The Ancient Near East: Ramses III and the Sea Peoples

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Sea Peoples
Ramses III’s account of the Sea Peoples
Conclusion
References
Footnotes

Introduction

Ramses III (also known as Usimare Ramesses III) was the Egyptian Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty. He was the son of King Setnakht and Queen Tiymerenese and was the last king of the New Kingdom to rule Egypt between 1187 and 1156 BC. He is supposed to have ruled Egypt for nearly 31 years. He modeled his career after Ramses II of the Nineteenth Dynasty. He adored and admired Ramses II, so much, that he named his children and even his horses after Ramses II.

Although his reign was the longest, it was also beset with a lot of problems. One such issue took place when one of his queens, Tiy, planned an assassination attempt wherein she played a prominent role. Tiy wanted her son, Pentewere, to ascend to the throne of Egypt; the plot failed and her son did not ascend the throne. This information is found in a noteworthy papyrus from his reign, known as the Harem Conspiracy Papyrus. We also come to know of the first general strike in recorded history. This was due to certain economic problems that became most visible when the Deir el-Medina workmen failed to be paid. This formed the background to another assassination attempt. All of those involved in the plot were apparently condemned to death, as was certainly the fate of Queen Tiy herself. His son Penewere was forced to commit suicide, privately in a prison.

Dunn (2007) reports that “Over the some three thousand years of Egyptian history during the Pharaonic Period only a handful of the several hundred who ruled Egypt (or part of Egypt) can be considered truly great kings. Of these, Ramesses III, who was the second ruler of Egypt’s 20th Dynasty, was the last of great pharaohs on the throne. His reign was a time of considerable turmoil throughout the Mediterranean that saw the Trojan War, the fall of Mycenae and a great surge of displaced people from all over the region that was to reek (sic) havoc; even toppling some empires.”

The Sea Peoples

“The Sea Peoples is the term used for an alliance of seafaring raiders who sailed into the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, caused political unrest, and attempted to enter or control Egyptian territory during the late 19th dynasty, and especially during Year 8 of Ramses III of the 20th Dynasty.” This is the information we get from the inscriptions of Medinat Habu and Karnak. There is also mention about these seafarers in the Great Harris Papyrus, now housed in the museum of London.

The only source of information from where scholars, researchers, archeologists get information about the Sea Peoples is from the inscriptions found at Medinat Habu. There is also mention about Sea Peoples in the temple of Karnak. From the information we have regarding their individual names, they could have originated from Aegean or Asia Minor. Whether they came in small groups or as a “confederacy” or as a “loose confederation” they managed to invade the northern part of Egypt and apparently mounted innumerable campaigns against the Egyptians. There is a general agreement between scholars that historical documentation during the 12th century BC is very vague. The possible skirmishes, resulting in chaos, brought about by the Sea Peoples (between the years 1200 and 1176 BC) could be one of the reasons for this. This commotion did permanently affect the geographical regions and boundaries of many a nation during that time (Sanders, 1985).

From the inscription, various scholars have interpreted that the Sea Peoples were a coalition of varying ethnic groups. From the Medinet Habu inscriptions we also come to understand that these Sea Peoples could have come from Ahhiyawa. The ethnic groups mentioned in the texts could be the following: 1) The Peleset are definitely the Philistines, and incidentally the present day Palestine is named after them; 2) The Lukka peole could have come from the Lycian region of Anatolia; 3) The mention of Ekwesh and Denen seem be the people identified by Homer as the Achaean and Danaean of Greek descent; 4) the Sherden could be from Sardinia; 5) the Shekelesh could be Shekresh or Sikeloi or possibly Sicilians and 6) the Teresh (could have been Tursha or Tyrshenoi or possibly the Tyrrhenians), the Greek name for the Etruscans; or from the western Anatolian Taruisa.

Having mentioned about the Sea Peoples, we would only be curious to know who they were in the first place. Who were the Sea Peoples? This issue has been touched upon briefly several times during this analysis, and it deserves to be addressed directly. “Perhaps the best and most unambiguous way to answer this question is to separate the winners form the losers in this epic series of battles. As we have seen, the major losers were a) the city of Ugarit which was totally destroyed and never rebuilt, b) the Hittite empire which was destroyed and was left as only a residual fragment on the Euphrates River, c) the Mycenaeans who were fatally wounded and would disappear completely within a hundred years, and d) Egypt which had won the battles but lost the Levant— it would waste away and become a shadow of its former self” (Holst, 2005).

“The winners, who constituted the Sea Peoples’ confederacy, were a) the tribes of people who came form Anatolia- and the land to its north and west- who migrated into the Levant and onto islands across the Mediterranean, b) the Kaska who kept their original lands in the north of Anatolia on the Black Sea, and added the heart of the Hittite territories to their own, the West Anatolian who remained in their own lands, but added some of the Hittite lands, and gained influence in the Aegean, and d) the Phoenicians who seem to have gained more than anyone else from the mass migration of the Land and Sea Peoples” (Holst, 2005).

Figure 1. The possible sea route taken by the Sea Peoples who invaded Egypt between 1250 and 1150 BC.

