|
Ancient Egyptian Facts .com |
 |
Ancient Egyptian Battles Battle of the Delta c1178 to 1175 BC |
|
The Battle of the Delta was a great sea battle, fought between Egyptian forces and the so-called Sea People, when the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III repulsed a great sea invasion by the 'People of the Sea'. The conflict occurred somewhere at the shores of the eastern Nile Delta and partly on the borders of the Egyptian Empire in Syria, although their precise location is unknown. This battle has been described as 'the first naval battle in history'. This major conflict is recorded on the temple walls of the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramses III at Medinet Habu. Historical background The Nomadic warrior tribes of Tjekker, Peleset, Sherden and others were collectively known as the Sea People. In the 12th century BC, they invaded the Middle East from the eastern Mediterranean, destroying and plundering the Hittite Empire along the way. They also attacked Syria and Palestine ruining and burning the cities as they went. Cyprus was also overwhelmed and its capital ransacked. It was clear that they were almost desperate to find a place for inhabitation and Egypt seemed a perfect choice. The attack of the Sea Peoples was probably the greatest threat Ancient Egypt ever faced. The Battle After defeating the Sea Peoples on land in Syria, Ramses rushed back to Egypt where preparations for the invader's assault had already completed. The inscriptions of Ramses III at his Medinet Habu mortuary temple in Thebes record this epic event in great detail. This battle was a turning point for the Pharaoh, because the Egyptians had never had to fight a serious sea battle before. Ramses reacted with great tactical brilliance; he lined the shores of the Nile Delta with ranks of archers who were ready to release volleys of arrows into the enemy ships if they attempted to land. Knowing that he would be defeated in the battle at sea, Ramses enticed the Sea Peoples and their ships into the mouth of the Nile, from where he struck his ambush. He had assembled a fleet for this specific occasion. In an inspired tactical maneuver, the Egyptian fleet worked the Sea Peoples' boats towards shore where the Egyptian archers, based on land, devastated the enemy with volley after volley of deadly arrows. Meanwhile, the Egyptian marine archers, calmly standing on the decks of their ships, fired in unison. Their ships were overturned, many were killed and captured and some even dragged to the shore where they were executed. Consequently, the Sea Peoples were defeated even when they were able to set foot on Egypt's land. Aftermath While there is no documentation for any pursuit of the defeated Sea Peoples, who fled to the Levant, Egypt was saved from the fate of total destruction which befell Hatti, Alasiya, and other great Near Eastern powers. Ramses could certainly content himself with a great and decisive victory. Although he had defeated the Sea Peoples, some of them, specifically the Peleset, eventually settled in Canaan and Palestine after his death. Every foreign power on the Mediterranean was destroyed in the face of the Sea Peoples' onslaught; only the Egyptians were able to withstand their attack. However, this proved to be a pyrrhic victory, because in the end, Egypt were so weakened by it that it never recovered to be the powerful kingdom it was prior to the Sea People's invasion. Ramses III is generally considered to the last great Pharaoh of Egypt's New Kingdom. The conflict with the Sea Peoples also drained her treasury. Thus, the Egyptians used to say that death comes from across the seas. |
Custom Search
This
site covers all areas for Ancient Egyptian Facts. Besides the popular ancient egyptian topics for kids of Pharohs, Gods, Inventions, Religion. Itis one of the biggest websites for ancient egypt information for kids. Many college students use it for research on ancient egyptian times.
| Ancient Egyptian Money | Ancient Egyptian Recreation Part 1 | Ancient Egyptian Trade |
| Ancient Egyptian Monuments | Ancient Egyptian Recreation Part 2 | Ancient Egyptian Translation Of Hieroglyphics |
| Ancient Egyptian Mummies | Ancient Egyptian Religion Part 1 | Ancient Egyptian Transport |
| Ancient Egyptian Music | Ancient Egyptian Religion Part 2 | Ancient Egyptian Viziers |
| Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments | Ancient Egyptian Religious Beliefs | Ancient Egyptian Wars |
| Ancient Egyptian Myths Part 1 | Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus | Ancient Egyptian Weaponry |
| Ancient Egyptian Myths Part 2 | Ancient Egyptian Schools | Ancient Egyptian Weapons |
| Ancient Egyptian Names | Ancient Egyptian Science | Ancient Egyptian Women Part 1 |
| Ancient Egyptian Numbers | Ancient Egyptian Scribes | Ancient Egyptian Women Part 2 |
| Ancient Egyptian Obelisks | Ancient Egyptian Slavery | Ancient Egyptian Women |
| Ancient Egyptian Paintings | Ancient Egyptian Social Classes | British Museum And Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Papyrus | Ancient Egyptian Soldiers | Burial Tombs In Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs | Ancient Egyptian Sphinxes | Concepts Of Afterlife In Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Pottery | Ancient Egyptian Sports | Farming In Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Priests | Ancient Egyptian Statues | Food And Drink In Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Process Of Embalming | Ancient Egyptian Symbols | King Tutankhamun Of Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Proverbs | Ancient Egyptian Tattoos | Sun God Of Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Queens Part 1 | Ancient Egyptian Technology | The Pyramids Of Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Queens Part 2 | Ancient Egyptian Temples | Valley Of The Kings Of Ancient Egypt |
| Ancient Egyptian Quotes | Ancient Egyptian Tools | Ancient Egyptian Pictures/Photos |
