Ancient Egyptian wars: During the first moments of the history of Egypt, the old Kingdom, and the Middle Kingdom, that is, the time of the pyramids, the pharaohs did not have professional soldiers. It was like the “militia” of a few years ago, they were all volunteers soldiers, called up when they were needed for the Egyptian wars. When Egypt was attacked or an expedition had to be organized against one of Egypt’s traditional enemies (the peoples of Nubia, Canaan, Libya or the desert nomads), the pharaoh’s officials would gather a group of men and, without extensive military training, send them on a mission
This meant, that military campaigns took place when agricultural conditions and climate permitted. For example, to go to fight in Nubia, where the heat is enormous, the time of winter and spring was preferred when the temperatures were not so high. On the other hand, to attack the area of Syria-Palestine, summer was chosen, after having harvested the crop. Being a soldier and a farmer had its disadvantages, especially from the point of view of the army. But in ancient times it was commonplace. During the first years of the Roman Republic, the same thing happened and they still conquered a great empire.
Ancient Egypt, The beginning, was a quiet and calm people, therefore they did not need any army or weapon to defend themselves; however, in emergency situations, they enlisted a group of young people who, when they finished their task, returned home, that is, they did not have permanent armies. As the empire grew and had more and more power, it was necessary to expand and conquer new territories, so they had to recruit a fixed and trained army that was available for any battle. In the Old Kingdom, there was a predominance of foreigners
Ancient Egyptian war strategies
Fortunately for the Egyptians, the people they faced had the same kind of military training, so in their confrontations, they were almost always victorious. At least that’s what the Egyptian texts tell us.
However, don’t let the image of an unprofessional Ancient Egyptian army fool you. Egyptian soldiers were capable of complex tactics and strategies. To give you an idea, Uni, an official of the Sixth Dynasty who was commissioned by the Pharaoh to lead a military campaign, was the first general to put into practice a tactic that has been repeated by all the armies of the world, from the Roman legions to the American “marines”: a pincer attack to surround the adversary, accompanied by the landing of troops from transport ships. Exactly the same as in Normandy during World War II.
Things changed with the beginning of the New Kingdom (the era of Tuthmosis, Tutankhamun, Rameses, etc.). Egypt then became one of the superpowers of the time and fought for supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean with the Hittites, the Mitanians and other powerful empires. Obviously, a group of soldiers gathered in a hurry and without much training was not enough to confront them. A professional, well-prepared army was now needed.
These Ancient Egyptian soldiers were trained hard and we know texts describing the walks, runs, and sufferings of the Egyptian soldiers’ infantry. There were also special bodies; soldiers who underwent specific training in a particular weapon, in this case, the use of the bow and arrows. It was not the only elite corps of the Egyptian army since the navy and its ships had a lot of prestige; perhaps more, they had those in charge of driving the “Chariot” of the time: the horse-drawn carriage. However, these animals were not ridden by soldiers, so there was no such thing as a cavalry. To lead and attack the enemy on a horse without the stirrups is very complicated and it is easy to dismount the rider.
In each chariot, there was a driven by a charioteer, in charge of driving and directing the machine, as well as a soldier who shot arrows and launched javelins at the enemies. The chariot was not an Egyptian invention. It was a weapon introduced to Egypt by the Hyksos, an Asian people who came to control the Delta during the Second Intermediate Period. This means that the Pharaoh’s soldiers were not the only ones who had this new weapon. The Hittites, arch enemies of the Egyptians at this time, also had them, but theirs were a little larger, carrying three people.
