Mark with arrows the directions of the conquests of the Egyptian troops. Presentation - campaigns of the pharaoh

Military campaigns of the pharaohs. Army of the pharaohs. Conquests of Thutmose III and Ramesses II. The power of the ancient Egyptian state. Slave fate of the prisoners.

There was not always peace in ancient Egypt. The country was repeatedly invaded by enemies. But the pharaohs also sought to expand the boundaries of their kingdom, to conquer foreign lands. To maintain the power of the pharaohs within the country, repel enemies and increase the territory of the state, the rulers of Egypt needed an army.
The scribes kept a strict record of the population, and every tenth young man was taken into the army for many years. Of these, detachments of warriors were formed, skillfully wielding one or another type of weapon. The future commander was appointed from the cradle. When he grew up, he was sent to the barracks. There he was trained, so much so that scars remained on his head and body for life. The soldiers went through a harsh school. They made marches over long distances in any weather.
In the Egyptian army, foot soldiers were armed with spears, bows and arrows, darts, axes, and maces. The shields were wooden. The body was protected by armor made of leather strips, sometimes reinforced with bronze plates. Each unit fought with one or two types of weapons. There were detachments of spearmen and archers.
The pharaohs had select detachments of bodyguards. They, as a rule, were recruited not from the Egyptians, but for a fee from mercenaries - the inhabitants of Nubia - a country located south of Egypt.
In the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. the time of the greatest power of Egypt has come. In the Egyptian army, detachments of warriors fought on chariots were created. War chariots were light. A platform for warriors was attached to two spoked wheels. There were two of them on the chariot - a charioteer and a warrior armed with a bow or darts.
During the war, the pharaohs led their army. They rode in chariots ahead of the troops. The pharaoh wore a blue battle crown on his head. Here is how the ancient Egyptian chronicle describes the brave warrior pharaoh:
“His Majesty is like a god in strength. He is as beautiful as the sun. In archery, he knows no equal. Like a falcon, he exterminates enemies tirelessly. On a brilliant chariot, he alone crushed hundreds of thousands of warriors. He instills fear with his formidable roar in the hearts of the peoples of all countries.
Rows of chariots lined up behind the pharaoh. Then came the foot troops. In the forefront were the most experienced warriors. The detachments had their own designations - images of gods and signs of the detachment on high poles. When storming fortresses, the Egyptians used ladders with wooden wheels, which made it easier for them to stop and move along the fortress wall. A breach in the fortress walls was punched with large crowbars. This is how the technique and methods of storming fortresses were born.
The ships of the Egyptians were rowing, but they had sails. Each ship had a permanent team with a chief at the head. The detachment of ships was headed by the chief of the fleet. The construction of ships was in charge of the so-called ship builder. “Two large fleets” were created, one in Upper Egypt, the other in Lower Egypt. Naval ships sailed in the Mediterranean.
Pharaohs made successful military campaigns. In the south, they conquered Nubia - a country where there were gold mines. They also subjugated the Libyans who lived to the west of Egypt. The armies of the pharaohs advanced deep into Asia.
The famous campaigns in Asia against the powerful kingdom of the Hittites were undertaken by Pharaoh Ramesses II. The troops of Ramesses II and the Hittite king met in battle near the city of Kadesh. This happened in the first quarter of the 13th century BC. e. On each side, 20 thousand soldiers participated in the battle. Clouds of arrows seemed to eclipse the sun. Ramesses II narrowly escaped capture, however, he believed that he had won. The pharaoh ordered to perpetuate his victory in commemorative inscriptions. But the Hittite king also believed that in the battle of Kadesh, victory was on his side. So in the battle of Kadesh there were two winners. Only twenty years later, a peace treaty was concluded between the Egyptian pharaoh and the king of the Hittites. It was the first international peace treaty that has come down to us.
The largest conquests were made around 1500 BC. e. Pharaoh Thutmose III. His army, having captured the fortress of Megiddo, advanced to the very banks of the Euphrates. The power of the pharaoh was recognized by all the rulers of the occupied territories. Successful victories were marked by rich trophies. The Egyptians took horses and chariots from their opponents, and stole cattle.
After each victory, the warriors divided the booty. The bravest, whose name was proclaimed by the king's herald, received plots in his city and slaves taken from the enemies of the pharaoh.
Returning home, the Egyptian army lines up in approximately the same order as when they went on a campaign. Noble captives walk in front of the pharaoh's chariot, their hands are in stocks, sometimes made in the form of a panther, and there is a rope around their necks. Most captives have their hands tied behind their backs or above their heads. The festivities begin as soon as the army enters the land of Egypt. The priests greet him with bouquets. Some high-ranking captives, according to custom, are put to death in front of an audience of many thousands.
When the captives condemned to death are executed, other ceremonies begin in the temples, where the fate of the rest of the captives is decided and the trophy gifts are consecrated.
Before the faces of the gods laid out treasures from defeated country. Then the pharaoh himself arrived, leading the captives: blacks, Libyans, Syrians. Before the Egyptian gods, the captives acknowledged their defeat.
In honor of the victory of the great pharaoh in the ancient Egyptian capital, which was then the city of Thebes, solemn festivities began.
From the conquered peoples, the pharaohs collected tribute: gold, silver, copper, expensive fabrics, valuable wood, handicrafts, grain, cattle. Thousands of prisoners were driven into slavery. Their lives were spared, but they had no rights.

Military campaigns of the pharaohs
The Ancient East

Can an army be dangerous if it is armed only with cold weapons? Maybe! Moreover, such an army, as it turned out, can conquer vast territories. During the lesson, we will talk about the armament of the Egyptian army and the conquests of Thutmose III.

Military campaigns of the pharaohs

Causes

Troops returned from campaigns with rich booty. The peoples of the conquered countries had to pay an annual tribute to the pharaoh.

Nubia was rich in gold mines; the tribes of the Libyans supplied herds of cows, goats and sheep to Egypt; a tree (cedars) was brought from Phoenicia; Palestine and Syria were rich in silver, tin and fine fabrics.

Members

War chariots: two warriors were placed in the chariot. One drove horses, and the other shot a bow and threw spears.

Infantry: infantry units differed in the type of weapons. Warriors of some detachments had spears, others - axes or sickle-shaped swords, others - bows and arrows. There were detachments armed with slings and boomerangs (see Organization and technique of military affairs during major wars of the 16th-15th centuries BC).

Thutmose III is the pharaoh during whose reign the Egyptians made the largest conquests. Thanks to him, the borders of the state were significantly increased. These were the heydays of Ancient Egypt (see).

Basically, Thutmose made trips to Western Asia (see Western Asia).

In the north, the border of the country moved to the Euphrates. Thutmose acquired power over the lands of Palestine, Syria and Phoenicia. In the south, Nubia was under the control of Egypt. ().

Conclusion

Thanks to the conquests, Egypt went far beyond the Nile Valley, becoming a kind of regional empire. Relations were established with neighboring peoples. War was not only a means of robbery and enslavement, but also a way to expand economic and cultural ties.

Parallels

The military activity of the state in ancient times was considered mandatory, there was no idea of ​​war as an evil. Thutmose III, Ramses II and some other rulers are usually called Caesarist pharaohs - their conquests are the most impressive. But such Caesarist representatives of power appeared in all regions of the Ancient East, without exception, right up to China. Each of the eastern despotisms aspired to be an empire and dominate its neighbors.

Abstract

Can an army be dangerous if it is armed only with cold weapons? Maybe! Moreover, such an army, as it turned out, can conquer vast territories. What military branches did the Egyptian army consist of? What weapons were used in battles? What conquests did Thutmose III make? You will learn about this in our today's lesson.

The rulers of Egypt sought to strengthen their power, expand their possessions and increase their wealth. In order to lead the conquests, they needed a large and well-trained army. The core of the Egyptian army was the personal protection of the pharaoh, it was formed from foreign mercenaries.

