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Peoples of the sea in the history of Ancient Egypt

The term "peoples of the sea" appeared in the ancient Egyptian language in the XIV century. BC. E. So the inhabitants of the banks of the Nile called the strangers who lived in the west of Asia Minor and the Balkans. These were Tevkras, Sherdans, Shekeles and Philistines. Some modern researchers identify them with the Greeks. The peoples of the sea they were considered due to the fact that between them and the Egyptians was the Mediterranean Sea. The term was restored and introduced into modern scientific language by the French scientist Gaston Maspero.

Catastrophe of the Bronze Age

In the XII century BC. E. The so-called catastrophe of the Bronze Age took place. Many ancient civilizations collapsed. In the past, the Mycenaean culture remained, centered on the Aegean Islands. Literacy declined, former trade routes faded. In these circumstances, the peoples of the sea moved to the south and began to pose a serious threat to Egypt.

Hordes that left the gloomy north, turned into ruins everything that came across in their path. The splendor and richness of ancient cities attracted marauders and barbarians. The order was replaced by chaos, need and impoverishment came to the place of abundance. The general ferment caused by migration waves led to the famous Trojan War. Its events are still known by semi-mythological and semi-real sources. If, for example, the peoples of the Baltic Sea and other inhabitants of that time in Europe are practically unknown to us, then we can judge the Egyptians and their neighbors in the Mediterranean by rich historical material.

Approaching strangers

A mortal blow to the peoples of the sea was inflicted on the Hittite kingdom, which existed in Anatolia. The first thing the aliens did was cut the north-west trade routes. They moved down the Aegean coast to the south along the Mediterranean coast. Along the way, another ancient kingdom was swept away, which for a long time was at odds with the Hittites, Arzawa. His capital was the current Ephesus. Then Cilicia fell. Egypt was getting closer. Hordes of strangers went to where the sea. Few people of Cyprus survived the invasion. After it, the mining of copper ore stopped on the island. The catastrophe of the Bronze Age in general was characterized by the destruction of any infrastructure. The same thing happened to Northern Syria - it was ruined.

After that, another important economic artery of the Hittites was cut. Their ancient capital, Hattus, weakened by isolation, could not repel several attacks of the omnipresent peoples of the sea. Soon the city was burned to the ground. Its ruins were discovered by archaeologists only at the beginning of the 20th century. Until that moment, the once prosperous capital has been forgotten for centuries.

The Hittite empire was the leading power in the Middle East for 250 years. She fought long and much with Egypt. One of the diplomatic treaties of the two countries became the most ancient document of this type found in the history of mankind. However, neither the power nor the authority of the Hittites could counter anything to unknown barbarians.

Meanwhile in Egypt

Just a few years after the Trojan War and the fall of the Hittite state at the turn of the 13th-12th centuries, BC. E. The Egyptians first encountered their new enemies, which were the peoples of the sea. Who are they to the inhabitants of the Nile Valley? Unknown hordes. The Egyptians had a bad idea of outsiders.

At that time, Pharaoh was Ramses III. Researchers consider him the last great Egyptian ruler of the imperial era before the arrival of the troops of Alexander the Great and the Hellenization of the country. Ramses belonged to the twentieth dynasty. It is just like the eighteenth and nineteenth, survived its decline and apogee. At the turn of the XIII-XII centuries. BC. E. Came its blossoming. Ramses began to reign around 1185 BC. E. The main event of his reign was the invasion of the peoples of the sea.

In all ancient times, Egypt was considered the cherished goal of any conquerors. This country tried to conquer the Persian Cambyses, Assyrian Assurbanipal, Alexander the Great, Roman Pompey. Later, Osman Selim and the Frenchman Napoleon invaded there. They were eager to Egypt and the peoples of the sea. The bronze age was drawing to a close, and before going to iron, the Mediterranean had to go through many shocks. The war of the Egyptians with the northern strangers, driven by victorious fervor, was one of them.

Evidence of war

The ancient history of the peoples of the sea is known to us thanks to numerous carved in stone illustrations and historical texts that were preserved until the 20th century in Egyptian temples and tombs, when they were deciphered by modern archaeologists and linguists. These sources tell of the great war and the final victory of Ramses III. But there is almost no evidence of bloodshed in the Middle East or Greece. Only by indirect data, scientists concluded that the peoples of the sea destroyed not only the Mycenaean culture, but also the Hittite empire, as well as many other small kingdoms.

The most surprising thing is that where the wandering conquerors passed, life seemed to have completely disappeared. For example, there are no data on Greece and Crete in the period 1200-750. BC. E. After the fall of Troy, the history of these lands was crossed out of all evidence for several centuries. Historians have called them "dark ages." This period was a stepping stone from antiquity to classical antiquity, when Hellas entered its cultural and political zenith.

The victory of the Egyptians

In the war of the northerners against Egypt, not only the army, but also the ships of the peoples of the sea were important. The land forces of the invaders were encamped in Akko. The fleet was to go to the delta of the Nile. Ramzes was also preparing for war. He fortified the eastern borders, where he built several new fortresses. The Egyptian fleet was distributed along the northern harbors and was waiting for the enemy. At the mouth of the Nile built "towers" - unusual engineering structures, similar to which the ancient epoch did not yet know.

The peoples of the sea placed high hopes on their fleet. At first they planned that the ships would pass along the Pelusian mouth. However, realizing his inaccessibility, the invaders went the other way. Their final goal was to choose another, the Mendois estuary. The ships broke through the Egyptian barrier. Landed on the shore of three thousand troops captured the fortress, located in the delta of the Nile. Soon the Egyptian cavalry arrived in time. A hot fight ensued.

The invasion of the peoples of the sea into Egypt is depicted on several bas-reliefs from the era of Ramses III. Opponents of the Egyptians in the sea battle are depicted on them in crowned tiaras and horned helmets. One of the bas-reliefs shows how in the train the troops of the peoples of the sea were carts filled with concubines. Women are extremely unlucky to be in the thick of the war. In the image they raise their hands, pray for mercy, and one of the girls even tries to run, but falls.

Having seized the first fortress, the invaders could not develop their success. Between their leaders there were controversies about the strategy. Some wanted to go to Memphis, others waited for reinforcements. Meanwhile, Ramses did not waste time and from the eastern borders moved against the enemies. He overtook the opponents and defeated them. Strangers were also unlucky in the sense that they captured the fortress on the banks of the Nile on the eve of the river flood. Because of organized rebuff and discord in their own ranks, the peoples of the sea were defeated. Armor and weapons did not help them. Ramses III confirmed his status as a great monarch and until the end of his life confidently ruled the country.

Of course, the mysterious northerners did not disappear. Having failed to overcome the Egyptian border, they settled in Palestine. Some of them joined the Libyans, who lived west of the country of the pharaohs. These neighbors, along with the adventurers of the peoples of the sea, also troubled Egypt. A few years after the battle in the delta, they captured the fortress of Hacho. Ramses also this time led the army to repel another invasion. The Libyans and their allies - the descendants of the peoples of the sea - were defeated and nearly two thousand people were killed.

Version about the Greeks

The poorly studied history of the peoples of the sea still attracts researchers and historians. It was a complex conglomeration of tribes and its controversies and debates are continuing about its exact composition. Egyptian bas-reliefs depicting these strangers are in the funeral temple of Ramses III. It is called Medinet-Abu. The invaders in his drawings externally very much resemble the Greeks. There are several arguments in favor of the fact that uninvited guests who tried to break into Egypt were Hellenes. For example, himself Ramses called them not only the peoples of the sea, but also the peoples of the islands. This may indicate that the interventionists sailed from the Aegean, Crete or Cyprus.

