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Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC)
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The Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC) was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of the pharaoh Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in reliable detail. At the battle of Megiddo there is the first recorded use of the composite bow and the first body count. Details of the battle which come from the hieroglyphic writings on the walls of the Hall of Annals in the Temple of Amun at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor), by the military scribe Tjaneni, can be compared to details of the battle from Joshua and Judges.
It is notable that both accounts have Thutmosis III choosing to approach Megiddo from the narrower mountainous route coming in across the brook of Kishon from the south.
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The Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC) was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of the pharaoh Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in reliable detail. At the battle of Megiddo there is the first recorded use of the composite bow and the first body count. Details of the battle which come from the hieroglyphic writings on the walls of the Hall of Annals in the Temple of Amun at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor), by the military scribe Tjaneni, can be compared to details of the battle from Joshua and Judges.
It is notable that both accounts have Thutmosis III choosing to approach Megiddo from the narrower mountainous route coming in across the brook of Kishon from the south. This route takes a calculated risk of ambush weighing it as advantagous over taking the main road coming in from the north. The northern road is easier but gives up the advantage of suprise. Both Egyptian and Biblical dates for the battle fall c 1470 BC, agreeing with the theory that in the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, the campaigns in Canaan are connected to the expulsion of the Hyksos. Their movement into Canaan in the reign of Ahmose and their alliance with the king of Kadesh to the north of Canaan in the reign of Thutmose III resulted in widescale loss of authority and rebellion against the Egyptians. According to Egyptian sources the suprise attack from the south resulted in a rout of the Canaanite forces. The Canaanites abandoned well appointed chariots and their horses fleeing to safety in the city of Megiddo while the Egyptians squandered their opportunity for a quick and decisive victory by stopping to plunder the battlefield. After a lengthy siege of Meggido there was eventually an Egyptian victory.
According to Hittite sources and the biblical account starting at Judges:4 and including the passage known as the "Song of Deborah and Barak" it was a loss for the Egyptians because they "bore away no silver spoils". This datum agrees with the Egyptian account, but the claim in Judges :4:16 that Sisera's whole army "fell by the sword, not one man escaped" is hyperbole. The best assessment is probably the fact that in the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt after all the campaigns of the Egyptians against Kadesh and its capture by Seti I, Ramesses II was still engaged with the king of Kadesh and may have lost the battle of Kadesh resulting in an eventual treaty between Egypt and the Hittites which cost Egypt control over the northern border of its province of Canaan and eventually Canaan as well.
Campaign against the Rebels in Canaan
Pharaoh Thutmose III began a reign in which Egyptian Empire reached its greatest expanse by reinforcing the long standing Egyptian presence in the Levant. After waiting impatiently for the end of his regency by the female Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut, he immediately responded to a revolt of local rulers near Kadesh in the vicinity of modern-day Syria. As Egyptians buffer provinces in the land of the Amurru along the border with the Hittites attempted to change their vassalage, Thutmose III, dealt with the threat personally. According to the biblical account the participants were exclusivly from northern Canaan, the lands around Hazor who had been troubling Jabin the king of Hazor and his general Sisera, Aram and Kadesh. In that account the people of Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulon, Isaccher and Naphtali were involved but Giliad, Meroz and Asher stayed at home. The Canaanites are thought to have been allied with the Mitanni and Amurru from the region of the two rivers between the headwaters of the Orantes and the Jordan. The driving and main force behind this revolt was the King of Kadesh. The powerful fortress of Kadesh offered protection to him and the city. The King of Megiddo, with an equally strong fortress, joined the alliance. The importance of Megiddo was its geographical location along the southwestern edge of the Jezreel Valley just beyond the Mount Carmel ridge and the Mediterranean. From this location, Megiddo controlled the main trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia.