The scribes kept a strict record of the population, and every tenth young man was taken into the army for long years. They formed the infantry. The infantrymen were divided into heavily armed and lightly armed warriors. Arrowheads and spearheads, daggers and battle axes were made of bronze. Bronze is harder than copper - bronze weapons gave the Egyptians an advantage over the enemy (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Army of Ancient Egypt ()

In the middle of the II millennium BC. e. the Egyptians began to use war chariots (Fig. 2). Each unit consisted of 25 chariots. The chariot was driven by a driver, the second warrior shot from a bow and threw short spears - darts at opponents. The horses were kept at the expense of the pharaoh's treasury, and the chariot had to be purchased at their own expense, so only representatives of the nobility could serve in chariot units. The chariots started the battle and ended it, chasing the enemy fleeing the battlefield.

Rice. 2. War chariots ()

He made the largest conquests around 1500 BC. e. Pharaoh Thutmose III (Fig. 3). In Northern Palestine and Syria at the end of the 16th century. BC e. formed an anti-Egyptian coalition. The countries included in it aspired to political and economic independence from the influential southern neighbor. The main strongholds of the anti-Egyptian alliance were the fortresses of Megiddo and Kadesh. Thutmose at the head of the army went to pacify the recalcitrant. Meanwhile, the enemy troops concentrated in Megiddo, intending to hold this important point on the northern slopes of the same mountains. Thus, the Egyptian army had to overcome the mountain range. Three roads led through the ridge. The shortest, middle way was a narrow path. Many Egyptian military leaders were afraid to go this way. They were afraid that when moving in single file, the vanguard of the army would already collide with the enemy, while the rearguard had just entered the path. However, the pharaoh decided to take a chance and personally led the column moving in a short way.

Rice. 3. Thutmose III ()

According to the chronicles, the pharaoh on a war chariot was the first to rush into battle. The army of defenders was put to flight. But the Egyptians did not take the city on the move, being busy looting the abandoned camp. Meanwhile, the kings of Kadesh and Megiddo and their allies were dragged by the garrison to the fortress wall, the gates were closed. Thutmose began to lay siege to the city. A fence of huge tree trunks was built around it. The Egyptians called this wall "Thutmose besieging the Asiatics". After a few weeks of siege, the city surrendered. The trophies of Thutmose were 924 chariots, 2238 horses, 200 sets of weapons, crops harvested in the valley by the Egyptian army, many thousands of cattle and small cattle. This was the first victorious campaign of Thutmose. Under him, the Egyptians captured Lebanon, Palestine in the north, Nubia in the south; expanded the borders of Egypt in the east to the Euphrates (Fig. 4). For several centuries, Egypt became the most powerful state ancient world.

Plan.

Introduction.

Warfare of Ancient Egypt.

1. First aggressive campaigns Egyptian pharaohs for possession Sinai Peninsula.

   Military campaigns of Ramses II.

   Conquest of Numibia.

   Invasion and defeat of Egypt.

   The structure and organization of the army in various periods of the development of the Ancient Egyptian state.

   Armament of the army.

   The position of the soldiers.

   Officer position.

III. Conclusion.

Introduction.

