0:07

If the powerful have failed, then

0:09

they must be removed. Old bloodlines

0:12

mean nothing when chaos is on

0:14

the horizon. Welcome to the History

0:17

of Egypt podcast and Total War

0:19

Pharaoh. Today we introduce

0:21

one of the game's most prominent characters,

0:24

the warlord Rameses, historically

0:26

known as King Rameses III.

0:30

Rameses III is a famous

0:32

name in the annals of the Egyptian pharaohs.

0:35

A warrior and a builder, he fulfilled

0:37

many of the tenets that the Egyptian

0:39

king was supposed to uphold. And

0:42

yet his reign was far from smooth

0:44

sailing. Constant warfare and

0:46

pressure on the borders meant that Rameses

0:49

III was more active on the battlefield

0:51

than many of his contemporaries. Today

0:54

we get to meet him.

1:07

As Total War Pharaoh begins, Rameses

1:10

is in the Sinai. His father,

1:12

Seth-Nakt, is in the west, overseeing

1:15

departments along the coast of Libya.

1:18

In the south, King Merneptah holds

1:21

sway over northern Egypt and

1:23

its dominions. Tausret and

1:25

Seti II are a husband and wife

1:27

duo controlling middle Egypt.

1:30

And far to the south, Amen-Messi,

1:32

the Viceroy of Kush, oversees

1:35

the rich, gold-bearing lands of Nubia.

1:38

Officially, Egypt is unified under

1:40

the majesty of King Merneptah,

1:43

but the seeds of discord are already

1:45

sown, and civil conflict

1:47

will soon erupt. Historically,

1:50

the collapse of the 19th Egyptian

1:53

dynasty is a shadowy and

1:55

complicated affair. We have only

1:57

a few records that testify to the

1:59

political

1:59

and military events, and

2:02

many of these records are missing a lot

2:04

of context, so it is easy to misinterpret

2:06

particular events and the role of

2:08

certain individuals. And

2:11

yet, one thing we do know for

2:13

certain, as the royal household

2:15

of Dynasty 19 fell into

2:17

insulating, a man named Seth-Nacht

2:20

took charge of the situation and seized

2:23

power for himself. Seth-Nacht,

2:26

meaning the god Seth is strong

2:28

or victorious, was the first

2:31

ruler of what we call Dynasty 20.

2:34

It is his rebellion and seizure of power

2:37

that marks the end of one historical

2:39

period and the start of the next. Of

2:42

course, this is more of a modern convenience.

2:44

The ancient Egyptians did not view their history

2:47

in terms of dynasties, but they certainly

2:49

recognised periods of chaos and

2:51

disunity, and the need for a strong

2:54

guiding principle to control that

2:57

disorder. Seth-Nacht used

2:59

that idea to justify his

3:02

actions. Historically,

3:04

Seth-Nacht may have been the one to

3:07

establish unity over the two lands,

3:09

after he managed to seize the crown for himself.

3:13

But we don't know much about Seth-Nacht,

3:16

and when it comes to this period, it is

3:18

really the son of Seth-Nacht that

3:20

has earned enduring fame. Let

3:22

us introduce the prince Remeses,

3:25

later known as the king, Remeses

3:28

III. Remeses

3:31

III was the son of Seth-Nacht.

3:34

The young boy was probably born around

3:36

the time that King Remeses II

3:38

died. It is possible

3:40

that Seth-Nacht named his child after

3:43

the late Pharaoh as a mark of honour,

3:45

or perhaps a wish for future greatness.

3:49

This is quite a common feature of the time period.

3:51

Parents would give their children names that

3:54

referenced the great Pharaoh, perhaps

3:56

hoping to enjoy some of his reflected

3:58

glory. In the case of Remeses

4:01

III, it seems to have worked quite

4:04

well. If he was born

4:06

at the end of Remeses II's reign,

4:08

then the young boy Remeses would

4:10

have grown up during the reign of Mernepta.

