The Pharaoh At Gaza
It was early April, ca. 1447 B.C.E., and the Pharaoh of Egypt, Tuthmoses III (ca. 1479-1425 B.C.E.), was celebrating his 23rd year on the throne in the town of Gaza in Palestine. His regent and co-ruler, the female Pharaoh, Hatsheptsut, (ca. 1473-1458 B.C.E.), had focused her imperial power in the south towards Nubia and Punt. It had been a generation since the Egyptians had marched into the Levant.
The long Egyptian absence in Palestine and Syria had spelled opportunity for the Hurrian Kingdom of Mittani, which had its heartland in northern Syria to the east of the Euphrates River. Now, the chariot warriors of Mittani had moved southward and steered the region away from Egyptian sovereignty.
Three Roads To The North
According to the Karnak temple carvings, after marching northward from Gaza, the Pharaoh addressed his troops at the town of Yehem. Here he told his soldiers that they were ready to confront “that wretched enemy”, and he reminded them that their cause was just and victory was ordained by the great god Amun-re.
The leader of the enemy coalition, the Prince of Qadesh, was the key vassal of Mittani in the region and had gathered all his allies at the town of Megiddo. Megiddo was located at a key juncture of trade routes and geographic obstacles, making it the gateway of commerce along the Palestinian Coast. Surrounded by easily defensible hills, the city itself was on a fortified mound overlooking a broad fertile plain. This town was in the perfect location for an army of chariot warriors to array itself for battle and await an enemy.
From Yehem, the Egyptians had three possible routes of approach. Two routes which flanked the regions daunting hills offered clear and open paths for a marching army. A third path, by way of the town of Arjuna, took the army on a direct course, but caused it to file through a narrow valley. After some discussion in the Egyptian camp, and the receipt of intelligence reports on the disposition of the enemy forces, the Pharaoh decided to lead the way down the narrow Arjuna path.
The Plain Of Megiddo
The anti-Egyptian coalition had failed to guard the narrow path upon which the Pharaoh led his army. Even though it took seven hours for the entire Egyptian force to move northward through the hills, they were able to assemble on the plain to the south of the city of Megiddo, and set up their camp unmolested. From this vantage, the Pharaoh oversaw the disposition of his troops and gave orders that the army ready for battle.
After a full day of preparation, the Pharaoh received word that “the desert is well”, indicating that all was ready for a set piece battle before the walls of the enemy city. Each side is estimated to have had at least 1,000 chariots and several times that number of footmen. It appears that, after loosing the initiative of tactical positioning to the Egyptians, that the Prince of Qadesh and his allies choose to meet the Pharaoh in the field and hope for a decisive victory rather than risk a protracted siege.
The Enemy Fled With Faces Of Fear
Both armies aligned themselves for a set piece battle upon a field that had been groomed in advance to allow the chariots to maneuver and wheel about. After an initial charge, the engagement quickly turned in the Egyptians favor. The allied troops broke rank and fled headlong for the walls of Megiddo, where they were pulled to safety by hastily lowered ropes.
The Egyptians occupied the field of battle, taking a total of 85 hands as proof of kills, with another 340 of the enemy taken as prisoners. Additionally, the Pharaoh’s men seized from the enemy over 2,000 horses and 892 chariots. Based on these numbers, several thousand fighters appear to have taken refuge in the walled city.
Although the Egyptian army took time to plunder the field of enemy loot, acquiring valuable armor and weapons in the process, the enemy was not able to find safety in Megiddo for long. There is some lament in the record that the enemy was allowed to escape to the walled town, but this did not prevent a total Egyptian victory. Tuthmoses quickly set up siege-works and encircled the town, eventually forcing its occupants to yield.
Further Spoils Of Victory
It was not long before the enemy Princes were forced to crawl on their bellies before the Pharaoh and ask his pardon. The Pharaoh, in turn, was happy to sit back and allow his enemies to willingly divest themselves of their wealth in an effort to quell his wrath.
The amount of Egyptian plunder from this victory is impressive by any standards. In addition to the prisoners and eventual hostages that were offered, vast amounts of real assets were surrendered to the Pharaoh. Thousands of Asians became slaves to the Egyptians, and a large quantity of luxury goods were seized from the various princes and chiefs seeking pardon. Additionally, thousands of animals, including 20,500 sheep and 2,000 goats were taken. The farmlands themselves were also stripped and a nearly half a million bushels of wheat went into Egyptian storehouses.
Although Tuthmoses III would spend many more years campaigning in Palestine and Syria, this victory marked the beginning of over a hundred years of unquestioned Egyptian sovereignty in the region. Subsequent campaigns eventually saw the city of Qadesh, leader of the coalition against Egypt, fall from Mittani hands and become a vassal to Egypt. The Battle of Megiddo would go down in memory as one of histories great turning points, and would help fuel the myth of Megiddo as a place of ultimate confrontation between good and evil.
Sources
Pritchard, James B. “The Ancient Near East, vol. 1.” (Princeton University Press, 1958)
Shaw, Ian. “The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt” (Oxford University Press, 2000)
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