The original culture of Ancient Egypt (“Countries of the Great Hapi”) has attracted the attention of all mankind since time immemorial. It aroused surprise among the Babylonian people, proud of their civilization. Ancient Greece. Great Rome bowed before the harmonious state organization of the country of pyramids. Millennia have passed, but the lively interest in the history of ancient Egypt has by no means dried up. My term paper describes the events, grandiose wars and the organization of military affairs in the state of Egypt. Of course, one can ask the question: why did I decide to write about wars, and not about anything else? But after all, wars have always been not just “companions” of mankind, but also in the words of the German theorist Clausewitz: “War is a manifestation of politics by other means.” There were wars for the possession of new territories, for markets and spheres of influence, for world domination, their religion, and in the name of achieving other goals. People are not only accustomed to them, but have long since learned to keep a terrible bookkeeping of the war. It is estimated that over the past fifty centuries, peoples have experienced more than fourteen thousand five hundred large and small wars. In all the years of human existence, only three hundred years have been absolutely peaceful. Wars were one of the ways to solve many political problems. That is why wars have big influence on the development of mankind throughout its history and are of undoubted interest.
The first conquests Egyptian pharaohs for possession Sinai Peninsula. The first aggressive campaigns took place after the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Pharaoh Mena in the third millennium BC, and headed to the northeast, to the Sinai Peninsula, where there were large deposits of copper and turquoise. Copper at that time was the main material for tools and weapons, and control over its deposits was extremely important for the young state. At that time, the Sinai Peninsula was inhabited by nomadic tribes of Semitic origin, who could not provide decent resistance to the large Egyptian army, because of their fragmentation and small numbers, and were defeated. Due to their weakness, the Bedouins rarely tried to gain independence and preferred to pay tribute. Therefore, as excavations show, the campaigns of the Egyptian army were rare. The first campaign was made in the period of the Early Kingdom by Pharaoh Usefay, which was immortalized by him on a stele in his tomb, in which the campaign is said to be the first defeat of the eastern inhabitants. But Usefay and his successors, apparently, did not manage to achieve significant success, and only the pharaoh Semerkhet was able to capture most Sinai peninsula and found many copper mines there, which gave Egypt the copper it needed. At the end of the Old Kingdom, Egypt fell into a period of civil strife, and the nomadic tribes of the Sinai Peninsula regained their independence for a whole century. After the unification of Egypt under the rule of the Eleventh Dynasty, the new pharaohs begin stubborn wars for the possession of Sinai and the mines located there. In addition, by that time bronze appears, a metal much more durable than copper. As you know, bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Therefore, in order to provide the country with the necessary materials, the pharaohs sought to take control of the gradually emerging trade routes. After the conquest of Sinai, the Egyptians invaded Palestine, then called Canaan. In Palestine, the Egyptians encountered cultures almost as ancient as their own. Small kingdoms were located on this territory, each of which had its own long traditions, management system, laws and religion. The armies of these states were well armed, but too few in number, so the large and disciplined Egyptian army took them in number. At that time, Palestine was a collection of small fragmented states, which made it easier to capture this territory. However, despite this, the Egyptians were very strong resistance, and they suffered heavy losses. Another reason for the advance of the Egyptians to the east was the forests of Canaan, vital to Egypt, which had almost no forest of its own. The Egyptians cut down almost the entire forest in the conquered areas and sent it to Egypt for the construction of ships, the production of furniture and other needs. The peoples of Canaan revolted very often, but since the uprisings covered only small territories, the Egyptians suppressed them without much difficulty. Since the Egyptian system of power over the conquered territories was somewhat similar to the system of power of the Golden Horde over the Russian principalities, Palestine needed a smart and energetic ruler (a kind of analogue of Ivan Kalita in Moscow) in order to overthrow Egyptian rule, since the Egyptian army of that time, could hardly resist the combined army of all Canaan. But the process of uniting different tribes for a single purpose did not have time to begin, it was prevented by the invasion of nomadic tribes from the east, whom the Egyptians called the Hyksos. To expel the invaders, the Egyptians reformed the army, significantly strengthening it. After the expulsion of the Hyksos (1552 BC), the Egyptians, chasing the nomads who had fled from Egypt, invaded Sinai, then Canaan, Syria, crushing everyone in their path, so strong was the rise of patriotic and predatory sentiments among the population of Egypt, especially in the military elite and among the youth. Pharaoh Ahmose defeated the Hyksos and founded a new dynasty, marking the beginning of the New Kingdom. He and later his son Amenhotep I captured all of Sinai and the south of Canaan. Amenhotep died without leaving a son, and the husband of his sister Thutmose (1506-1494 BC), a professional military man, ascended the throne, who further strengthened the army and led her to the east. He fought to the Euphrates River, sweeping away everything in his path. Thutmose was a gifted commander, and he had a very strong army for those times. Crossing the Euphrates, capturing the city of Carchemish and the regions around it, he set up his frontier posts there and went to Egypt. There are many opinions about wars in the era of Hatshepsut, according to E. McGraw 1 she, being a woman, could not be too warlike and built her own foreign policy with the help of diplomacy and bribery, according to V. I. Avdiev 2, there were military campaigns, although they were led by her father’s old generals, but the latest research in Egypt itself showed that in her time a large campaign was undertaken in Nubia, about Eastern countries there are no such data, but a necklace of golden flies, the highest awards for bravery in the Egyptian army, was found in the tomb of the queen. Hatshepsut removed from power her then-young nephew, Thutmose III, and ruled for some time on his behalf, later she was able to crown herself. Probably offended and removed from the throne, the prince came to the conclusion that the system of governance of the conquered provinces that existed before him was incorrect and needed to be changed. He gathers an army, recruits new regiments and goes to the east. By the end of Hatshepsut's reign, the states of Canaan restored their economy and army, destroyed by Thutmose I. Raya, the prince of Kadesh, stood out among the mass of petty local rulers. He rebelled and drove the Egyptians out of his city. After that, he lured the local princes over to his side one by one. He did not unite them into a single state, he gathered an alliance against Egypt, which was supposed to disintegrate immediately after the victory. He was supported by almost all the rulers of Canaan and Syria, and the war was supported by the entire population, since it was a war of independence. In some Egyptian papyri there are references to the fact that in the army of Raya there were not only men, but also women. In terms of numbers, it was approximately equal to the army of Thutmose (about 15-20 thousand), therefore the only superiority of the Egyptians was that Thutmose carried out a unified leadership in their army and any of his decisions was the law, but there was no unified leadership in the army of the allies. Formally, Raya was considered the leader, but his decisions could be challenged by the princes, and besides, unlike Thutmose, he did not have a special military talent. Here is a description of this campaign on one of the papyri of those times: “Both troops moved towards each other. The Egyptian army in the first month of the Shemu (winter) season reached the city of Ichem (near the western Carmel Range in Palestine). The pharaoh convened a council of war and announced that the enemy from Kadesh settled in Megiddo, gathering around him the rulers of all the countries that were previously subject to Egypt, starting with Mitannia, and said: “I oppose (His Majesty) in Megiddo. Tell me what you think about it?" The Council suspected a trap. The road from Ichem to Megiddo narrows sharply. You will have to follow it in a column one at a time, man by man, horse by horse. The vanguard will enter the battle when the rearguard is still very far away. It is better to take a detour, so that all the troops arrive at once in Megiddo. Pharaoh rejected this plan and ordered to go along the mountain road. ..” The troops passed the mountains quite calmly and lined up on the battlefield. The coalition troops did not expect that the Egyptians would dare to go through the mountains and not only did not set up ambushes, but also did not send detachments to observe the mountain path. The appearance of the Egyptians on the plain near Megiddo was a complete surprise for the command of the Syrian-Palestinian army. The Kadeshians and their allies managed to build an army for battle, but the formation was not thought out in advance and many mistakes were made, not enough reserves were allocated, and retreat routes were not thought out. The unexpected attack of the Egyptians from the mountains not only nullified the strategic superiority of the allies, but also put them in a disadvantageous position: their army was completely unprepared for battle. The Egyptian chariots, followed by the infantry, attacked and inflicted a heavy defeat on their opponents. The enemy fled to Megiddo in complete disarray, the inhabitants dragged warriors to the walls on ropes, the gates were wide open. The Egyptian army could, pursuing the vanquished, break into the city and capture almost the entire army and its leaders remaining after the battle, but the Egyptian soldiers rushed to rob the enemy camp on the plain in front of the city, rip off gold jewelry from chariots, examine corpses in search of expensive weapons or jewelry. . The soldiers did not obey the orders of the generals and missed the favorable moment to take the fortress. After that, the Egyptians stood near Megiddo for a long time and took it only by starvation, and the main instigator of the uprising, Raya, managed to slip away. The reasons for this behavior of the army are not clear, probably in the reign of Hatshepsut the troops did not receive a large salary and were fascinated by the sight of gold, although it is more likely that Thutmose's troops contained a lot of young recruits from peasants and artisans who had never seen such riches and even under the threat of serious punishment started to rob. The losses of the Egyptians were not very large, no more than one or two thousand people, but a complete victory over the rebels was not achieved. Raya, defeated, but not defeated, incited the princes to new uprisings, won the support of the Mitanni Empire, which entered the war with Egypt, and almost all of his reign, the pharaoh pacified the rebels. 1 In total, for the entire time of his sole reign (1468-1436 BC), Thutmose made seventeen campaigns, for which he conquered vast territories in the east and south for his state, defeated the strong state of the Mitannians, which actually ceased to exist . The influence of Egypt was then so great that even the inhabitants of Cyprus paid him tribute. The last few years of his reign were completely peaceful. Thutmose introduced new system administration of the conquered territories. Previously, they were ruled by local princes, whose power was inherited. From the time of Thutmose, young heirs were taken to Egypt, where they were brought up at court, they were given an excellent education, they tried to instill a love for Egypt. Then they were sent to their homeland and put on the throne. Brought up in Egypt and looking at the Egyptians not as conquerors, but as a friendly people, and at the pharaoh as a ruler, they raised uprisings much less often. Subsequently, they themselves sent their children to Egypt, their example was followed by their dignitaries. Thutmose greatly strengthened discipline in the army, the instigators of the "plunder near Megiddo" were publicly executed before the army, new commanders came, some of whom were not of noble birth, for example Amenemheb, an outstanding commander of that time. In his tomb there is his biography, from which it can be understood that he reached the highest positions in the army due to his military talent, military prowess and friendship with the pharaoh in his youth. During the reigns of Thutmose's successors, the Egyptian kingdom consolidated its influence by brutally suppressing rare uprisings and conducting successful diplomacy. So his son Amenhotep II brought one hundred thousand prisoners from one campaign to Syria. In the reign of Amenhotep III, Egypt reached its highest power, but in military system A crisis was brewing for the state: due to frequent recruitment, the stratum of free peasants and artisans, who supplied the bulk of the soldiers to the army, gradually went bankrupt. The wars weakened the living forces of the Egyptian people, and Egypt could no longer send an army on a campaign almost every year, from which not all soldiers returned. Amenhotep III pursued a peaceful foreign policy, maintaining the authority of his country through diplomacy and gold rather than military force. The decline of Egypt's military power, revealed under Amenhotep III, became even more noticeable under his successor Amenhotep IV: At this time, Egypt no longer had sufficient military forces to defend its possessions in the east. In this regard, the Hittites moved further and further into Syria. An alliance of Syrian princes was formed there, supported by the Hittites. The cities subject to Egypt write numerous letters asking for help, but do not even receive a response. For example, the elder of the city of Tunip in eloquent words turns to the pharaoh, asking him to help him defend his city from Aziru, who separated from Egypt. He reminds the Egyptian king that under Thutmose III, no one dared to attack Tunip, since everyone was afraid of the Egyptian army, and now Tunip is constantly fighting off enemies. If the pharaoh's warriors and chariots arrive too late, Aziru will take over the city. "And then," Elder Tunipa threatens, "the pharaoh will have to grieve." For twenty years they wrote letters to the pharaoh and received no answer. With such prayers, the rulers of other cities turned to Egypt, in particular Tyre, Byblos. They all asked for Egyptian auxiliaries, as well as supplies for them and for the inhabitants of the besieged cities. The situation was exacerbated by the social struggle in cities. So, Rib-Adi, Prince Byblos asks the Egyptian governor in Syria to send troops as soon as possible, since he is afraid of the peasants, he expresses a clear fear that they will not kill him. But Egyptian pharaohs forced because of the ruin of the laboring masses of the peasant population in the first place, had to abandon the militant policy of their predecessors and could not heed these pleas 1 . After the death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1347-1337 BC), his widow, Queen Ankhesenpaamun promised to marry the son of the Hittite emperor Suppiluliuma and make him pharaoh. Suppiluliuma sends his eldest son to Egypt, but there the plot was discovered, and the prince, sent to Egypt, was killed. The former regent under the juvenile Tutankhamen, courtier Eie, came to power, who, with the support of the nobility, forced Ankhesenpaamon to marry him and became a full-fledged pharaoh. At this time, Suppiluliuma, angry at the death of his son, attacks the Egyptian provinces in Canaan and Syria. Eie, who overestimated his strength, tried to repel the attack on the provinces and was defeated. The main reasons for the defeat were technical backwardness and a small army compared to the Hittites, so Egypt lost almost all of its provinces in the east, retaining only one Sinai. Under Pharaoh Horemheb (1333-1305 BC), reforms were carried out and Egypt resumed its warlike policy. Horemheb was a good commander and he managed to win back Canaan from the Hittites. After his death, the professional warrior Ramses I (1305-1303 BC) comes to power, who founded a new, nineteenth dynasty, who completes the reorganization of the army in order to strengthen it (see below). He and his successor Seti I (1303-1289 BC) returned southern Syria to Egypt. The wars of that time were very frequent, since they were not fought on the territories of the Hittite Empire proper and Egypt, but on the disputed territories of Syria and Phenicia, so the economies of the countries did not suffer from these wars and the rulers had the opportunity to recruit troops in large enough numbers for battles. Seti several long and successful military campaigns against the Hittites, but as soon as he returned to his capital, they again began to occupy part of the Egyptian lands. Seti I also founded new cities in the border area, which were settled by the Egyptians and which contained large garrisons 1 .