4:14

This pharaoh ruled for approximately

4:16

thirteen years, and when he died,

4:19

young Remeses would have been an early teenager,

4:22

perhaps slightly older.

4:24

So his coming of age, his maturity,

4:26

would have borne witness to the civil wars

4:29

and conflict that afflicted the end

4:31

of the Nineteenth Dynasty.

4:33

He would have seen the rebellion of Amun-Mesi,

4:36

the restoration of Seti II,

4:38

the kingship of the Queen Tawusret,

4:41

and the rise of the Chancellor Bai.

4:44

These events are shadowy, complicated,

4:46

and we will explore them in the next few episodes.

4:50

Suffice to say, Prince Remeses probably

4:52

had a rather dramatic upbringing.

4:55

He lived in interesting times. We

4:57

don't know what role, if any, Remeses

5:00

played in these events.

5:02

He was the son of Sethnacht, and

5:04

he may have been witness to some of these calamities.

5:07

But whether he was directly involved, maneuvering

5:10

through the political field, or waging war

5:12

personally, that we can only

5:14

speculate.

5:16

What we do know is how Sethnacht

5:18

and his descendants described

5:20

this chaotic period, and justified

5:23

their family's rise to power. First,

5:26

to justify his actions, Sethnacht

5:29

commissioned a text in the far south

5:32

of Egypt. It said, quote,

5:34

The great assembly of the gods is

5:37

pleased with Sethnacht's plans. The

5:40

land had been in confusion, but

5:42

the great god stretched out his arm

5:45

and selected Sethnacht from

5:47

among the millions of commoners. He

5:50

dismissed hundreds of thousands before

5:52

him. End quote. In

5:55

the 1970s, filmmakers working

5:57

on Superman auditioned over 200 actors

6:00

before they finally chose Christopher

6:02

Reeve. Apparently, the great gods

6:05

did something similar. They surveyed

6:07

hundreds of thousands among the great

6:09

mass of humanity.

6:11

Before they finally found their own

6:13

Superman, Sethnacht.

6:15

Then they chose their hero to

6:18

go forth and bring back Truth

6:20

and Justice, or Ma'at, to

6:22

the land of the Nile Valley. The

6:25

text continues, quote, Now

6:28

his person, Sethnacht, was

6:30

like his father, Seth, who

6:32

flexed his arms to rid Egypt

6:35

of those who had led it astray. Fear

6:38

of Sethnacht has ceased the hearts

6:41

of enemies before him. They flee

6:43

like sparrows with a falcon chasing

6:45

them. They even abandoned their silver

6:48

and gold, which they had given to foreigners

6:50

to bring reinforcements.

6:52

The enemy's plans failed. They

6:54

were futile, as every god

6:57

and goddess performed wonders

6:59

for Sethnacht and proclaimed a

7:01

slaughter against his enemies.

7:03

By year two, the second month

7:06

of Shemuh, day ten, there were

7:08

no more enemies to his person in

7:10

any land. They came to inform

7:13

Sethnacht, Let your heart be happy,

7:15

O Lord, of this land. Those

7:17

things that the gods foretold have

7:20

come to pass, and your foes no

7:22

longer exist.

7:24

End quote.

7:25

There are some interesting references in this

7:27

passage. Apparently the rulers

7:29

of Egypt, whoever they were, had tried

7:32

to gather reinforcements from among

7:34

the foreign lands, but these mercenaries,

7:37

these regiments of renown, came

7:39

to nothing as the forces of Sethnacht

7:42

scattered them utterly, allowing

7:44

him to overthrow his foes and

7:47

claim the kingship of Egypt.

7:50

Another text, commissioned about thirty years

7:53

after the death of Sethnacht, described

7:55

the situation in even more grandiose

7:58

detail.

7:59

This text is

7:59

called the Great Papyrus House.

