First Battle in History: Egypt vs Canaanites (1458 BC)

For nearly all of human existence, battles were destined to be forgotten. The prehistoric world preserved neither the names nor the exploits of its champions. In time, early written records mentioned warfare, but in sparse description. It's on the walls of a temple along the Nile, where Egyptians carved the oldest known detailed account of a battle in history. This is the story they tell. Word spread of the Egyptian advance. The pharaoh had emerged from the desert, with his mighty army passed north through the city of Gaza. Now only a stretch of rugged lands lay between the pharaoh and the great hilltop city of Megiddo, where thousands of the enemy awaited him. The young pharaoh Thutmose III pondered his approach to the battlefield. The annals inscribed on the temple record that his generals urged him to consider only the safe roads, which cut north and east, saying to him, Now two roads are here. Let our victorious lord proceed on the one which is satisfactory to his heart, but do not make us go on that difficult road. For Thutmose knew of the third way, the narrow pass of Aruna, which choked here and there by jagged hills and vulnerable to ambush at its exit, but it ran nearly to the foot of the enemy city. Although Thutmose had reigned as sole ruler of Egypt for mere months, his will carried the mandate of the one believed to be his divine father, the greatest god, Amun-Ra. Therefore the army filed behind their king and entered the treacherous pass. The ranks pushed together, disassembled chariots were lugged by porters and pack animals, and a scribe carried a scroll. He would commit to written history this campaign in a battle that would alter the fate of Egypt. The men were only days away from the battle of Megiddo. Armies like those of the pharaoh were highly vulnerable to ambush when they failed to scout ahead and remain vigilant. 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Go to surfshark.com slash history dose or use code history dose at checkout to get four extra months of Surfshark VPN. The lords of foreign lands sensed vulnerability on the Egyptian throne. As Thutmose III was heralded as the new supreme pharaoh, the prince of a distant city-state called Kadesh pressed his advantage. Backed by a rival of Egypt, the Mitanni Empire, the prince of Kadesh gathered many forces from the disjointed tribes of Canaan and Syria at the fortified town of Megiddo. From there the coalition could choke off Egypt's access to essential materials, including specific woods to make chariots and tin for bronze weapons. The enemies may have further planned to invade Egypt to bring war to the banks of the Nile. Thutmose intended to strike them first. Until now he had been merely a co-ruler of Egypt under the great female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Having been a wife and sister of Thutmose's late father, Hatshepsut was both his stepmother and aunt. Her reign had witnessed prosperity in Egypt in its capital of Thebes where she built the temple of Hatshepsut. Over the course of 15 years architects and laborers had constructed shrines and pillared terraces along the mountainside. A great causeway was lined with kneeling statues and sphinxes and in the lower courtyard gardens swayed over sparkling pools. Such temples may have pleased the gods but they would not pacify the enemies of Egypt. Hatshepsut was dead and the throne belonged to Thutmose alone. He swiftly raised his army whose warriors had been trained by officers and organized into divisions. Pharaohs of this era would summon one in ten men for military service but many soldiers here had enlisted of their own volition, no doubt enticed by the prospect of gaining plunder, land and slaves. Together the warriors in the supply train moved north along the Nile in the spring of 1458 BC. The river had long traced a green thread of civilization through the Sahara. Each year the life-giving Nile filled a wide floodplain and left behind miles of fertile earth. The people harvested abundant fields of wheat and barley which provided the two staples of the Egyptian diet, bread and beer. Thutmose understood that this kingdom did not endure without bloodshed. Narmer or Menes was the very first ruler to unify lower and upper Egypt in around 3000 BC. A palette shows the founding king looming over his enemies whom he's desecrated by placing their severed heads and genitals at their feet. It was sometime after his reign that Egypt entered its first golden age known as the Old Kingdom. These early kings directed the construction of the Pyramids of Giza. They were built from millions of massive blocks encased in radiant white limestone. Grand causeways, temples and the great sphinx adorned the surroundings. Although these pyramids were over a thousand years old to Thutmose, life proceeded in Egypt much as it had a millennium before. People tended to farms and livestock while priests glorified an evolving pantheon of gods and prepared the dead for passage into the afterlife. But this civilization felt different than it once did. Its power had been shaken. In the wake of a second golden age called the Middle Kingdom, the Semitic-speaking Hyksos of the Levant seized control of northern Egypt in around 1650 BC. The towering outposts of the old dynasties fell into ruin and rich mines and quarries were abandoned. It was the Egyptian dynasty of Thebes that had stood against foreign rule. With a growing army supplemented by mercenary Medjay of the desert, the Theban crown warned the Hyksos. I will not let you set foot in the fields unless I am upon you. See, I shall drink of the wine of your vineyard