Military campaigns of Ramses II.

After the death of Seti, his son Ramses II (1289-1224 BC) comes to the throne, whom he crowned during his lifetime. Having ascended the throne at the age of twenty-five, Ramses decides to start military operations in Syria and Palestine. He is eager to take away from the Hittites the territories they seized from his predecessors and to reach the same frontiers as Thutmose III had two hundred years before him. By 1285, he again subjugates the state of Amurru, located on the Syrian coast. Returning to the new capital, Per-Ramses, built on his orders, located much north of the old capital, Waset (gr. - Thebes), he is preparing a second campaign to capture the fortress city of Kadesh, an active ally of the Hittites. Kadesh was located in the valley of the Orontes River and occupied an extremely advantageous position, here the path passed between Syria and Palestine on the one hand, between the Euphrates and mediterranean sea with another. To the one who owned it, the city provided power not only over Amurru, but over all of Syria. In the spring of 1284, Ramses left the capital at the head of an army consisting of four detachments numbering five thousand people each and bearing the names of the gods: Amon, Ra, Ptah and Set. First, the army advanced along the Mediterranean coast, and then turned east towards Lake Tiberias. Advancing north through the Beqaa valley, the Egyptians, after an uninterrupted march of thirty days, reached a valley from which Kadesh was visible. The advance detachments of the naarins (mercenaries from among the "peoples of the sea"), the guards and the detachment of Amon, led by the pharaoh himself, were the first to approach the walls of the fortress. At this time, the detachment of Ra crossed the Orontes to connect with the pharaoh. The detachments of Ptah and Set were still far from the city. Near Kadesh, two Babylonians came out to the pharaoh and told him that King Muwattallis was two hundred kilometers to the north with his army. Ramses ordered his troops to set up camp to the northwest of the fortress and decided to immediately begin the siege. Soon, two Hittite spies were captured near the camp, who reported that the enemy troops in the amount of 37,500 infantry and 3,500 chariots were within attacking range. It was the most powerful army that ever existed in the Middle East: 18 vassal states put up their troops along with the Hittite army. The pharaoh realizes that his opponent will take advantage of the surprise effect and that an attack is imminent; but he is not ready for a retaliatory strike, as his army is hopelessly scattered. The pharaoh urgently sends out messages in which he informs his troops about the current situation and asks them to speed up their arrival at the battlefield. At this time, 2,500 Hittite chariots fell upon the detachment of Ra, whose warriors were unaware of anything, crossing the Orontes. Thousands of Egyptian soldiers died before they could take up arms. Those who managed to escape flee in the direction of the pharaoh's camp, sowing panic in the ranks of Amon's detachment. The Hittite chariots rush into the camp, sending the warriors of Amun's detachment to flight. Ramses with the guards is trying to resist. A robbery begins in the camp; the Hittites, confident of victory, share the trophies. At this time, the Naarin corps, located away from the camp, attacked the Hittites from the rear. This inspired the warriors of Amon, who stopped their flight and joined the battle. Despite the reinforcements sent by Muwattalis, the Hittites are pressed towards the Orontes. As a result, Ramses' army escaped defeat but suffered heavy losses. The next day, the battle resumes, thanks to the support of two corps that came up later 1 . In the end, the Hittites and their allies were defeated, but at the cost of huge losses. The Hittite emperor sent ambassadors to Ramses offering peace. A peace treaty was signed in 1278, according to which Egypt renounced Kadesh and Amurru; a permanent border was established between states; a defensive offensive alliance was concluded and a treaty of mutual assistance was signed. This was the last war between Egypt and the Hittite Empire, peace in Palestine and Syria lasted for about a hundred years after that, broken only by the arrival of the "peoples of the sea 2".

Conquest of Numibia.

At that time, Nubia lay south of Egypt. Its population was made up of dark-skinned tribes, in terms of development, significantly lagging behind the Egyptians. The main wealth of the region was various rare species of trees (for example, ebony, which did not grow in Egypt, but was used in the manufacture of furniture and luxury goods), incense and various riches of wildlife: ivory for luxury goods, panther skins for priestly robes, ostrich feathers for decorating chariots and headdresses. Also in the desert there were rich gold deposits that attracted the Egyptian pharaohs. The first trips to Nubia were already in the pre-dynastic periods, but the Egyptians did not attempt to conquer Nubia, the invasions were made only for the purpose of plundering and stealing slaves. The Nubian tribes could not resist the Egyptian army because of their technical backwardness and scarcity. During the period of the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians began to gradually conquer Nubia through frequent military campaigns. So from one such campaign, Pharaoh Snefru drove 70,000 prisoners to Egypt (this is not so much compared to the numbers showing the number of prisoners captured by the pharaohs of the Early Kingdom during the suppression of frequent uprisings in Lower Egypt. One of the kings of the first dynasty boasted that he had driven 120,000 prisoners , and the king of the second dynasty, Horus-Khasekhem, at the foot of two of his statues depicted the corpses of rebels from Lower Egypt indicating their number: on one statue - 48205, on the other - 47209). During the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians gradually conquered Nubia to the second threshold of the Nile and built many fortresses on the new border, the largest of which was Buhen, which became a stronghold for trade with the Nubians and the inhabitants of continental Africa. On the walls of the tomb of one of the commanders of the pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty there is a description of a campaign in Nubia, from which it can be assumed that the invasions were in the nature of easy military walks. The Egyptians surrounded the villages and exterminated in an unequal battle men dressed in the skin of panthers and armed with a wooden shield and a large cleaver or spear with a flint tip, sometimes there were also bows. Although at first the Egyptians met with serious resistance to their attempts to conquer Nubia, they quickly learned how to maintain peace in the conquered lands. At the same time, the Nubians adopted many features of Egyptian culture, religion, language, writing, and architecture. Under the influence of Egypt, a class society developed in Nubia and prerequisites for the unification of tribes into one state. The Nubian administration was organized along the Egyptian lines. It was headed by a governor who bore the title "Royal son of Kush" (Kush is the Egyptian name for Nubia). The country was divided into districts, governed by local officials. Thanks to such a control system, uprisings in Nubia were quite rare and the Egyptians almost did not pacify the population of the conquered lands, but were engaged in the seizure of new territories. Subsequently, the Egyptians lost control of Nubia in the first and second transitional periods, but with the advent of the New Kingdom, the Egyptian army not only returned the previously conquered lands, but also brought the borders to the fourth threshold. In the reign of Thutmose III, the Egyptians even reached the fifth threshold, marking the maximum expansion of Egypt to the south. The Nubians adopted the culture of the Egyptians and became quite loyal subjects. Libyans lived to the west of the Nile Valley. Their skin color was lighter than that of the Egyptians. Judging by some data, the area of ​​​​settlement of the Libyans extended up to Atlantic Ocean. They were tribes of hunters, nomadic pastoralists and primitive farmers; their living conditions in the dry steppes were unfavorable. Only in the coastal valleys of the northwestern part of Africa are conditions more suitable for agriculture, but even here it could not yet develop during the Eneolithic. class society arose among these tribes much later than among their neighbors in the Nile Valley. You can also learn about the first wars with the Libyans from various chronicles of the times of the Old Kingdom, but they were of a local nature. During the First Intermediate Period in Egypt, crop failure and famine forced the Libyans to occupy the fertile lands of the delta and even gain a foothold there for some time. However, they were soon driven back, and after the unification of Egypt, they completely lost the opportunity to raid, since the Egyptian pharaohs were building a whole network of fortresses on the border with Libya. After that, systematic predatory campaigns of the Egyptian army began in Libya with the aim of robbing and stealing slaves. Resistance was insignificant due to the poor development of the tribes, especially in military affairs. The Libyan warrior was armed with a bow (not composite, but made of one tree), arrows with flint tips and a battle ax, more often also made of flint. The Libyans apparently did not have protective equipment, and the soldiers went into battle in loincloths or capes made of animal skins. During the period of the New Kingdom, robberies continued, but under Thutmose I, the Egyptians completely captured Libya and began to collect tribute. Rare uprisings were brutally suppressed and until the end of the New Kingdom, the Libyans were tributaries of Egypt. However, during the time of Ramses III, taking advantage of the invasion of the "peoples of the sea", they tried to capture part of Egypt. Their army was defeated by the army of the pharaoh in battle and the Libyans again became tributaries of Egypt 1 . Invasion and defeat of Egypt Almost throughout the history of Egypt until the end of the New Kingdom, there were almost no invasions in Egypt proper (the Nile Valley). Many attempts ended with the capture of part of the Egyptian provinces, which were then reconquered. The victory over the Egyptian army did not mean victory over the whole country, Egypt had a very large amount of resources and could equip quite impressive forces to defend the country. However, during periods of unrest, the so-called transitional periods, the country could no longer oppose a strong army to an external enemy. The economy during these periods was in a severe decline, constant internecine wars greatly reduced the army. During the First Intermediate Period, the only invasion was an attempt by the Libyans to settle in the fertile lands of the delta, but they did not pose too serious a threat to the country and were soon driven back by detachments of the nomarchs of the delta regions and middle Egypt. At the turn of the XVIII-XVII centuries. BC. The XIII and XIV dynasties that ruled simultaneously in both parts of Egypt were swept away from the throne by the Asian tribes of the Hyksos who invaded the country. The heterogeneous hordes of newcomers for the most part consisted of West Semitic, that is, Amorite and Canaanite (at that time Canaan was out of control of Egypt) tribes. These were armed cattle-breeding detachments, to which individual non-Semitic groups also joined. By at least the names of some leaders who invaded Egypt are similar in sound to the "proto-Tigrid". The invasion went through the eastern delta and, most likely, was not a decisive onslaught. Rather, the actions of the Hyksos can be characterized as a gradual penetration, to which the pharaohs of the ruling dynasties could not organize opposition. Over time, the Hyksos kings act as pharaohs, taking all their titles. Aliens, having established themselves in the country, declare themselves admirers Egyptian gods and are trying in every possible way to win the trust of the people. The Hyksos who settled in the lower reaches of the Nile ruled Egypt for at least 108 years. To a certain extent, the newcomers kept in touch with the original areas of their habitat. At least at this time, the number of finds of Egyptian origin in Palestine sharply increases, the nature of many of them indicates not so much trade as state relations. Their capital was the city of Avaris in the delta, but they failed to achieve a lasting unification of the occupied lands, their dominion extended only to the middle reaches of the Nile, and Egyptian dynasties ruled in Thebes and neighboring regions, who, having strengthened the economy and reorganized the army, subsequently expelled the invaders from the country . The military defeats of the Egyptians in clashes with warlike newcomers at first look natural. The endless alternation of pharaohs on the throne and the lack of strong unity in the country greatly weakened the Egyptian army, and when meeting with a serious enemy, she could not resist. Troubled times they did not allow to fully train the troops, and the armament of the pastoral tribes that invaded the Nile Valley was an order of magnitude better than that of the defending side. It was the Hyksos who first introduced wheeled vehicles (and in military affairs, these are, first of all, chariots), they also showed an example of the widespread use of horses in battles. The lessons of the first defeats taught the Egyptians a lot. Horse breeding began to be actively developed in the Nile Valley, and the first Egyptian chariots were soon built. The chances are gradually beginning to level out, because the Egyptians actively adopted advanced methods of warfare from their opponent, and the Hyksos lost strength in civil strife. In the end, Pharaoh Kamose and, after he died in battle, his successor Ahmose in 1555-1552. BC. finally expelled the Hyksos from the country. By 1200 B.C. a terrible drought, followed by a terrible famine, leads to the migration of the Indo-European tribes of the Aegean islands to the southern coast of Asia Minor. Having destroyed and bled the Hittite Empire (which then ceased to exist), Cilicia, Cyprus, Crete, Greece and Palestine, those whom the Egyptians called "peoples of the sea" approached the borders of Egypt. Numerous tribes joined them, attracted by the wealth of neighboring countries. In 1177, they captured the state of Amurru and temporarily set up their camp here. Then they cross the border of the former Hittite Empire with Egypt and stumble upon the stubborn resistance of the Egyptian fortresses. At the same time, enemy ships are heading towards the Nile Delta. Ramses III, who ruled at that time in Egypt, being aware of the complexity of the situation, immediately begins to prepare for a rebuff. In order to strengthen the border between Egypt and Palestine, he sends part of the army there under the leadership of one of his sons, and in order to prevent the enemy from the sea, he builds a defensive line of ships along the Mediterranean coast of the country. Then he gathers in his capital, Per-Ramses, members of the government and his general staff in order to determine the battle plan and give appropriate orders. An urgent mobilization is being carried out, according to some sources, every adult Egyptian must join the army of the pharaoh (not a warrior, but an army servant, a porter). When the pharaoh's army (approximately 30-40 thousand) reached the hilly region in Israel between the cities of Gezer and Lachish, the scouts discovered a column of the army of the "peoples of the sea." Chariots with warriors rode in front, followed by a detachment of infantry, and at the end of the column in carts pulled by oxen, women and children rode. Taking advantage of their advantage, the Egyptians attacked the enemy from the rear and surrounded him. Seeing the futility of resistance, many surrender, the rest were killed by the victors. The remnants of the land army of the "peoples of the sea" retreated from the borders of Egypt in disarray. However, the danger from the sea remained. The invaders, concentrating on ships, seek to land on the coast of Palestine near the city of Gaza. Pharaoh reacts immediately. While the enemy was making maneuvers to land the soldiers on the shore, the Egyptian ships went on the attack. They surround the landed and bombard them with arrows, while the Egyptian army attacked from the land. Almost all the ships of the "peoples of the sea" that stood off the coast were badly damaged by the Egyptians, and those that managed to join the battle because of their small numbers were quickly either sunk or captured by the Egyptians. On the shore at this time the battle was also coming to an end. The Egyptian archers, having taken up good positions, under the cover of infantry, destroyed the still resisting enemies, but the battle was already won. Thus, the Egyptians repulsed the onslaught of the "peoples of the sea", which had already crushed many states. The victory was mainly achieved due to skillful command, successful interaction between the army and navy, and also because of the mediocrity of the enemy commanders and their lack of a single leader. However, this victory was achieved after a huge overstrain of forces, and after the economic and political crisis, a clear decline began in the country, ending with the fall of the New Kingdom and, a century later, Egypt 1 .

The structure and organization of the army in various periods of the development of the Ancient Egyptian state.

