Battle of Perire | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
New Kingdom of Egypt | Libyan coalition Sea Peoples | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Merneptah | Meryey | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 6,000 killed, 9,000 captured (Egyptian claim) |
The Battle of Perire was fought around 1208 BC between the New Kingdom of Egypt, led by the pharaoh Merneptah, and a coalition of Libyan tribes and Sea Peoples. The Egyptians won a decisive victory. This was the first of many encounters between Egypt and the Sea Peoples. Our main source of information about this battle comes from the Great Karnak Inscription.
During the Old and Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Libya to the west was not a major security concern for the Egyptian pharaohs aside of occasional raiding warfare. The situation appears to have changed under the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, as the Egyptian military invested more resources in securing the western borders of Egypt. From the early Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, fortresses were built west of modern-day Alexandria to shield the Nile Delta from Libyan (Libu) incursions. [1] However, at least one of these new bastions, Zawyet Umm El Rakham, was quickly abandoned. Egyptologist Ian Shaw argued that Zawyet Umm El Rakham's short existence suggests that the Libyan tribes increasingly pushed eastward, forcing the Egyptians to evacuate the fortress; this push ultimately culminated in the Libyan invasion during Merneptah's reign. [2]
In the late 13th century BC, a famine in Libya compelled many of the tribes in the region to unite under the leadership of a chief known as Meryey. [3] The Libyan alliance included Tjehenu and Meshwesh. [4] Together these tribes prepared to invade Egypt. Their exact intentions are unclear but they most likely wished to conquer territory within the borders of Egypt, [5] [4] including Memphis. [6] Meryey's coalition probably numbered tens of thousands. [7] Furthermore, the Libyans allied with or hired a substantial contingent of Sea Peoples, including Shekelesh, Teresh, Ekwesh, Lukka, and Sherden; [8] members of the last group also served in the Egyptian military. [9] The Libyans possibly used their wealth, gained through control of trade from Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, to hire the Sea Peoples as mercenaries. [10]
The Libyans first captured an oasis to the west of Egypt; modern researchers have speculated that this oasis may have been the Bahariya or Siwa Oasis. [11] From there, the Libyan force advanced to Farafra. This was a strategically central location in the region, as holding of Farafra allowed the Libyans to control the routes between the local oases, send messages to Nubia, and to strike at several part of Egypt. [12] According to Egyptologist Colleen Darnell, this showcases that Meryey was pursuing a grand strategy: As Farafra allowed them access to at least three invasion routes, the Libyans could surprise the Egyptians despite the latter's knowledge of their military preparations. [13] In addition, Meryey possibly contacted Libo-Nubians south of Farafra and enlisted them in his plan. The latter is indicated by the Amada Stela which records Nubian raids in Upper Egypt two days before the Battle of Perire. Darnell speculated that the contemporaryness of the raids and battle hint at a wider alliance in which Meryey's Libyans and the Libo-Nubians cooperated to divide Egypt between them, with Meryey claiming the Nile Delta and the Libo-Nubians conquering the rich, Egyptian-held regions of Nubia. [5]
After making their preparations, Meryey's Libyans moved from Farafra to Perire, most likely a city in the Nile Delta region. As a result of the scarcity of resources in the desert, the Libyans possibly split into a number of columns instead of operating as a single army. The Karnak Inscription poetically suggests that Meryey's main contingent advanced from Farafra to Bahariya, then into the Faiyum, before entering the delta around Memphis. Another Libyan column possibly crossed the Nile in Middle Egypt and then marched into the eastern delta, as the Karnak Inscription states that the Libyan vanguard camped at Perbarset in the east. Such an operation would have disrupted the Egyptian communications and supply routes, cutting off Memphis, Thebes, and Pi-Ramesses from each other. [14] Finally, the inscription hints at another column marching along the Mediterranean coast, as several Egyptian fortresses are mentioned as being destroyed. Such bastions were mainly concentrated along the coast. [6] The Libyan column were accompanied by their families and possessions, further strengthening the assumption that they intended to settle in conquered territories instead of just plundering them. [4]
Meryey's army occupied parts of the western Nile Delta for about a month before the battle at Perire erupted. [7]
Meryey's operations ultimately culminated in a major confrontation at Perire on the third day of the third month of "Shomu", probably 1208 BC, [15] though 1207 BC has also been suggested. [7] [4] The Karnak Inscription gives few details on the battle, though some information can be gleaned from the source. The Egyptian army was composed of infantry and chariotry; the infantry included both archers as well as close-combat troops including Sherden warriors. The invaders' coalition was composed solely of infantry, with the Libyans operating as light infantry and the Sea Peoples providing heavy infantry. [9]
According to the Karnak Inscription, the battle was divided into two phases: Initially, the Egyptian archers spent 6 hours attacking and factually breaking Meryey's army, before the Egyptian chariots charged in and pursued their fleeing opponents. Manassa speculated that the battle was opened by some skirmishing -possibly involving the mobile chariotry- before the Libyan-Sea People army charged to engage in close combat. As Merneptah knew that his frontline troops were probably inferior to Meryey's, the pharaoh had stationed his archers in a way to bombard the attackers whenever they came close. In this way, the Egyptians would have broken the invaders' charge(s). Once the Libyan-Sea People army had suitably thinned or even collapsed, the Egyptian chariots and infantry advanced, causing a rout and winning the field. [16]
The Egyptians gained a decisive victory over their opponents, [16] and the Karnak Inscription reported that Merneptah killed 6,000 and captured 9,000 enemies. However, Shaw argued that these numbers could not be "taken at face value", as Egyptian inscription records were prone to bombastic, exaggerated claims. [4] Meryey fled the battlefield. [16]
Merneptah ordered many of the captured enemies to be impaled south of Memphis. This punishment was especially brutal and used rarely in Egyptian history, suggesting that the pharaoh hoped to send a strong message to any other potential Libyan invaders. [6] Though the battle had succeeded in stemming the Libyan attacks, the Sea Peoples would grow into a bigger problem in the coming years and ultimately contributed to the Late Bronze Age collapse. Major foreign invasions of Egypt again took place under Ramesses III, c. 1174 BC. Even though these Sea Peoples attacks were stopped at the twin battles of Djahy and the Delta, Egypt subsequently declined. [17]
Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeast Africa. It was concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River, situated in the place that is now the country Egypt. Ancient Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3100 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Menes. The history of ancient Egypt unfolded as a series of stable kingdoms interspersed by periods of relative instability known as “Intermediate Periods.” The various kingdoms fall into one of three categories: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age, or the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age.