In the Egyptian account Thutmose III gathered an army of chariots and infantry that numbered as much as 10,000 men while in the Biblical account Deborah and Barak the king of Kadesh brought 10,000 iron rimmed chariots. The numbers are consistent with the several kilometers long length of the line-of-march described. Although many scholars have claimed that the army had as many as 20,000 soldiers this was unlikely since King Ramesses II's army of 20,000 men at the much later Battle of Kadesh, was said to have been the largest the Kingdom of Egypt had ever assembled up to that point. As the Egyptians mustered their forces the king of Kadesh gathered many tribal chieftains from Syria, Aram and Canaan around him, entered Megiddo and set his forces at the waters of Taanach. He expected that his enemy would come by way of Dothaim - Taanach, the main route from the Mediterranian lowlands into the Valley of Kishon, and from Egypt to Mesopotamia. The army assembled at the border fortress Tjaru (called Sile in Greek) and arrived ten days later at the loyal city of Gaza. After one day's rest, it left for the city of Yehem, which was reached after 11 days. Here, Thutmose sent out scouts. To continue north, they had to pass the Mount Carmel ridge. Behind it lay the city and fortress of Megiddo, where the revolting forces had gathered. There were three possible routes from Yenoam to Megiddo. Both the northern route, via Zefti, and the southern route, by way of Taanach, gave safe access to the Jezreel Valley. The middle route, via Aruna, was risky; it followed a narrow ravine, and the troops could only travel single-file. If the enemy waited at the end of the ravine, the Egyptians would risk being cut down piecemeal. The army leaders pleaded therefore to take either of the two easier roads. Instead, with information from the scouts, Thutmose III decided to take the direct path to Megiddo. He believed that if his generals advise him the easy route, then his enemy probably expects the same, so he decided to do the unexpected.
The King of Kadesh had left large infantry detachments guarding the two more likely paths, and virtually ignored a narrow mountain pass coming in from the south. Ignoring the danger of spreading out his army in the mountains where leading elements might be subject to enemy ambush in narrow mountain passes and his main force still far behind at Aruna unable to come to their aid, Thutmose took the direct route through the Vadi Araha. Being able to achieve surprise and rout his opponent from the rear turned out to be worth it, but to reduce the risk, Thutmose himself led his men on a forced march to Aruna. With his infantry and the light cavalry of mounted bowmen known as haibrw or the horsemen going by the side of the mountains to take out any scouts that might be posted and leaving the road to the main force of chariots he moved in quickly. With the city lightly guarded by the enemy; the Pharaoh led a quick assault, scattered the rebels and entered the valley unopposed. Now, the Egyptian army had a clear path to Megiddo, with large parts of the rebel army far away to the north and south.
Battle and siege
Thutmose seized the opportunity. He set up camp and, during the night, arrayed his forces close to the enemy. The next morning, they attacked. It can't be established if the surprised king of Kadesh had managed to invert his front lines in time, and prepare for battle. Even if he did that, it did not bring him much help. His rebel forces were on high ground adjacent to the fortress. The Egyptian line was arranged in a concave formation, consisting of three wings, that threatened both rebel flanks. The Pharaoh led the attack from the center. The combination of position and numbers, superior maneuverability of their left wing along with an early, bold attack, broke the enemy's will; their line immediately collapsed. Those near the city fled into it, closing the gates behind them.
The Egyptian soldiers fell to plundering the enemy camp. During the plunder they captured 924 chariots and 200 suits of armor. Unfortunately for the Egyptians, during this confusion, the scattered rebel forces, including the kings of Kadesh and Megiddo, were able to rejoin the defenders inside the city. Those inside lowered clothing to the men and chariots and actually pulled them up over the walls. Thus, the opportunity of a quick capture of the city following the battle was lost.
The Egyptians besieged the city. They sent forces throughout the rebel lands; these all readily recognized the sovereignty of Egypt. Still, the city held out for some time -- as much as seven months by some estimates.
The victorious army took home 340 prisoners, 2,041 mares, 191 foals, 6 stallions, 924 chariots, 200 suits of armor, 502 bows, 1,929 cattle, 22,500 sheep, and the royal armor, chariot and tent-poles of the King of Megiddo. The city and citizens were spared.
Results
Egypt's realm was expanded by this campaign. As Paul K. Davis wrote, "By reestablishing Egyptian dominance in Palestine, Thutmose began a reign in which Egypt reached its greatest expanse as an empire." Thutmose III required from the defeated kings that they each send a son to the Egyptian court. There, they received an Egyptian education. When they returned to their homelands, they governed with Egyptian sympathies. Nevertheless, the victory at Megiddo was only the beginning of the pacification of the Levant. Only after several further campaigns, conducted almost annually, was the unrest cooled.
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