as a soldier on land, thus emphasizing the role of the navy as “soldiers at sea,” or land troops transported via water. Ahmose took part in the seige of a Hyksos fortress and of the town of Sharuhen in southwest Palestine. In a neighboring tomb at el-Kab belonging to a relative, Ahmose Pennekheb, there is another biographical inscription that relates this man’s military actions fighting for Amosis and Amenhotep I. These two relatives from el-Kab both fought bravely with Amenhotep I in his campaign to reestablish supremacy in Nubia. Later in the New Kingdom there were several interesting tombs built for military commanders. That of Amenemhab on the west bank at Thebes includes scenes of the customary funerary and banqueting scenes. Amenemhab was commander of the troops under Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II, and the scenes show him in Tuthmosis III’s presence, presenting tributebearing Syrians; in the long, accompanying inscription Amenemhab describes the part he played in the Asiatic campaigns of Tuthmosis III. In another Theban tomb, belonging to Horemheb, an army officer under Tuthmosis IV, there are wall scenes showing the tribute being brought by Nubians and Syrians and also the recruitment of soldiers. .
Mercenaries
The use of mercenaries was important in the Egyptian army. In the Old and Middle Kingdoms the army consisted of the militia of the individual nomes or districts, co-opted when required to assist the small national standing army. In the New Kingdom, however, mercenary troops became a significant element in the new professional army. The Medjay (from tribes of Nubian nomads) were engaged to serve in the army and in the internal police force; onetime prisoners of war or enemies, such as the Sherden and Libyans, also became Egyptian soldiers. Numerically, they were so significant that chiefs or captains were appointed to control them and direct their work. In fact, by the late New Kingdom, foreign mercenaries probably formed the major part of the Egyptian army. Even in the reign of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) the king’s personal bodyguard included Nubians, Libyans, and Syrians. From the end of Dynasty 18 down to Dynasty 20, foreign officers and troops were given preference over native troops. Considerable numbers of conquered soldiers from the coalition of Sea Peoples and Libyans (the Sherden, Kehek, and Meshwesh) entered the Egyptian army from Dynasty 19 onward. They fought under their own chiefs within the Egyptian army, and in the wars of the Sea Peoples and Libyans against Merenptah and Ramesses III members of some of these tribes fought on both sides. Later, the descendants of these Libyan mercenaries became the rulers of Egypt in Dynasties 22 and 23. In the period from Dynasty 26 to 30 the Egyptian kings employed mercenaries from Greece and Caria to support their rule and to introduce new ideas and techniques into the army and navy. .
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Military Personalities
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