Thebes, known to the ancient Egyptians as Waset, was an ancient Egyptian city located along the Nile about 800 kilometers (500 mi) south of the Mediterranean. Its ruins lie within the modern Egyptian city of Luxor. Thebes was the main city of the fourth Upper Egyptian nome and was the capital of Egypt for long periods during the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom eras. It was close to Nubia and the Eastern Desert, with its valuable mineral resources and trade routes. It was a religious center and the most venerated city during many periods of ancient Egyptian history. The site of Thebes includes areas on both the eastern bank of the Nile, where the temples of Karnak and Luxor stand and where the city was situated; and the western bank, where a necropolis of large private and royal cemeteries and funerary complexes can be found. In 1979, the ruins of ancient Thebes were classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He is thought to have reigned from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC and is considered to be the last great monarch of the New Kingdom to wield any substantial authority over Egypt.
Taharqa, also spelled Taharka or Taharqo, was a pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt and qore (king) of the Kingdom of Kush from 690 to 664 BC. He was one of the "Black Pharaohs" who ruled over Egypt for nearly a century.
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The Sea Peoples are a hypothesized seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions in the East Mediterranean before and during the Late Bronze Age collapse. Following the creation of the concept in the 19th century, the Sea Peoples' incursions became one of the most famous chapters of Egyptian history, given its connection with, in the words of Wilhelm Max Müller, "the most important questions of ethnography and the primitive history of classic nations".
The history of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early prehistoric settlements of the northern Nile valley to the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. The pharaonic period, the period in which Egypt was ruled by a pharaoh, is dated from the 32nd century BC, when Upper and Lower Egypt were unified, until the country fell under Macedonian rule in 332 BC.
The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, was the ancient Egyptian nation between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC. This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties. Through radiocarbon dating, the establishment of the New Kingdom has been placed between 1570 BC and 1544 BC. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was succeeded by the Third Intermediate Period. It was the most prosperous time for the Egyptian people and marked the peak of Egypt's power.
Merneptah or Merenptah was the fourth pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He ruled Egypt for almost ten years, from late July or early August 1213 BC until his death on 2 May 1203 BC, according to contemporary historical records. He was the first royal-born pharaoh since Tutankhamun of the Eighteenth Dynasty.
The Meshwesh was an ancient Libyan tribe, along with other groups like Libu and Tehenou/Tehenu.
Ankhwennefer, also known as Ankhmakis, was the successor of Horwennefer, a rebel ruler who controlled much of Upper Egypt during the reigns of Ptolemies IV and V. His rule lasted from approximately 200 to 186 BC.
The Libu were an Ancient Libyan tribe of Berber origin, from which the name Libya derives.
The Great Karnak Inscription is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription belonging to the 19th Dynasty Pharaoh Merneptah. A long epigraph, it was discovered at Karnak in 1828–1829. According to Wilhelm Max Müller, it is "one of the famous standard texts of Egyptology... [and has been] ... one of the greatest desiderata of scholars for many years."
Amun was a major ancient Egyptian god who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. With the 11th Dynasty, Amun rose to the position of patron deity of Thebes by replacing Montu.
Ramesses II, commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was an Egyptian pharaoh. He was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, he is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom, which itself was the most powerful period of ancient Egypt. He is also widely considered one of ancient Egypt's most successful warrior pharaohs, conducting no fewer than 15 military campaigns, all resulting in victories, excluding the Battle of Kadesh, generally considered a stalemate.
Meryey was a Berber king of ancient Libya, during the late 13th century BC. He was the son of Ded. His reign was contemporary with pharaoh Merneptah of Egypt. He is mentioned as the architect of a major military alliance amongst his nation, the Meshwesh, Lukka, and the Sea Peoples known as the Ekwesh, Teresh, Shekelesh, and the Sherden. This confederacy went to war against Merneptah in the western delta during the 5th and 6th years of his reign.
The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Nubian Dynasty, the Kushite Empire, the Black Pharaohs, or the Napatans, after their capital Napata, was the last dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt that occurred after the Nubian invasion.
The Merneptah Stele, also known as the Israel Stele or the Victory Stele of Merneptah, is an inscription by Merneptah, a pharaoh in ancient Egypt who reigned from 1213 to 1203 BCE. Discovered by Flinders Petrie at Thebes in 1896, it is now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
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Nubia is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile as well as the confluence of the blue and white Niles or, more strictly, Al Dabbah. Nubia was the seat of several civilizations of ancient Africa, including the Kerma culture, the kingdom of Kush, Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia.