Youtor
The Battle of Megiddo
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The year is 1458 BCE, and the regent female pharaoh of egypt, Hatshepsut, has just died, leaving the throne of the Egyptian Empire to Thutmose III. Hatshepsut’s rule had been highly successful, being one of the most powerful, resourceful and effective rulers in the countries history. Largely kept in his regents shadow, the untested pharaoh inherited a well maintained empire, with a very well organised military system. • However, with his accession to the throne, opportunistic vassal kingdoms in the empire saw a chance to rebel and claim their independence once more. Headed by the prince of Kadesh, the Syrian and Canaanite states of the empire rose up in rebelion, hoping to take advantage of the untested new pharaoh. • However, the situation was made even more serious with the addition of the Prince of Megiddo to the rebellion. Megiddo commanded the main trade route between Egypt and the kingdoms of Mesopotamia, and as a result was a strategically important city. • The coalition between the Canaanites of Megiddo and the Syrians of Kadesh attracted others dissatisfied with Egyptian rule, who gathered their forces outside the city of Megiddo in late 1458 or early 1457 BCE • Thutmose III wasted no time in mobilizing his forces and marching from Thebes in Egypt toward the rebel stronghold. This army numbered around ten thousand to twenty thousand strong, being made up of infantry and the Egyptian Chariots. • The army covered 150 miles in 10 days and rested at the loyal city of Gaza before moving on to the town of Yehem. Here Thutmose III halted to discuss with his senior staff. This was due to their route was blocked by a valley, with three possible routes through it. One was a narrow pass which would require the army to march in single file where the risk of ambush was huge. There were two safer options, going around the pass, however these were very predictable, as they were the most logical and sensible route to take. • After much conferring, with the generals preferring the road to the around the narrow and dangerous pass. Thutmose therefore decided the best route to take was the narrow and dangerous pass. Saying that he would take the more dangerous option to prove his bravery. The narrow pass meant that chariots had to be disassembled, and horse had to be lead in single file. Through luck, Thutmose emerged on the other side, with no rebel army there to meet him. The rebels had been expecting him to take one of the two safer routes, and as such had moved a majority of their forces to guard these passes, leaving the route to Megiddo open. • Thutmose recognized the opportunity. He set up camp and, during the night, arrayed his forces close to the enemy.The rebels were on high ground next to the fortress of Megiddo. The Egyptian line was arranged in a concave formation that threatened both rebel flanks, with the Pharaoh in the centre. • • Early in the morning, the egyptians attacked the rebel line. The infantry was soon engaged in brutal hand to hand combat. The combination of position and numbers, along with an early, bold attack, broke the enemy's will; their line immediately collapsed. Those near the city fled into it, closing the gates behind them. • • Complete victory was within Thutmose grasp, however, his ill disciplined army soon gave up chasing the rebels, and began to plunder the enemy’s camp and looting their dead. In this confusion, the scattered rebel forces, including the kings of Kadesh and Megiddo managed to rejoin the rebels in the city. Using ropes made of clothing, many rebels were able to escape to the city. The resulting siege see the rebels take up to seven months to surrender. • • The victorious egyptians took home 340 prisoners, 2041 mares, 191 foals, 6 stallions, 924 chariots, 200 suits of armor, 502 bows, 1929 cattle, 22,500 sheep, and the royal armor, chariot and tent-poles of the King of Megiddo. The city and citizens of the city were spared with Thutmoses III required the defeated kings each send a son to the Egyptian court as hostages to ensure the kings loyalties to egypt. • ____________________________________________________________________ • References • Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Megiddo | ancient city, Palestine. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Megiddo [Accessed 8 Oct. 2018]. • Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Thutmose III | king of Egypt. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/... [Accessed 8 Oct. 2018]. • Mark, J. and Mark, J. (2018). Thutmose III. [online] Ancient History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/Thutmose_III/ [Accessed 8 Oct. 2018]. • Battles of Megiddo, Ancient Battle, Ancient History Guy, Animated History, Ancient History, Battle, Military History, Thutmoses III, Ancient Egypt, Kadesh, Battles of History
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