War, Conflict and Contact
Ancient Egypt was in many small conflicts as well as some large battles. some of their large were the Hyksos Invasion, Canaanite and the Hittites.There were more wars between themselves(civil wars) than anything else. They would fight between themselves to see who would be in charge of the country and all in it.
Egyptian Weapons:
Mace: The mace is a type of club. If a person who was very strong use a mace it would be extremely deadly since they are made out of stone and wood. They were used in battles more than anything else.
Swords: Swords came in different lengths. They were mostly owned by Pharaohs and the wealthy which had scenes of war or conflicts scribed into the hilt or blade. The blade was made out of copper or bronze with wooden hilts.There also had valuable jewels or precious metals somewhere on the sword. They were mostly use in wars but also in small conflicts within egypt.
Knives: Many egyptian knives were made out of copper, bronze and flint. These weren't just used for war and attacking people, they were also used in everyday use. Some of their everyday use was cutting rope, cutting animal hides, cutting materials and cutting meat.
Shields: The Egy
ptian shields were made made out of wood and ox hide. The ox hide was stretched over a wooden frame and fitted to the shield. They were used to protect the soldiers from arrows, spears and javelins. They were also used in close range when they had attackers charging at them or when they were in a melee attack.
Egyptian Armour:
Helmets: Because of the hot humid air and weather in Egypt they didn't really where helmets unless you were a pharaoh who always wore a helmet in wars along with the gods and royal family. When mercenaries from colder countries came to fight with egypt they were helmets since they had more war experience. Besides that Egyptians never really wore helmets.
Body Armour: Due to the hot weather in Egypt they wore very light armour like loin cloths, leather straps and a few other types. In many Egyptian paintings of war soldiers only really showed them with a sword, shield, and a white loin cloth. The infantry occasionally had groin protection which was just stiffened linen. The charioteers sometimes wore scale armour but many preferred broad leather straps across their chests or they just carried a shield. Pharaohs wore scale armour with semi precious stones which provided more protection because the stones were stronger than arrowheads. Golden corselets of chain mail with precious stones embeded were made for members of the royal family and gods are at times depicted wearing armour.
Shelters: When soldiers were breaking down walls and gates they were very vulnerable. In the early 20th century B.C attempts to protect the soldiers knocking down walls and doors were made by making portable shelters.
Chariots: The egyptians would use chariots in most of their wars and conflicts. They were drawn by two warhorses. There would be two people on each chariot. One would control the chariot while the other one would use a bow and arrow or spear to kill or
Currency: Before coins Egyptians used the weight of gold, silver, copper and other precious materials.
Peace Treaties: The first Pharaoh to sign a peace treaty was Ramesses II. He signed the first Egyptian peace treaty with the Hittites. It was made so that there would no longer be wars and hostility between the two places. There were two treaties made (one for each country). Ramesses II made his treaty out of silver. There were a couple of copies of the peace treaty made.
Old Kingdom: In the Old Kingdom their armies were made up of infantry, archers and mercenaries. The infantry were mainly made up of slaves and peasants. They archers would be protecting the infantry and mercenaries by firing arrows into the sky which then rained down on the enemy. The infantry would carry spears and shields.
Mercenaries would have their own weapons from where they come from. The captains in the army would have maces. They would go into battle with infantry and mercenaries first then archers and captains behind.
Middle Kingdom: The army in this age was pretty much the same as the Old Kingdom. It was made up of the same types of troops and they used the same formations as the Old Kingdom.
Trade: The Egyptian trade was normally with neighboring countries, cities, towns and battle fronts. They traded basic things like grain for making bread and beer, dried fish, vegetables, linen for loincloths and mud for huts. They would normal trade via boat since there were rivers running through out the areas they need to trade with.
Communication: The Egyptians would communicate by scribes writing hieroglyphics and hieratic. They would also draw and paint pictures to communicate. There was the basic person to person talk between each other. The normal talking to one or another was the most common communication.
Nile Delta: It was formed by divisions of the Nile River which flows through to the Mediterranean Sea. It was a vital element of the development of Egypt. The Delta offered many resources for the Egyptians. It is a triangular plain. There are two main branches of the Nile Delta, The Rosetta on the west and The Damietta on the east. When the Nile Delta flooded it would spread silt over the lands.
Nile Valley: Civilization developed along the Nile hence the name of the Valley. The Nile Valley was a magnet for life. It attracted humans, animals and plants. It provided ideal conditions for small communities to form. It was seen as a gift from the gods that when it flooded it would deposit rich nutrient silt over the land.
Western Desert: The Western Desert is about 700,000 square kilometers. It covers around two-thirds of egypt's land area. It goes from the Mediterranean Sea, south to the Sudanese border, and from the Nile River Valley west to the Libyan border. There are two large agricultural in the south. Sharq Oweinat near the Sudanese border, and Tushka near Lake Nasser.
Eastern Desert: The Eastern Desert is also called the Arabian Desert. It is just south-east of the Nile River delta, it then extends south-eastward into north-eastern Sudan, then from the Nile River valley eastward to the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea. It covers 221,940 square km. It is nowhere near the size of the Western Desert. Sinai Peninsula: The Sinai Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It is about 60 000 km2.