Ramses III’s account of the Sea Peoples

Medinat Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramses III, has the temple’s outer walls depict important battle and victory scenes over the Libyans and Sea Peoples. Ramses III was a man of pomposity with grandiose ideals. He ensured that the battles he won or supposed to have been won were all given due importance. Here is an example from an inscription of Ramses III that relates to the 8th year of his reign (which is dated ca. 1176 BC); this could be considered a boast of his triumphs: “No land could stand before their arms, from Hatti, Qode, Carchemish, Arzawa and Alasiya on, being cut off at one time. A camp was set up in one place in Amurru. They desolated its people, and its land was like that which has never come into being. They were coming toward Egypt, while the flame was prepared before them. Their confederation was the Peleset, Tjeker, Shekelesh, Denyen, and Weshesh, (my emphasis) lands united. They laid their hands upon the land as far as the circuit of the earth, their hearts confident and trusting: ‘Our plans will succeeded!’ (Medinet Habu Inscription).

“The countries — –, the [Northerners] in their isles were disturbed, taken away in the [fray] — at one time. Not one stood before their hands, from Kheta, Kode, Carchemish, Arvad, Alashia, they were wasted. y {[set up]} a camp in one place in Amor. They desolated his people and his land like that which is not. They came with fire prepared before them, forward to Egypt. Their main support was Peleset, Tjekker, Shekelesh, Denyen, and Weshesh. (These) lands were united, and they laid their hands upon the land as far as the Circle of the Earth. Their hearts were confident, full of their plans.

Now, it happened through this god, the lord of gods, that I was prepared and armed to [trap] them like wild fowl. He furnished my strength and caused my plans to prosper. I went forth, directing these marvelous things. I equipped my frontier in Zahi, prepared before them. The chiefs, the captains of infantry, the nobles, I caused to equip the river-mouths [1], like a strong wall, with warships, galleys, and barges, [–]. They were manned [completely] from bow to stern with valiant warriors bearing their arms, soldiers of all the choicest of Egypt, being like lions roaring upon the mountain-tops. The charioteers were warriors [– –], and all good officers, ready of hand. Their horses were quivering in their every limb, ready to crush the countries under their feet. I was the valiant Montu, stationed before them, that they might behold the hand-to-hand fighting of my arms. I, king Ramses III, was made a far-striding hero, conscious of his might, valiant to lead his army in the day of battle.

Those who reached my boundary, their seed is not; their heart and their soul are finished forever and ever. As for those who had assembled before them on the sea, the full flame was in their front, before the river-mouths, and a wall of metal upon the shore surrounded them. They were dragged, overturned, and laid low upon the beach; slain and made heaps from stern to bow of their galleys, while all their things were cast upon the water. (Thus) I turned back the waters to remember Egypt; when they mention my name in their land, may it consume them, while I sit upon the throne of Harakhte, and the serpent-diadem is fixed upon my head, like Re. I permit not the countries to see the boundaries of Egypt to [–] [among] them. As for the Nine Bows, I have taken away their land and their boundaries; they are added to mine. Their chiefs and their people (come) to me with praise. I carried out the plans of the All-Lord, the august, divine father, lord of the gods.” (Breasted, 1921).

Conclusion

The influence of the Sea Peoples left a lasting mark on the geographical boundaries of far eastern Mediterranenan nations. Although they were thwarted by the Egyptians, under Ramses III, they only regrouped after his death. The Sea Peoples were successful in creating cities and the prominent among them were in Morocco: Lixis (modern Larache), Sala (Rabat), Mogador (Essaouira) and Tingis (Tangier); in Spain: Gadir (Cadiz), Malaka (Malaga), Ibisa (Ibiza); in Algeria: Icosia (Algiers); in Tunisia: Utica and Carthage, both now gone; in Sardinia: Karalis (Cagliari); in Sicily: Panormus (Palermo); in Cyprus: Kition (Larnaca). These were in addition to their home cities in Lebanon: Tyre (Sor), Sidon (Saida), Beirut (Beirut), Byblos (Jbail), Tripoli (Trablous), and many others.

Historians are now beginning to unravel the mysteries surrounding the origin and deeds of Sea Peoples. We are in a better position to see “who the Sea Peoples were, what drove them, the actions they took, and where they settled. By clarifying the “mysteries” surrounding them, we are now able to more fully understand this critical turning point in history.”¹

The Sea People changed the face of the cities on the Mediterranean Sea forever but they never succeeded in conquering Egypt and their presence in the Syria-Palestine belt has not affected Egypt’s control over its northern territories. To this effect we have to admit the measures taken by Ramses III were effective. One thing that is apparent from the movement and migration of the Sea People is that they were not in any belligerent mood against any nation. The drawing depicted at Medinat Habu portrays the Sea Peoples being accompanied by their families and it is plausible that they carried their possessions in ox-drawn carts and were only too eager to settle in the fertile Nile Valley. Although it might appear that Ramses III might have won the battle it appears from history that the Sea Peoples eventually won the war.

References

Breasted, J. H. (1906). Ancient Records of Egypt (Vol. 4). Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Dunn, J. (2007). Ramesses III, Egypt’s Last, Great Pharaoh. (2007). Web.

Holst, S. (2005). Phoenicians: Lebanon’s Epic Heritage. Cambridge & Boston Press, Los Angeles, California.

Sandars, N. K. (1985) The SEA PEOPLES: Warriors of the ancient Mediterranean 1250-1150 BC. Revised Edition. Thames & Hudson, London.

Shaw, I. and Nicholson, P. (1995). The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Harry N. Abrams, New York.

Footnotes

Based on a paper presented by Sanford Holst (Sea People and the Phoenicians: From Morocco to the Levant) to the World History Association conference at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, 2005.

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