which your people will press out for me. I shall destroy your dwelling place and cut down your trees. Thus, after a century of occupation, the House of Thebes reclaimed Egypt and banished its foreign overlords. Now only a few generations later, an enemy from the Levant challenged Egypt once again, the Prince of Kadesh and his coalition. Pharaoh Thutmose III assembled his forces on the edge of the desert, at the old fortified outposts of Charu. This army counted perhaps over 10,000 warriors, each called to bring ruin and death to the enemies of Egypt. The mudbrick fortress gave way to burning white as the soldiers trekked into the barren Sinai. So began the 150-mile march to Gaza. The Egyptian army had begun to adopt aspects of foreign militaries in response to the years of Hyksos domination. The widespread introduction of the horse enabled the advent of Egyptian chariots, which were lightweight and expertly crafted to maximize agility for teams of drivers and archers. Ranged infantry units, bolstered by skilled Nubian mercenaries, wielded a combination of powerful new composite bows and traditional self-bows. The might of the Pharaoh still rested, however, on large numbers of melee infantry. These mostly unarmored troops carried hide-covered shields and fought with bronze weapons, spears, axes, and the recently adopted kopesh or sickle sword. Day by day, the troops endured the sands, their arid march relieved by cool nights in the These men marched to war with a faith in the divine order of things, that there were gods who govern this world and the next. Upon death, hearts heavy with sin would be devoured and the unworthy destroyed. But the god Osiris would permit those of a light heart into the blissful field of reeds, for in life they had stood for ma'at, truth, order, and justice. If any man should perish in this mission to Canaan, their death would come whilst carrying out the righteous command of the divine king Thutmose III. After ten days of marching, the army caught sight of Gaza. Although rebellion gripped the region, the city remained loyal to the Pharaoh, which afforded the Egyptians a night to rest and replenish their stores. The secrecy of their mission had kept them safe until now, but their presence became known throughout the land as they pushed north over the coming days. The sturdy chariot units of the But at last, after almost three weeks of marching, Thutmose and his force reached Yehem. Three paths to the city of Megiddo lay before them. Scouts went ahead, and Thutmose called the council of his generals, saying to them, The generals advised his majesty to approach the enemy on one of the two outlying roads, which were wider and more secure. They warned him that the narrow and direct Aruna Road would constrict their formations, such that the coalition forces said to be gathering at its exit would overrun the Egyptians as they filed out of the pass. But scouts soon returned with more reports on the movements of the enemy, intelligence that seemed to strengthen the resolve of the young pharaoh. Thutmose addressed his army, The intrepid king moved to the head of the army, and he himself led them into the Aruna Pass. Notwithstanding the dangers of this road, the hills would provide cover for most of the approach to the city. Indeed, traveling over open ground carried its own risks. For Canaanite and Syrian armies relied on heavier, if less maneuverable chariots. Much like the Egyptians, the weapons of the infantry included bows, spears, axes, and sickle swords. The southern wing of this enemy army guarded the Tanakh Road, while its northern wing stood in the Kina Valley, the very valley that the Egyptians now entered. But their arrival was unopposed. Thutmose may have evaded the enemy by cutting north through an alternate exit, one concealed by the terrain. Regardless, for several hours, the Egyptian army streamed onto the plain. The enemy, having failed to block the pharaoh's advance, pulled back to camp as daylight waned. The annals relate that the Egyptians settled on the banks of a stream. Sentries were posted and rations given, as the camp was pitched there for his majesty, and a charge was laid upon the entire army. Prepare ye, make your weapons ready, for we will engage in combat with that wretched enemy in the morning. At dawn, the enemy army arrayed itself for battle. Behind them in the distance stood Megiddo, the city so strong and well-situated it was said to be worth a thousand cities. Then the approach of the army of Egypt echoed in the valley. The annals recount, his majesty went forth in a chariot of Electrum, arrayed in his weapons of war, like Horus the smiter, lord of power, like Montu of Thebes, while his father Amun strengthened his arms. Pharaoh Thutmose III assumed his place at the center of the army, and together the main force may have moved on to the southern end of the ridge on which Megiddo stood. The tactics of the opening clash are not recorded, but a certain progression of battle would have unfolded. Archers deployed to the front, loosing arrows on the Syrians and Canaanites. The enemy answered in kind, before waves of Egyptian infantry crashed into the battered lines of the enemy. Amidst shouts and horns, men with sickle swords and axes hacked at shields and cleaved flesh. The chariots of each army roared over the battlefield, threading gaps in the battle lines and cutting down those in their path. The battle devolved into a massacre as the enemy began to break under the Egyptian onslaught. An inscription found in Nubia recorded that at Megiddo, my majesty attacked them and they fled, falling in heaps. Thutmose had earlier sent a contingent northwest of