1. Egyptian Military Traditions

2. Egyptian Military Traditions
Gods involved in every aspect of Egyptian life, including when it came to warfare.
The Egyptians called upon the gods to ensure their victory.
Egyptians were not typically the most warlike people in the ancient world.
- WHY?

3. Egyptian Military Traditions
The Nile Valley provided for their needs
The deserts on either side served as natural barriers from enemies.
The wealth of Egypt did attract the attention of greedy neighbours.
Egyptians became aware that they would need a strong military force to defend from outside attacks.

4. Egyptian Military Traditions
Fighting abroad was always viewed with anxiety. Nothing could be worse than getting killed and being buried in a foreign land.
As the Egyptian Army grew stronger they did begin to expand Egyptian borders through conquest.

5. Egyptian Military Traditions
Egyptian Army was highly trained and disciplined.
Wars were fought with great pomp and ceremony, with trumpeters
leading the army into battle
At the head of each attack was the pharaoh's chariot, carrying a flag decorated with a ram’s head and the sun, symbolic of the God Amon-Re.

6. Old Kingdom
During this period, the king had a personal bodyguard but ancient Egypt had no standing army
When certain regions posed any potential threat, the governors of the various provinces raised troops to defend the empire
Once this temporary army completed a specific military campaign, it was either disbanded or assigned to some other state work project, such as building the pyramids at Giza

7. New Kingdom
The pharaohs of this period increased the size of their standing armies and concentrated more on building the empire
During Thutmose III, innovations began to appear in Egyptian military
Leather body armour covered with metal scales was introduced
Charioteers, the elite branch of the military, began to carry large shields, and both warrior and horse wore heavy blankets of quilted leather, lined with linen, to cover most of their backs

8. Types of Weapons Impact weapons - clubs and mace
Edged close combat weapons – axes, knives and swords
Projectile weapons – bows and arrows, slingshots, javelins, spears and throwing sticks
Defensive equipment – shields, body armour
Transportation equipment – boats, horses, chariots

9. Impact Weapons
Clubs were perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by Egyptians in warfare
Almost always made of wood, they absorbed shock fairly well and are relatively strong
They are light and only partially successful when used to smash an enemy’s head
Common club was replaced by the mace
A mace is basically nothing more than a wooden club with a head made of some heavy and hard material, such as stone
Use of the mace was limited in regions where armor and helmets were worn during combat

10. Edged, Close Combat Weapons
Axes were probably used very early in Egyptian warfare
It was the battle axe that eventually replaced the mace as one of the Egyptian military’s primary close combat weapons
Long, Piercing Axe head dating to the Middle Kingdom

11. Daggers were used as a weapon from the very earliest periods of Egyptian history
Originally made of flint, at no time would the standard dagger have been a very effective weapon against battle axes or even maces, with their long reach
They were adorned as ceremonial objects

12. Swords were a direct consequence of the introduction of metal
The dagger would eventually lead to a more useful close combat weapon: the sword
Swords were a direct consequence of the introduction of metal
There are no stone predecessors of this kind of weapon
Bronze was first used for making swords
Straight, two-edged blade with a sharp point replaced the curved Egyptian swords
A Typical, Late Egyptian Sword

13. Projective Type Weapons
Standoff weapons, usually used in order to soften up the enemy prior to an infantry assault
Throw stick used to some extend during Predynastic period as a weapon, but not very effective
Continued to use it through to the end of the New Kingdom
Used extensively for hunting fowl

14. Early throwing sticks

15. Spear could be either close combat or projectile type of weapon
During old and middle kingdom, it typically consisted of a pointed blade made of copper or flint that was attached to a long wooden shaft
In New Kingdom, bronze blades became common
A Bronze Spearhead from Ancient Egypt

16. Bow and Arrow One of ancient Egypt’s most crucial weapons
Some of the first bows were “horn bows” made by joining a pair of antelope horns by a central piece of wood
By beginning of dynastic period, bows had a single curvature and were made of wood and strung with sinews or strings made of plant fiber
In pre-dynastic period bows frequently had a double curvature
Old Kingdom, a single-arched bow was adopted

17. Composite bow
During the New Kingdom, the composite bow came into use, having been introduced by the Asiatic Hyksos
Made from horn, wood, and sinew
A sinew or tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muschle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension
Water buffalo tusks, fish bladders and animal sinew all went into the making of the ancient Egyptian composite bow
Much more difficult and expensive to produce
Difficult weapon to use, demanded strength, dexterity and years of practice

18. The slingshot
Hurling stones with the help of a slingshot demanded little equipment but considerable practice in order to be effective
Secondary to the bow and arrow in battle, the slingshot was rarely depicted

19. Shields
From predynastic period to middle kingdom, the only real body protection used by Egyptian soldiers was supplied by a long, roughly rectangular shield made of cowhide stretched over a wooden frame
During the new kingdom bronze was sometimes used. Metal plate shields were heavier than leather shields with wooden frames and did not necessarily afford better protection

20. Helmets and Body Armor
Egyptians at war rarely covered their heads, the pharaohs being the exception
In Egypt’s Old and Middle Kingdom, Egyptian soldiers never wore armor
Sometimes broad leather bands covered part of the torso of charioteers, but generally soldiers are depicted without any body protection
Again, the pharaohs were the exception