Description
Book SynopsisThe force that forged an empire.
The furious thunder of thousands of hooves, the clatter and sheen of bronze armor sparkling in the desert sun, the crunch of wooden wheels racing across a rock-strewn battlefield-and leading this terrifying chariot charge, the gallant Pharaoh, the ribbons of his blue war crown streaming behind him as he launches yet another arrow into the panicking mass of his soon-to-be-routed enemies.
While scenes like the one depicted above did occur in ancient Egypt, they represent only one small aspect of the vast, complex, and sophisticated military machine that secured, defended, and expanded the borders of the empire during the late Eighteenth Dynasty.
In Tutankhamun''s Armies, you''ll discover the harsh reality behind the imperial splendor of the New Kingdom and gain a new appreciation for the formidable Egyptian army-from pharaoh to foot soldier. You''ll follow the heretic king Akhenaten, his son Tutankhamun, and their th
Trade Review‘…very original little book…to vividly bring to life a particular period which many people are very interested in.' (TheBrowser.com, March 2011)
Table of ContentsAtlas xi
Acknowledgments xix
Note to the Reader xxi
Chronology xxiii
1 Land of Desert and Nile 1
2 The Amarna Interlude 12
The Founding of the New Kingdom 13
Eighteenth-Dynasty Kingship 16
Amunhotep III: The King as Solar Disk 19
Akhenaten: The Solar Disk as King 24
Four Features of Atenism 27
Aket-aten: A New Capital 28
The “Amarna” Style of Art 30
Proscription of Other Deities 32
The Importance of Women at Amarna 34
Atenism: Re-creation of Creation 36
The Location of Akhet-aten: The Home of the Ogdoad 37
Akhenaten as Creator Deity 40
The Gods Have Not Yet Been Born 42
The Female Light Powers 43
Ankh(et)kheperure Neferneferuaten and Smenkhkare: The Ephemeral Kings 44
Tutankhamun: The Boy King 47
After Tutankhamun: Aye 51
Horemhab: The General 54
3 Trampling the Nine Bows: Military Forces and Weaponry 58
Branches of the Egyptian Military 60
Weapons and Armor 70
Horses and Chariots 77
War Dogs 80
Clothing, Armor, and Defensive Weapons 81
Signaling Equipment 83
Fortifications, Camps, and Siege Technology 85
4 Land of Gold: The Southern Empire 91
Egyptian Fortifications in Nubia 93
The Southern Border of the New Kingdom 102
The Viceroys of Nubia 106
Amarna Cities in Nubia 110
The Tutankhamun Stela from Kurkur Oasis 113
Nubian Wars of the Amarna Period 117
The Spoils of Battle: Durbars of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun 125
The Nubian Experience of Colonization 131
5 Wretched Asiatics: The Northern Empire 137
Prelude to Amarna: Early Eighteenth-Dynasty Wars with Mitanni 139
The Egyptian Empire in Syria-Palestine 142
The Amarna Letters 147
“The Vile Dog of Amurru” 156
The Fall of Sumur and the Great Syrian Campaign 161
The Realpolitik of Akhenaten 170
Akhenaten’s Attack on Kadesh 172
The Asiatic War of Tutankhamun 178
The Affair of the Egyptian Queen 184
6 Uniting the Two Lands: Domestic Security and the Army in Peacetime 187
Akhenaten’s Domestic Policy 189
Police and Military Installations at Akhet-aten 191
The Western Frontier 196
Corps of Engineers 200
Naval and Port Security 201
Religious Functions of the Military 204
Epilogue 211
Notes 213
Further Reading 275
Index 277
