🐎 c. 1270 BC — Ancient Egyptian Army on Campaign (Egypt’s Empire Era) What did the Egyptian army really look like?
Light infantry in linen kilts with rawhide shields, spears, axes, and the khopesh(sickle-sword used to chop and hook shields/limbs). Foot soldiers wore little armor; elites rode two-horse chariots with a driver and an archer using the composite bow. Divisions were named for gods (Amun, Ra, Ptah, Set), kept in line by standards and counted by scribes. Where were they fighting?
Across Canaan and Syria (Canaan = the ancient southern Levant—roughly modern Israel/Palestine, Lebanon, western Jordan, and southern Syria)—from coastal roads to river valleys—against Hittite and Levantine rivals near strongpoints like Kadesh and Megiddo. Columns moved with water carriers and supply trains along desert tracks and oases. Why did Egypt fight here?
To secure vassal cities, protect trade between the Nile and the Levant, and block rival empires from reaching the Delta. These campaigns ...