the city to block an enemy escape in that direction. And so the Canaanites and Syrians desperately made for the walls of Megiddo. They left a wake of upturned chariots and protruding arrows, of hacked limbs and groaning wounded. But the Egyptians forfeited the chance to gain victory then, for it was written that their hearts became possessed by greed. Like crows, the Egyptians fell upon the dead field, picking and tearing away the possessions of the vanquished. The fleeing Canaanites and Syrians meanwhile reached Megiddo. The gates were shut, so the people let down ropes of garments, and it was recorded, the wretched enemy of Kadesh and of this town were being dragged up hastily to get them into their town, for the fear of his majesty entered their hearts. Their arms were weak, for his serpent Diadem had overpowered them. With his enemies still in possession of Megiddo, the pharaoh issued a new command. They would lay siege to the city. Megiddo stood high, and though its walls were of older mud brick from the middle bronze age, they were bolstered by newer stone structures on top. In certain sections, the walls measured over 12 feet thick and 25 feet tall. Besieging armies of this age could chop and ram at gates, and rush ladders to the walls, but they lacked the means to obliterate such a fort. Thutmose opted to starve the city. He commanded his army to surround Megiddo with a ditch and a wall of fresh timber. Officials meanwhile tallied the loot from the battle, which included 924 chariots, some painted and others worked with gold, over 2,000 horses, the royal tent of the Prince of Kadesh himself, and human plunder, 340 prisoners of war, and 83 hands that they had proudly collected from the dead. Even the annals appear to note the exceptional detail of the records kept by Thutmose. Everything which his majesty did to this town and to that wretched enemy and his wretched army is set down by the individual day, by the individual expedition, and by the individual troop commanders. They are set down on a roll of leather in the Temple of Amun today. Spring sweltered into summer, and still the siege wore on. Thutmose sent troops against three other enemy towns in the region as well. From time to time hungry locals staggered out of their besieged cities, and the pharaoh pardoned them. He had not come to annihilate the people of these lands, but to demand loyalty, control of trade routes, and tribute. In the span of several months, Megiddo and the three defiant towns surrendered to Thutmose. The annals dramatized the subjugation of the region. Now the princes of this foreign country came on their bellies to kiss the ground to the glory of his majesty and to beg breath for their nostrils. He took their riches, grain, and cattle, and then he took their power, appointing new princes throughout the region. It was said that when Thutmose permitted the people to return to their towns, they went on donkeys, for the pharaoh had taken all of their horses. Then the army of Egypt began the homeward march with loads of impeccable treasure, nearly 2,000 slaves, tens of thousands of livestock, and a harvest of wheat. In Thebes, the long-awaited return of the king came with proclamations of victory. The city resounded in celebration and feast, attended by nobles, musicians, and dancers. Many followers knew the king by the throne name, Menkepira, lasting as the manifestation of Ra. A pharaoh was said to be the son of the supreme creator god Ra, whose authority was symbolized in a sun disc wreathed by a cobra. The life-giving throne of Egypt was to be defended in the same manner, with wrath and venom. The Battle of Megiddo had reasserted Egyptian power in the Levant. Now Thutmose was called to keep it. Rival lords incessantly claimed authority in parts of Syria and Canaan, so year after year the relentless Thutmose returned to smite them. He built a great fleet to rapidly move strike forces north along the coast, and he maintained a network of fortresses in the region. Megiddo was the first of seventeen military campaigns undertaken there by Thutmose across two decades. The masterful victories brought distant commerce, the tribute of foreign subjects, and gifts from Babylonia, the Hittite Empire, and Assyria. Turning his eyes south, the king also gained control over much of Nubia. Many great rulers had sat on the throne of Egypt, but it was Thutmose III who built an empire. The likeness of his majesty pervaded his prosperous domain, while the aging pharaoh devoted his efforts to building great works and monuments. To the temple complex at Karnak he added the sacred lake and towering gates or pylons flanked by colossi and granite obelisks, as well as the inscriptions that comprised the laudatory history of his military career and the Battle of Megiddo. The end of this reign in around 1425 BC was described on the tomb of an officer. Lo, the king completed his lifetime of many years, splendid in valor, in might, and in triumph. From year one to year fifty-four, he mounted to heaven, he joined the sun, the divine limbs mingling with him who begat him. In the years after, those who passed through the seventh pylon of Karnak beheld the striking image of the greatest warrior in Egyptian history, Thutmose III, and there, over three millennia later, it remains. This is around three hours of the artist Joseph Feeley, aka my brother, manually making one of the dozens of paintings he made for this video. We're just a two-man team, so I actually spent weeks filling a 247-page document with research and historical references to help Joe depict ancient Egypt as accurately as possible. 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