In the era of the Old Kingdom, the Egyptian army consisted of the bodyguards of the pharaoh and a small army of professional warriors to maintain order, as well as acting as a kind of police. Ordinary Egyptians were recruited into the army during times of war and lacked military skills, so victories were achieved by numbers. The end of the Old Kingdom was accompanied by a strong strengthening of the nomarchs, who got themselves impressive detachments of bodyguards and even recruited regiments of professional warriors. After the fall of the VI dynasty, civil strife began between the nomarchs, and they began to quickly increase the number of their troops. At this time, the number of tombs sharply increased, whose owners in their "life" written on the walls, considered themselves warriors. These tombs are getting richer and bigger, and by the unification of the country they are already impressive in size. In the era of the middle kingdom, the pharaoh detachments of nomarchs merged into a single army under the command of the pharaoh and engaged in conquest campaigns. However, nothing else has changed in the army, and it practically did not develop technically. This was one of the reasons for the conquest of the country by the Hyksos. The need to expel the invaders, as well as the desire to make Egypt a great power, required a radical reorganization of the army. Horses and war chariots appeared in the army, adopted from the Hyksos and put into mass production in the pharaoh's weapons workshops. This allowed the Egyptians to create a huge number of chariots. The size of the army also increases sharply. There was now a recruiting quota of ten to one hundred young men capable of bearing arms, but the army usually had many volunteers. The army was quartered in barracks near the pharaoh's palace, but some detachments remained on the borders and served as internal troops to suppress popular unrest, and also participated in large construction projects. The Egyptian army consisted of several units of five thousand soldiers each (four thousand infantry and a thousand chariots). The charioteers were an elite force made up of wealthy Egyptians, which was explained by the high cost of horses and chariots, as well as the cost of training. The compounds were given the names of various gods. It was believed that the detachment enjoys the special patronage of the god, whose name it bears. There were detachments of Amon, Ra and Set. Ramses I brought in a detachment of Ptah. Formations of four thousand infantry soldiers were divided into twenty divisions of two hundred warriors, each division was divided into four detachments of fifty warriors. On the battlefield, each god's troop was usually lined up with the most experienced and brave warriors in the front ranks, and the less experienced fighters in the back ranks and reserve. Ahead of the infantrymen, war chariots went into battle. A special detachment was the guard of the pharaoh, his personal guard, which at first consisted of the Egyptians, but later the pharaohs, fearing conspiracies for this purpose, began to hire foreigners, most often Libyans, who received generous pay. Captured soldiers from the troops conquered by Egypt of the desert tribes of the west and the Mediterranean were recruited into the army and united in separate detachments. Sherdans, Naarins and Libyans were especially valued. The Nubians were also recruited into the army, used as scouts and light infantry. The most difficult thing for the Egyptians was the capture of fortresses. During the first campaigns under the New Kingdom, the Egyptians spent a lot of time on the siege, because they did not have to take them by storm, and only during the time of Ramses II did they fully master the art of siege. The army had rams and palisades at its disposal for shelter from arrows. The Egyptians achieved such perfection in taking fortresses that they spent an average of 1 week on the siege of each fortress.

Armament of the army.

Egyptian warriors used a variety of weapons in battle, including battle axes, maces, spears, swords, daggers, and bows. At the same time, each unit usually specialized in the use of a single weapon. Knives and daggers did not play a special role in the battle and were not issued to the soldiers by the arsenal of the pharaoh, the soldiers bought them themselves. Egyptian daggers were usually bronze, with a straight double-edged blade, sometimes shaped like an eggplant. The handles were made of metal (daggers with a wooden handle can be seen in the early paintings), they were richly decorated and had a bizarre shape. For example, the hilt of one of these daggers ends with the head of a falcon, the other with the head of a girl with long hair. The blades of daggers are found both rhombic in shape and straight, similar to modern double-edged kitchen knives. They were worn both behind a belt and in a sheath made of leather and metal. Egyptian soldiers did not use knives in battle, but on the campaign they cooked food with their help and performed many other things. The blades were straight, but their end was bent upwards, the handles were not decorated as richly as those of daggers. The Egyptians did not have straight double-edged swords, such as in Greece, Persia or Assyria. Apparently, this is due to the fact that bronze, the main material for Egyptian weapons - the metal is too soft and straight swords made from it bent at the first strong blow and could not even penetrate leather armor. Therefore, the Egyptians preferred battle axes, spears and axes to swords, although several Egyptian examples of single-edged bladed weapons were found that resembled Arab curved swords of a later period. Axes and battle axes were the favored weapons of the Egyptian infantry. Mounted on a wooden pole, they were made of bronze. The shape of some Egyptian axes resembled the shape of archery poles. Almost every Egyptian foot soldier had a battle ax, they were used for close combat, in which spears and axes are practically useless. Most of the axes were with one blade and made of bronze, but there were also flint and copper axes. Another popular melee weapon among warriors was the mace. Before the era of the New Kingdom, the mace was a handle with a heavy tip, the blow of which could crush the skull. The shapes and sizes of the tips were very diverse. Usually it was a stone or copper ball. Covered with relief or without it, but the tips of some ceremonial maces were made in the form of a lotus flower, a canopic vessel (a vessel with a lid made in the form of one of the four sons of Horus, in which the entrails of the deceased were placed after mummification) and many others, as in mace the main role was played by weight, not shape. In the era of the New Kingdom, a rope began to be attached to the handle, and the warrior could unwind the mace and bring confusion to the ranks of the enemies. Bronze tips also appear. In Egypt, another very interesting weapon was known - a boomerang. Most often they were used for hunting, but sometimes they were used in combat. Boomerangs were roughly similar to the weapons of the Australian aborigines and were made of wood, but they did not receive much distribution. Spears and darts (throwing spears) were extremely important. The shafts were wooden, the tips were copper and bronze, flint and bone were rare. Each infantryman had a long-range spear, and the army had lightly armed javelin throwers (mostly Nubians). Archers were also an important part of the army, although they were mainly used by chariot fighters. The string was made from bull sinews, the bow itself was originally made from one type of wood, but later more powerful compound bows made from several types of wood appeared. Arrows made of wood and reed were equipped with copper or bone tips of various shapes, in later periods bronze began to be used for this. Protective armor consisted of leather strips. Sometimes additional metal plates were used. During the period of the new kingdom, scaly shells made of bronze plates were introduced into the army. Along with them there were many lamellar bronze shells. On the Egyptian paintings of the times of the new kingdom, bronze greaves can be seen on the feet of warriors, and leather or bronze helmets on their heads. Shields were made of ox skin stretched over a wooden frame, but bronze shields appear in later periods. The Egyptians often did not have enough metal for weapons, since there was no tin for smelting bronze in Egypt and they had to buy it. The Egyptians mined copper in the Sinai Peninsula, and the timber was exported from Syria and Palestine. In general, the Egyptian army was well armed 1 .

The position of the soldiers.

The position of the soldiers was very favorable. Service in the army made it possible to make a good career, so there were always many volunteers in the army. Young men who had reached the age of sixteen and wished to serve in the army were enlisted in the regiments, where they underwent serious science, which included forced marches over long distances, training in weapons, and work on large construction sites. During the war, soldiers were given weapons from the state arsenal. Food for soldiers in peacetime was plentiful. They were given enough meat, bread, vegetables and beer. During the fighting, food carts could lag behind the army, and then the troops ate what was taken from the local population. The warriors were accompanied by donkeys who carried their luggage (weapons, food, water, etc.). Support staff were also present. It included messengers, doctors, priests, gunsmiths, cooks, scouts, who preliminarily inspect the lands where the army was sent, as well as grooms (grooms) to supervise the animals. The scribes organized the supply of everything necessary for the army and payment, and also kept a journal of military operations. During long stops during hostilities, the army set up camp. A protective fence was erected around the camp, on top of which shields were installed, inside the camp there were rows of tents for several soldiers each. In the very center was the sanctuary of Amon, where everyone could pray. All the booty captured by the soldiers was taken from them, and after the end of the campaign it was divided. Each warrior was entitled to a part of the booty, and in the event of a successful end to the campaign, he could receive an impressive amount. The profession of a warrior during the period of the new kingdom became so popular that even the students of scribes ran away to serve in the army. Army veterans were also not ignored, they were given land plots in Egypt or Northern Nubia. In general, in Egypt, the soldiers were in a very good position and honestly served their country 1 .

Officer position.

The officers in the ancient Egyptian army were mostly of noble origin, but there were those who took leading positions in the army, starting service as a private. These officers advanced either through their own prowess or through friendship with the pharaoh. Oddly enough, such examples were not very rare. For example, the head of the personal guard of Pharaoh Ramses II, came from an average city family, and was friends with the future pharaoh when he was not yet the heir, which he immortalized in his biography in his tomb. As a boy, his father sent the future infantry commander to the barracks, where he underwent the most difficult training, he and his peers were taught battle tactics by old honored military leaders, he learned to command and make instant decisions. Thanks to this, the Egyptians had an educated officer corps on which the pharaoh could rely in any war. The field life of an officer was not too difficult. In the wagon train they carried furniture, wine, incense and ointments. Some of their tents had several rooms. From this we can conclude that mediocrity was not kept in the Egyptian army.

