Magdeleine

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 * Egyptian Society during the Ramesside period, Dynasties XIX and XX =

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Oral Presentation by Magdeleine
2.3 nature and role of the army


 * Girls, the transcript for my speech has been lost on my computer, that's why it's not here. Even though this topic isn't all that complex, let me know if you have any questions about the army. The sources and their written information here, however, should be helpful. I have the speech on a hard copy and will bring on the day of our exam if anybody wants to see it.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:


 * Army Structure**

//[Diagram found on www.egyptologyonline.com/ diagram%20army.gif]//
 * At the head of the army was the Pharaoh himself
 * The New Kingdom army was divided into four sections; Amun, Ptah, Seth and Re
 * These were further divided into 'companies' of men (20 groups of 250 men)
 * Companies were divided into 'platoons' (5 groups of 50 men)

SOURCE 1.

“I spent my youth in the city of Nekheb, my father being an officer of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sekenenre triumphant.... Then I served as an officer in his stead in the ship “The Offering”...Then after I set up a household I was transferred to the northern fleet, because of my valour. I followed the king on foot when he rode abroad in his chariot... One captured Avaris; **I took captive there one man and three women, total four heads, his majesty gave them to me for slaves.** //...His majesty made a great slaughter among (the Nubian Troglodytes). Then I took captive there two living men, and three hands. One presented me with gold in double measure, besides giving to me two female slaves… There came an enemy of the South...His majesty carried him off as a living prisoner and all his people carried captive. **I carried away two archers as a seizure in the ship of the enemy, one gave to me five heads besides pieces of land amounting to five stat. (one stat is about a quarter hectare in my city). It was done to all the sailors likewise**////.”//

An extract from //T////he Autobiography of Ahmose, son of Ebana 18th, Dynasty//
 * //The source was found inscribed in the walls of Ahmose's tomb//
 * //Written by himself//
 * //Still intact inside of his tomb//
 * //The extract exemplifies the benefits of a New Kingdom soldier and an insight into his life//

SOURCE 2.

//Come, [let me tell] you the woes of the soldier, and how many are his superiors: the general, the troop-commander, the officer who leads, the standard-bearer, the lieutenant, the scribe, the commander of fifty, and the garrison-captain. They go in and out in the halls of the palace, saying: "Get laborers!" He is awakened at any hour.// //An extract from the Instructions of the Scribe 'Wenemdiamun' 20th dynasty//
 * //Found in 'Papyrus Lansing', supposedly a 'schoolbook'//
 * //Currently at the British Museum//
 * //The source is written by the scribe 'Wenemdiamun'. It is known that scribes did not speak highly of a career in the army and this very writing was to a student of his explaining the reasons why an individual should not become a soldier//
 * //An historian can learn that the army was highly hierarchical and soldiers had many hardships//

SOURCE 3.

//“Then His Majesty arose like his father Mont and took the accoutrements of// //battle, and girt himself with his corselt...His Majesty started forth at a// //gallop and entered into the host of the fallen ones of Khatti, being alone by// //himself, none other with him...found surrounding him on his outer side// //2500...not one of them stood firm to fight him.”// //Translated from a temple erected by Ramesses II in his own honor.//
 * //The source was found in an article 'The Chariot: a Weapon that Revolutionized Egyptian Warfare' by Richard Carney//
 * //Unknown Author//
 * //It can be learnt that Ramesses II was a formidable warrior and the source exemplifies his strength and nobility and the fear that encapsulated everybody around him in battle//

SOURCE 4.

//'Traditional scene representing King Ramesses the Second massacring his enemies'//
 * //Found in Memphis at an archaeological site//
 * //Currently at the Egyptian Museum//
 * //Creator is unknown//
 * //Can be used as visual evidence of the extensive military campaigns of Ramesses II during his reign//

SOURCE 5.

//Battle of Kadesh// //Luxor Temple, first pylon of Ramesses II; New Kingdom, Nineteenth Dynasty; ca 1265 BC.//
 * //Found in Ancient Thebes, the Temple of Luxor//
 * //Creator is unknown//
 * //Useful// //for historians studying the Battle of Kadesh. The relief shows the camp of the Egyptian army near Kadesh. The large tent belongs to the Pharaoh and bears his name. It also shows the typical life of an army camp: horses are cared for, chariots are drawn up into rows and repaired, and soldiers eat peacefully at the back of the camp.//

SOURCE 6.



// Battle of Kadesh Great temple of Ramesses II; north wall of the entrance hall; New Kingdom, Nineteenth Dynasty, ca 1265 BC. //
 * //Found at Abu Simbel, an archaeological site in modern day southern Egypt//
 * //The temple remains in its original site today although it was relocated in the 1960's high above the Aswan Dam reservoir//
 * //The creator is unknown, however, Ramesses II ordered the site to be constructed in his honor//
 * //The source shows how ancient Egyptian battle scenes were strictly structured. Enemies are principally shown in disorder (unstructured), close to defeat, as opposed to the triumphant Egyptian troops who are represented in perfect fighting order on the road to victory.//

SOURCE 7.



//Ramesses II atop chariot// //at the battle of Kadesh.//


 * //A relief found at the Temple of Abu Simbel//
 * //Remains intact at its current location in Egypt//
 * //Creator is unknown//
 * //Useful for historians studying cha////riots and the battle of Kadesh. Gives an intense visual of what battle could have been like and how the famous chariots were used//

BIBLIOGRAPHY //**Books**//
 * Gardiner, Sir Alan. 1961 'Egypt of the Pharaoh’s: An Introduction'. London: Oxford University Press.
 * Partridge, R. B., Dec 2002 'Fighting Pharaoh’s Weapons and Warfare in Ancient Egypt', Peartree Publishing; illustrated edition
 * Gabriel, R, A. & Metz, K. S. 1991 'From to Sumer to Rome': The Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers
 * M. Lichtheim, 1976 'Ancient Egyptian Literature', Vol.II, p.172, Berkeley: University of California Press
 * Cameron, K. & Kentworthy, G. 2000, 'Studies in Ancient Egypt - second edition
 * Bradley, P. 1999, 'Ancient Egypt: Reconstructing the Past'
 * Casson, L. 'The Great Ages of Man: Ancient Egypt'

//**Websites**// 
 * Crystal, E., last updated March 2009, Retrieved on 7th March 2009 from //http://www.crystalinks.com/dynasty19.html//
 * (No author) University website, 'Composition of Soldiers' retrieved on 6th March 2009 http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/military/comp_sol.html
 * (No author) Various articles by various authors, 'First Pylon of Ramesses II', retrieved on 9th March 2009 - http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxortemple3.htm
 * http://members.tripod.com/~ib205/ahmose_ebana.html. - Egypt: Ahmose son of Ebana, Autobiography, retrieved on 5th march 2009
 * http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/egyptchariots_000.pdf - [Inscription from a temple dedicated to Ramesses II] Carney, R. 'The Chariot: A Weapon that Revolutionized Egyptian Warfare' Retrieved on 9th March 2009
 * Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kadesh - Source 7. was retrieved here on the 10th march