Against the Greek version is the fact that the people living between the two seas are portrayed as Egyptians without beard. This contradicts the knowledge of historians about Hellenes. Ancient Greek men grew long beards until the fourth century. BC. E. This is evidenced, among other things, by images on Mycenaean vases of that period.

Shekelesh

The theory of the Greeks in the army of the peoples of the sea is controversial. But there are ethnic groups in which all historians are sure. One of them is shekelesh. This people is described in many sources of ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period. Mention of him is in such important places as the Karnak Temple and Atribis. For the first time these inscriptions on the walls appeared even under the predecessor of Ramses III Merneptah, who ruled in 1213-1203. BC. E.

Shekeles were allies of the Libyan princes. On the Egyptian bas-reliefs they are depicted in shells with spears, swords, darts and round shields. Shekelesh sailed to Egypt on sailboats with images of bird heads on the bow and stern. In the XI century. BC. E. They, together with the Philistines, settled in Palestine. Shekelesh is mentioned in the "Travel of Unu-Ammon" - the hieratic papyrus of the 21st dynasty. Now this artifact belongs to the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts named after Pushkin. Shekelesh traded in piracy. In Palestine, they captured the Karmal coast - a narrow coastal strip between the Carmel mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Sharon plain.

Sherdany

Sherdany is an important part of the conglomerate that formed the peoples of the sea. Who are they? Like the shekelesh, these seafarers were formidable pirates. Many historians consider them the ancestors of modern Sardinian people. According to another version, this people of the sea was related to dardans - the inhabitants of Troy and the entire northwestern Anatolia.

The capital of the Sherdans was the Palestinian city of Ahvat, which, among other things, was mentioned in the Book of Judges of Israel. The first information about them refers to diplomatic clay tablets belonging to the important for the Egyptologists Tel-El-Amarna archives. This people, living between the two seas, is mentioned by Rib-Addi, the ruler of the city of Byblos.

Sherdans have proven themselves not only as marines, but also as reliable mercenaries. They began to appear in the Egyptian army during the 18th dynasty. Ramesses II defeated these strangers, after which they even more began to enter the service of the pharaohs. The mercenaries fought shoulder to shoulder with the Egyptians during their subsequent military campaigns in Palestine and Syria. Under Ramses III the sherdans were "split". During the most important war of the Egyptians against the peoples of the sea, part of them fought on the side of the pharaoh, part - against him. The classical sword sword is long and straight. Residents of the Nile Valley used sickle-shaped blades.

Tvets

In the ancient Three lived not only dardans and sherdans. Their neighbors were tevkry - another people of the sea. They were not Greeks, although they knew the Greek language. The Tevuces, like other peoples of the sea in the history of Egypt, did not belong to the Indo-European group of peoples, who later occupied a dominant position in the Mediterranean. Although this is known precisely, more detailed ethnogenesis has not been clarified.

According to one of the unconfirmed versions, tevkry are related to the Etruscans from Italy (it is interesting that the ancient authors considered the ancestral home of the Etruscans precisely Asia Minor). Another theory links tevkro with the Mysians. The capital of the tribe was the city of Dor, located in Palestine on the Mediterranean coast in the territory of modern Israel. For the XII century BC. E. Tevkry developed this tiny settlement into a large and rich port. The city was destroyed by the Phoenicians. Only one name of the ruler of the Tekvr is known. It was Bender. Information about him is contained in the same "Journey of Unu-Ammon".

The Philistines

The origin of the Philistines is not known exactly. The ancestral home of this people of the sea settled in Palestine may be Greece or Western Asia Minor. In the Bible it is called Crete. In the temple of Ramses III, the Philistines are depicted in Aegean clothes and helmets decorated with feathers. Similar drawings of the Late Bronze Age are found in Cyprus. The chariots of the Philistines did not stand out remarkable, but the ships were distinguished by an unusual shape. Unique in them was also ceramics, as well as anthropoid sarcophagi.

The original language of the Philistines is unknown to historians. With the advent of Israel, this sea people adopted the dialect of Canaan (the western part of the Fertile Crescent). Even the Philistine deities remained in the chronicles under the Semitic names.

Almost all the peoples of the sea in the history of ancient Egypt remained unexplored for lack of sources. The exception to this rule is the Philistines. Firstly, they were distinguished by the large number owing to which several small nations assimilated in the ancient era. Secondly, there are many evidences about the Philistines (especially the Bible stands out). They did not have a centralized state. Instead, there were 5 city-policies in Palestine. All of them (Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Gati), except for Ekron, were conquered by the Philistines. This is evidenced by archaeological layers that do not belong to their culture. The policies were governed by the elders who formed the council. David's biblical victory over the Philistines put an end to this order.

The peoples living on the sea gradually disappeared. Even the Egyptians, after the death of Ramses III, entered a period of prolonged loss. On the contrary, the Philistines continued to live in prosperity and contentment. As already mentioned above, after the Bronze Age catastrophe, mankind gradually mastered iron. The Philistines made it one of the first. Possessing unique technologies and secrets of smelting iron daggers, swords, sickles and plow elements made them for a long time invulnerable to opponents stuck in the Bronze Age. The army of this people consisted of three skeletons: heavily armed infantry, archers and battle chariots.

Initially, the culture of the Philistines had some Creto-Mycenaean traits, as they maintained stable contacts with Greece. This relationship can be clearly seen in the style of ceramics. Familiarity begins to fade after about 1150 BC. E. It is then that the ceramics of the Philistines acquire the first features distinct from the Mycenaean tradition. The favorite drink of the Philistines was beer. At the excavations, archaeologists have found a number of characteristic pitchers, the feature of which is a filter for the barley husks. 200 years after the transfer to Palestine, the Philistines finally lose touch with the Greek past. In their culture, more local Semitic and Egyptian characteristics became more and more popular.

End of the Peoples of the Sea

After the defeat in the war against Ramses III, the peoples of the sea settled in Palestine and completely subjugated the southern coast of Canaan. In the middle of XII century. BC. E. Large cities of Lahish, Megiddo, Gezer, Bethel were conquered. Under the control of the Philistines, the valley of the Jordan and the Lower Galilee fell. Cities first collapsed, and then rebuilt in their own way - so it was easier to establish power in a new place.

In the XI century BC. E. Ashdod became the center of the Philistine. He constantly expanded and strengthened. Trade with Egypt and other neighbors brought great profits. The Philistines succeeded in gaining a foothold in a strategically important region, where many merchant routes intersected. In Tel Aviv, Tel-Mor appeared, a fortress around which the port grew.

The main enemy of the Philistines, except the Egyptians, were Jews. Their conflict lasted several centuries. In 1066 BC. E. A battle took place at Aven-Ezer, during which the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant (the main relic of the Israelites). The artifact was moved to the temple of Dagon. This deity of the people of the sea was depicted as a half-fish-half-man (it patronized agriculture and fishing). The episode with the Ark appears in the Bible. It tells that the Philistines were punished by the Lord for their offense. In their country began a mysterious disease - people were covered with ulcers. On the advice of the priests the people of the sea got rid of the Ark. During another conflict with the Israelis in 770 BC. E. The king of Judah Azariah declared war on the Philistines. He seized Ashdod and destroyed his fortifications.

The Philistines gradually lost territory, although they maintained their culture and identity. The most terrible blow to this people was inflicted by the Assyrians, who captured Palestine in the 7th century. BC. E. Finally, he disappeared in the times of Alexander the Great. This great general commanded not only Palestine, but also Egypt itself. As a result, both the inhabitants of the Nile valley and the peoples of the sea underwent considerable Hellenization and lost their unique national traits that were characteristic of them during the memorable war of Ramses III with the northern strangers.

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