This lecture is organized by the BA Antiquities Museum. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Mohamed Raafat Abbas, Director General of the Scientific Research Department (Ministry of Antiquities, Alexandria). He will discuss the ancient Egyptian army and present it as the oldest military institution in history. Asthe unassailable shield of ancient Egypt and its renowned civilization, protecting them against any potential perpetrator that tries to infiltrate its sacred borders, the Egyptian army was the protector of Egypt’s security against any threat it may encounter. In several occurrences, this army was also the savior of the civilization of the Ancient Near East, salvaging the region from the barbaric, destructive, and savage invasions led byculturally backward peoples for the purposes of colonization and plundering; invasions that threatened the civilization of the entire region.
Historians have unanimously agreed that the Egyptian army during the era of the New Kingdome, or Egypt’s Golden Empire (1550–1069 BCE), was the largest military force in ancient history. It succeeded in building Egypt’s largest empire during the aforementioned time periodafter victoriously liberating Egypt from the Hyksos and driving them out its lands. This was achieved after the army had also executed Egypt’s vast political and military power, expanding its empire to include Syria and Palestine in the North and from Nubia tothe fourth cataract of the Nile in the southon account of the army’s victories in said areas. During that period, the Egyptian army fought dozens of fierce military battles in Asia, Nubia, and the Western Desert against all the largest forces and empires in the region in order to protect Egypt’s security, safety, and stability and to strengthen its political power in the Ancient Near East.
The documents and manuscripts of the New Kingdom have provided us with abundant information on the history and organization of the Egyptian army during that era and on the celebrated military battles it fought, such as the Battle of Megiddounder the reign of Thutmose III, the Battle of Kadesh under the reign of King Ramesses II, and the battles of King Ramesses III against the Libyans and the Sea Peoples.
This lecture discusses the establishment and different characteristics of the Egyptian army, including military and administrative organization, armament and training systems,and the most famous military commanders.It also highlights the major and conclusive military battles fought by the Egyptian army in the Near East, beginning with the glorious war of liberation against the Hyksos followed by other major battles, which aimed to establish areas of political and military power of the Egyptian empire in Syria and Palestine andto defendEgypt's borders against the various invasions seeking to occupy its land.