Tutankhamun's Armies

The force that forged an empire.

The furious thunder of thousands of hooves, the clatter and sheen of bronze armor sparkling in the desert sun, the crunch of wooden wheels racing across a rock-strewn battlefield-and leading this terrifying chariot charge, the gallant Pharaoh, the ribbons of his blue war crown streaming behind him as he launches yet another arrow into the panicking mass of his soon-to-be-routed enemies.

While scenes like the one depicted above did occur in ancient Egypt, they represent only one small aspect of the vast, complex, and sophisticated military machine that secured, defended, and expanded the borders of the empire during the late Eighteenth Dynasty.

In Tutankhamun's Armies, you'll discover the harsh reality behind the imperial splendor of the New Kingdom and gain a new appreciation for the formidable Egyptian army-from pharaoh to foot soldier. You'll follow "the heretic king" Akhenaten, his son Tutankhamun, and their three Amana-Period successors as they employ double-edge diplomacy and military might to defeat competing powers, quell internal insurrections, and keep reluctant subject states in line. This vivid and absorbing chronicle will forever change the way you think about the glories and riches of ancient Egypt.

Atlas xi

Acknowledgments xix

Note to the Reader xxi

Chronology xxiii

1 Land of Desert and Nile 1

2 The Amarna Interlude 12

The Founding of the New Kingdom 13

Eighteenth-Dynasty Kingship 16

Amunhotep III: The King as Solar Disk 19

Akhenaten: The Solar Disk as King 24

Four Features of Atenism 27

Aket-aten: A New Capital 28

The “Amarna” Style of Art 30

Proscription of Other Deities 32

The Importance of Women at Amarna 34

Atenism: Re-creation of Creation 36

The Location of Akhet-aten: The Home of the Ogdoad 37

Akhenaten as Creator Deity 40

The Gods Have Not Yet Been Born 42

The Female Light Powers 43

Ankh(et)kheperure Neferneferuaten and Smenkhkare: The Ephemeral Kings 44

Tutankhamun: The Boy King 47

After Tutankhamun: Aye 51

Horemhab: The General 54

3 Trampling the Nine Bows: Military Forces and Weaponry 58

Branches of the Egyptian Military 60

Weapons and Armor 70

Horses and Chariots 77

War Dogs 80

Clothing, Armor, and Defensive Weapons 81

Signaling Equipment 83

Fortifications, Camps, and Siege Technology 85

4 Land of Gold: The Southern Empire 91

Egyptian Fortifications in Nubia 93

The Southern Border of the New Kingdom 102

The Viceroys of Nubia 106

Amarna Cities in Nubia 110

The Tutankhamun Stela from Kurkur Oasis 113

Nubian Wars of the Amarna Period 117

The Spoils of Battle: Durbars of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun 125

The Nubian Experience of Colonization 131

5 Wretched Asiatics: The Northern Empire 137

Prelude to Amarna: Early Eighteenth-Dynasty Wars with Mitanni 139

The Egyptian Empire in Syria-Palestine 142

The Amarna Letters 147

“The Vile Dog of Amurru” 156

The Fall of Sumur and the Great Syrian Campaign 161

The Realpolitik of Akhenaten 170

Akhenaten’s Attack on Kadesh 172

The Asiatic War of Tutankhamun 178

The Affair of the Egyptian Queen 184

6 Uniting the Two Lands: Domestic Security and the Army in Peacetime 187

Akhenaten’s Domestic Policy 189

Police and Military Installations at Akhet-aten 191

The Western Frontier 196

Corps of Engineers 200

Naval and Port Security 201

Religious Functions of the Military 204

Epilogue 211

Notes 213

Further Reading 275

Index 277

"... very original little book... to vividly bring to life a particular period which many people are very interested in." (TheBrowser.com, March 2011) Egyptologist John Darnell is a Professor in Yale’s Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, and he has considerable field experience, currently directing expeditions in the Egyptian Western Desert. He is the author of numerous scholarly monographs and articles dealing with many aspects of pharaonic culture, history, and language.

Colleen Manassa is an Assistant Professor of Egyptology in the same department. They are both experts in Egyptian military history.

Tutankhamun may have been the boy king, but he had a lot of muscle behind him, as did his father Akhenaten, "the heretic king," and their successors in the Eighteenth Dynasty. As you'll discover in Tutankhamun's Armies, the ancient Egyptian Empire could not and did not endure without two key elements: a strong king skilled in the physical arts of war as well as the mental disciplines of strategy and diplomacy; and a large, complex, and sophisticated armed force equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry for battle on land and sea.

Based on ancient Egyptian texts and diplomatic correspondence, inscriptions on stone monuments, and information gleaned, from a host of ancient artifacts and private tombs, this in-depth exploration of pharaoh's army fills a yawning gap in our understanding of ancient Egyptian military history, and thus, the civilization as a whole.

Yale University Egyptologists John Darnell and Colleen Manassa develop a vivid picture of the forces, engagements, weaponry, strategies, tactics, and political machinations that characterized warfare during the Amarna period of the New Kingdom (1550-1335) B.C.E). It was a time when great empires vied for power and mighty kings and wily princes went to any length to secure alliances and destroy their enemies.

From the daily experiences of the common soldier to the strategic decision s of pharaoh and his top generals, this engaging chronicle examines every aspect of the military life of the period. It reveals how the nature of warfare was transformed by the arrival of two powerful new weapons, the chariot and the composite bow, and explores subtle differences in the Egyptians' tactical approach depending on the nature and strength of the opposition, the terrain in which the conflict took place, and the political objective that Pharaoh hoped to achieve.

The authors also offer intriguing profiles of Egypt's enemies, including the powerful Hittite Empire of modern-day Turkey and the contentious city-states of Syria and Palestine. Closer to home were the on-again, off-again subject state of Nubia, the source of most of Egypt's gold, and the fierce monads of the Libyan Desert and mountains, where Egypt's chariots were of little use in battle.

Compete with a detailed introduction to the historical and geographical background of ancient Egypt and a concise history of military developments and actions in the pre-Amarna Period, Tutankhamun's Armies adds a new dimension to our understanding of ancient Egypt and the harsh reality behind its architectural splendor and dazzling treasures.

The force that forged an empire.

The furious thunder of thousands of hooves, the clatter and sheen of bronze armor sparkling in the desert sun, the crunch of wooden wheels racing across a rock-strewn battlefield-and leading this terrifying chariot charge, the gallant Pharaoh, the ribbons of his blue war crown streaming behind him as he launches yet another arrow into the panicking mass of his soon-to-be-routed enemies.

While scenes like the one depicted above did occur in ancient Egypt, they represent only one small aspect of the vast, complex, and sophisticated military machine that secured, defended, and expanded the borders of the empire during the late Eighteenth Dynasty.

In Tutankhamun's Armies, you'll discover the harsh reality behind the imperial splendor of the New Kingdom and gain a new appreciation for the formidable Egyptian army-from pharaoh to foot soldier. You'll follow "the heretic king" Akhenaten, his son Tutankhamun, and their three Amana-Period successors as they employ double-edge diplomacy and military might to defeat competing powers, quell internal insurrections, and keep reluctant subject states in line. This vivid and absorbing chronicle will forever change the way you think about the glories and riches of ancient Egypt.