Conclusion.

So, based on the above, we can draw the following conclusions: The Egyptian army throughout Egyptian history was constantly changing and reforming During the Old Kingdom, Nubia was conquered up to the second threshold of the Nile During the Middle Kingdom, the Egyptians reached the third threshold of the Nile and conquered Canaan to the city of Byblos · During the New Kingdom, the Egyptians conquered Syria, crossed the Euphrates and captured the city of Carchemish, and in Nubia reached the fifth threshold. Captured Libya and Cyprus Egypt reached its greatest expansion under Pharaoh Thutmose III During the Second Intermediate Period, Egypt was captured by the Hyksos for a hundred years The most famous attacks on Egypt were the attacks of the Hittite armies at Suppilulum and Muvattallis and the peoples of the sea, which were stopped respectively by Horemheb, Ramses II and Ramses III On the organization of the army:· The army of the Ancient and Middle Kingdoms consisted mainly of Egyptians · The army of the New Kingdom employed a large number of mercenaries from among the peoples that were part of the Egyptian empire or recognized themselves as dependent on it. These were the Nubians, Libyans, Sherdans, Naarins, etc. The army before the New Kingdom consisted of a detachment of the pharaoh's bodyguards and militia, recruited in case of war During the New Kingdom, horse-drawn chariots appeared, but infantry remained the predominant type of troops All infantry was divided into three (after the reform of Ramses I - four) detachments of five thousand people Detachments bore the names of the gods: Amun, Ra, Seth and Ptah Recruitment was introduced in the army of the New Kingdom: ten people for a hundred young men capable of holding weapons not very bad The soldiers were entitled to part of the booty captured during the campaigns The officers were very well trained The bulk of the weapons were made of bronze, but there were also copper and flint weapons The favorite weapons of the infantry were battle axes and axes, there were maces · Warriors had protective armor, helmets and shields · The size of the army during the New Kingdom ranged from ten to twenty thousand.

Bibliography:

Avdiev V. I. "History of the Ancient East" third edition, revised. ed. "Higher School", Moscow 1970

Jacques K. "Ramses" ed. "Phoenix" Rostov-on-Don 1997

Smooth V.D. "Ancient world" encyclopedic Dictionary in two volumes ed. "Fatherland" Donetsk 1997

Chisholm D., Millard E. "Early Civilizations" ed. "Rosmen" Moscow 1994 Rak I.V. "Legends and myths of Ancient Egypt" third edition, corrected and supplemented, ed.. "University book" St. Petersburg 1997.

Voskoboynikov M.V. "Ancient East" ed. "Respex" St. Petersburg 1998

McGraw E. "Queen Hatshepsut" ed. "EKSMO-Press" Moscow 1999

Lanery-Dagen N. "Great Battles" ed. "Belfax" Minsk 2000

Grant N. "Ancient Egyptians" publishing house "Timoshka" St. Petersburg 1998

Turaev A. « Ancient Egypt”, St. Petersburg, 1993

1 McGraw, E. Queen Hatshepsut, ed. "EKSMO-Press" Moscow 1999

2 Avdiev V. I. "History of the Ancient East" third edition, revised. ed. "Higher School", Moscow 1970

1 Avdiev V. I. "History of the Ancient East" third edition, revised. ed. "High School", Moscow 1970

1 Rak I.V. "Legends and myths of Ancient Egypt" third edition, corrected and supplemented, ed.. "University book" St. Petersburg 1997.

1 Gladky V.D. "Ancient World" encyclopedic dictionary in two volumes ed. "Fatherland" Donetsk 1997

2 Voskoboynikov M.V. "Ancient East" ed. "Respex" St. Petersburg 1998

1 McGraw, E. Queen Hatshepsut, ed. "EKSMO-Press" Moscow 1999

1 Laneri-Dagen, N. Great Battles, ed. "Belfax" Minsk 2000

1 Jacques K. "Ramses" ed. "Phoenix" Rostov-on-Don 1997

1 Chisholm, D., Millard, E. Early Civilizations, ed. "Rosmen" Moscow 1994

The power of Ancient Egypt lies in a developed and numerous army, participation in many wars and the conquest of various territories. Repeatedly, the territory of Ancient Egypt was attacked by enemies, and there were uprisings and internecine wars within the state itself.

All this required the formation of a powerful and well-trained army. We must not forget that the Egyptians themselves sought to conquer as many foreign territories as possible and expand the borders of their state. The pharaohs needed to strengthen not only external power, but also their own internal power in order to prevent popular uprisings.

The mighty army of ancient Egypt

In the army created in ancient Egypt, there were units that fought with one or two types of weapons. The foot soldiers had spears, bows, wooden shields, axes, maces and javelins. Their body was covered with leather strips, which were fastened with bronze plates.

Before participating in battles and wars, the Egyptians went through a harsh school that strengthened them as warriors and tempered them in every possible way.

The time of the greatest power of Egypt is associated with the liberation of the territory from all foreigners, and it was during this period that the horse appeared in Egypt.

Thanks to this, the army was created special units who fought on chariots. The very design of the chariot was light, it contained a warrior and a charioteer.

The pharaohs had bodyguards, but most often they were mercenaries from Nubia. The pharaohs led the army in battle or war. Being in a chariot, they went ahead of the troops, and other chariots followed them.

A foot army lined up behind the chariots, in front of which only the most experienced warriors spoke. Over time, the Egyptians learned to storm fortresses with ladders, and they fortified their own camps with a fence and solid embankments.

Conquests of the Ancient Egyptians

The Egyptians conquered the country of Nubia - a territory where valuable gold mines were located. The pharaohs of the New Kingdom managed to subjugate the Libyans to the power of Egypt, and together with their troops they would advance deep into Asia.

In the first quarter of the 13th century BC. The troops of Pharaoh Ramses II were at war with the kingdom of the Hittites. The troops of powerful states met in a great battle near the city of Kadesh, from each enemy there were more than 20 thousand soldiers.

The battle was heavy and destructive, Ramses II was almost taken prisoner. But later he considered that he had won, and it turned out that the Hittite king also counted.

Twenty years later, a peace treaty was signed between these states, the significance of which is of great strength. After all, historians believe that this is the first international peace treaty that has come down to us.

During this period, which is commonly called the New Kingdom, Ancient Egypt turned into a great military power, the power of which amazed and delighted other states.

Many slaves and valuable items appeared in the kingdom, the Egyptians collected tribute from the peoples that they managed to conquer. It was gold, precious stones, copper, fabrics, grain and cattle.

The Power of Ancient Egyptian Culture

We can learn about the power of Ancient Egypt thanks to the writing that the Egyptian sages left, as well as the ancient Egyptian pyramids. Five thousand years ago, they invented hieroglyphs, which were designated as sacred signs. With them they painted not only stones, but also papyrus.

The books of the ancient Egyptians were considered to be scrolls on which the wise men wrote down a lot of important information about the customs, religion and history of Ancient Egypt.

It has come to us" book of the dead”, which tells about the power of the gods and the afterlife. On the scrolls, images of the starry sky, maps, mathematical knowledge and the achievements of Egyptian medicine were found.

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Target:
To form an idea among students about the structure of the Egyptian army, the conquests of the pharaohs and the size of the ancient Egyptian state.
Tasks:
1. Jointly formulate the topic of the lesson and draw up its plan;
2. Jointly study the issue of "Composition and armament of the troops";
3. Jointly study the issue of "Campaigns of the pharaohs";
4. Jointly perform a schematic drawing of "Ancient Egypt";
5. Jointly generalize knowledge, summarize the results of the lesson.
Used fonts:
Normal: The teacher's text spoken in class.
Italics: author's comments on the text and student responses.
Underlined: material intended for student writing.

During the classes

Motivational-target stage
Guys! We continue to study big topic"Ancient Egypt". In the last lesson, we got acquainted with the location and natural conditions Egypt, they learned when a state arose in the Nile Valley, and what was its structure. In addition, we examined the lifestyle and position of various groups of ancient Egyptian society. Let's remember what social groups have we already met?
Students response:
We got acquainted with the life of ordinary Egyptians - peasants and artisans, as well as with the life of those who commanded them - scribes, nobles and pharaohs.
Right. And now, guys, think about what part of the Egyptian society we have said almost nothing about and, accordingly, try to formulate the topic of our today's lesson.
Students response:
We didn't talk about warriors! Accordingly, the topic of the lesson can be called as follows (answer options): “Egyptian army”, “Warriors in the service of the pharaoh”, “Life of Egyptian soldiers”.
So, today we will talk about the Egyptian army and the wars. I propose to stop at the title that titles the corresponding paragraph of the textbook and write it down as the topic of the lesson. (You can also take one of the options proposed by students as the title of the topic).
Notebook entry:
Military campaigns of the pharaohs.
Let's plan our lesson. Think carefully, guys, what kind of information about the life of the Egyptian army do we need to know in order to make a complete and comprehensive impression of it? When drawing up a plan, keep in mind that military service has a special character, and the work of soldiers is not at all like the work of peasants or artisans.
As practice shows, the options for student plans are not very diverse. Basically, the lesson plan, independently compiled by students, consists of approximately three links:
1) Weapons of warriors;
2) The way of life of warriors;
3) Warriors on the march.
This plan almost coincides with the corresponding paragraphs of the paragraph, therefore, after some literary processing, it is quite possible to take it as the basis of the lesson by inviting students to write down the jointly developed plan in notebooks.
Notebook entry:
Lesson plan:
1) The composition and armament of the troops;
2) Campaigns of the pharaohs;
3) The position of ordinary and noble warriors.
Together we made a lesson plan, and now our task is to consider all the questions posed in it. Getting started.
The stage of learning new material
1. The composition and armament of the troops
A large, powerful and permanent army was the subject of special care and pride of all Egyptian pharaohs. Well-armed and trained warriors were needed by the rulers of Egypt to capture new lands, strengthen their power, and also to suppress peasant uprisings in the country. What was the Egyptian army? What weapons did Egyptian soldiers use?
Immediately, we note that the Egyptian army was divided into two parts: infantry and war chariots.
Notebook entry:
The composition of the Egyptian army:
1) Infantry;
2) War chariots.
Foot soldiers, that is, foot soldiers, were recruited from the peasants and represented the main military force. What were they armed with? Open the paragraph of textbook number 9 and find the following image in it.

Based on the image, describe the weapons of the Egyptian infantry.
Students response:
In the picture we see foot soldiers armed with bows, long spears, swords. Warriors used shields for defense.
Pay attention, guys, that the piercing and slashing parts of the weapon are made of metal. What metal do you think?
Student response options:
Copper, iron.
Wrong. The Egyptians did not yet know iron, and copper was too soft a metal for this purpose. Open the item "1. Detachments of foot soldiers ”and find in it the name of the new metal that the Egyptians mastered.
Students response:
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.
Right. And now we will write down in notebooks everything that we have learned about the Egyptian infantry.
Notebook entry:
Infantry - detachments of foot soldiers recruited from peasants. Infantry weapons: bow, long spear, axe, sword, shield. Spearheads, blades and blades were made of bronze - an alloy of copper and tin.
Another part of the Egyptian army was made up of war chariots. Unlike the foot soldiers, they did not move on foot, but in special carts, which you can see in the image you already know. What were the war chariots?
Students response:
Egyptian chariots were two-wheeled carts pulled by horses. There were two people in the wagon, one of whom was driving the horses, and the other was shooting from a bow.
All right. In addition to arrows, chariot warriors also used darts - short spears for throwing. What do you guys think, who owned the war chariots? Could ordinary peasants become charioteers?
Students response:
It is unlikely that ordinary peasants could become charioteers, because the chariot, together with the horses, cost big money. Most likely, rich and noble people were charioteers.
Quite right. Chariot service was a privilege of the wealthy classes. They were most interested in military campaigns, which allowed them to enrich themselves. We come to the second question of our plan - "Campaigns of the Pharaohs", but before that we will write down what we learned about the charioteers.
Notebook entry:
War chariots are two-wheeled carts pulled by horses. One charioteer controlled the horses, the other shot from a bow or threw darts. The rich and noble Egyptians were charioteers.
2. Campaigns of the pharaohs
During the period of their power, the Egyptian pharaohs made campaigns to the south (where the country of Nubia was located), to the west (where Libya was located) and to the northeast (the Sinai Peninsula and above - Palestine, Syria, Phoenicia). The riches of these countries were very attractive to the pharaohs and Egyptian nobles, and what kind of riches these were - you will read about this in paragraph “3. The army is returning home.
Students read the first three paragraphs of the third paragraph, after which they name the wealth of these countries: Nubia - gold, Libya - cattle, Sinai Peninsula - copper.
Around 1500 BC, Pharaoh Thutmose made the biggest conquest in the history of Egypt, turning it into a great world power, stretching from north to south for 3500 kilometers. The personality of Thutmose is interesting. His name literally translates as "He (the god of wisdom) begat him." He ruled for almost 54 years, made many military campaigns and at the same time did not lose a single battle. This was greatest commander ancient world and the first historical figure which we must remember.
The textbook includes a map of Thutmose's campaigns of conquest. Our task is to depict this map in the form of a schematic drawing. But before that, let's make an explanatory note in notebooks.
Notebook entry:
1500 BC - Conquest of Pharaoh Thutmose.
Map "Egypt in 1500 BC"
Now, guys, step back a couple of lines and draw a square with a side of 10 centimeters in notebooks.
(The teacher shows the algorithm for completing the drawing on the blackboard)

We make inscriptions in the respective territories and mark the arrows of conquest campaigns.

The map is ready. If possible, the territory of Egypt can be painted over in green.

Guys! Drawing a map in notebooks took a lot of time and, nevertheless, this is a justified step: you still do not know geography well enough, and without it it is difficult to remember the location of individual countries, their territories and new names for you. By the next lesson, you should be able to show on the map the territory of Egypt, dependent countries, the directions of conquests. After studying the whole topic "Ancient Egypt", you will also complete tasks in contour maps.
We still have one unanswered question - "The situation of simple and noble warriors." The question is poorly covered in the textbook and gives enough scope for the manifestation of your own imagination. Therefore, I think that it will not be a mistake if you take it for independent study by completing a special task, which will be discussed at the end of the lesson. In the meantime, let's summarize what we learned today in the lesson.
Stage of generalization of knowledge
front poll.
- Into what two parts or, to put it modern language What two clans was the Egyptian army divided into?
- The Egyptian army was divided into infantry and war chariots.
What does the word "infantry" mean?
- Infantry is an army consisting of detachments of foot soldiers.
- What weapons did the foot soldiers have, and what classes of Egyptian society did they come from?
- Infantrymen were recruited from peasants and were armed with bows, swords, spears and axes. The metal parts of the weapons were made of bronze.
- What is bronze?
- An alloy of copper and tin.
What were war chariots?
- War chariots were two-wheeled carts pulled by horses. There were two people in the chariot: the manager and the shooter.
What weapon did the shooter use?
- Bow with arrows and short spears - darts.
- Who could serve as charioteers?
- Rich and famous people.
- Who led the Egyptian army?
- Pharaoh.
- What was the name of the pharaoh who made the biggest conquests and when did it happen?
- Around 1500 BC, Pharaoh Thutmose made the biggest conquests.
The stage of generalization of knowledge ends with a call to the board of individual students who show on the map the territory of Egypt, the directions of conquest campaigns and the conquered countries.
Five minutes before the end of the lesson, the teacher summarizes its results by marking the most active students and selectively checking the quality of the maps drawn in the notebooks.
Homework: § 9 - retelling, learn the notes in a notebook, complete the written task “A story on behalf of an Egyptian infantryman (or charioteer) about a campaign in a foreign country” (in this case, the results of the campaign for an infantryman (charioteer) should be reflected in the story.