8:02

It is now in the British Museum, and it includes

8:04

a section describing these events. The

8:07

Papyrus goes as follows. Quote,

8:11

The land had been banished, every

8:13

man was a law unto himself. One

8:16

killed his neighbour, whether high or low

8:18

ranking, and each joined with his

8:20

companion in plundering goods. They

8:23

treated the gods as they did men, and

8:25

no offerings were made in the temples. But

8:28

then the gods themselves desired

8:30

peace in order to put the land

8:32

in its proper state. And so they established

8:35

their son, who came forth from

8:37

their flesh, as the ruler of every

8:39

land upon their great throne.

8:42

His name was Sethnacht, beloved

8:45

of Amun. He was capri

8:47

and Seth when he was enraged.

8:50

He set the entire land in order

8:52

where it had previously been rebellious.

8:55

He killed the rebels who were in the land

8:57

of Egypt.

8:58

He cleansed the great throne, being

9:01

the ruler of the two lands.

9:03

End quote. There are some details in

9:05

this text that I have cut out, but

9:08

we'll return to them in a future episode, because

9:10

they relate specifically to another

9:12

of the faction leaders in Total War

9:15

Pharaoh, the Canaanite Ravager,

9:17

a man named Ersu. So

9:20

we'll come back to this text.

9:22

Anyway,

9:23

the great papyrus Harris describes

9:25

a time of chaos and disorder,

9:27

when civil conflict and rapacity

9:30

was rife. But Sethnacht, the

9:32

superman, came along to set everything

9:34

right, and his accession to the throne,

9:37

ordained by the gods, brought peace,

9:40

order, and justice back to

9:42

the world. Of course, Egyptologists

9:45

try to be careful with texts like these. They

9:47

are designed to glorify and

9:49

strengthen the legitimacy of the person

9:51

commissioning them. So we cannot take

9:54

Sethnacht exactly at his word. But

9:57

the broad jest of his description may

9:59

match with what actually happened. Perhaps

10:02

the rulers of Egypt, kings like

10:04

Seti II and Tawsirit, had

10:07

tried to gather mercenaries from foreign

10:09

lands. This was a common practice

10:11

in earlier generations, nothing shameful

10:14

about it. But perhaps these

10:16

armies that they had summoned failed to

10:18

crush the rebellion of Sathnak, and

10:21

when he finally triumphed, he declared

10:23

that these foreigners were an imposition

10:25

upon Egypt, marauding invaders

10:28

whom he scattered like birds. It

10:30

all serves to glorify the new power, the

10:32

new ruling family, and to legitimise

10:35

his claim to authority. But sometimes

10:38

even the most grandiose texts are

10:40

built on a kernel of truth. The

10:42

collapse of the 19th dynasty does

10:44

seem to have involved in fighting between

10:47

different branches of the family. We

10:49

are not sure how widespread that

10:51

fighting was, whether it was limited to

10:53

assassinations in the palaces, or

10:56

outright conflict on the banks of the Nile.

10:59

But Sathnak had his reasons

11:01

for describing it as a full-on war, and

11:04

naturally, with the blessings of the gods, he

11:07

emerged victorious. Subsequently,

11:09

Sathnak only held power as a pharaoh

11:12

for three, maybe four years. The

11:15

chronology here is a little bit uncertain, there

11:17

are some interesting records, but we don't

11:19

have any definitive evidence on when

11:22

exactly he died. He left a couple

11:24

of monuments, including a royal tomb,

11:27

that I'll discuss another time. But,

11:29

alas, his short reign means that

11:31

Sathnak did not leave much of

11:34

a legacy in terms of architectural,

11:36

artistic, or historical information.

11:40

His son, on the other hand… Following

11:47

Sathnak's death, his eldest boy, Prince Remeses, claimed the throne for himself. He

11:49

took power as King Remeses III. Ussur

11:52

Maheen, the king of the Nile,

11:59

Ma'at-Ra, Meri-Amun. This

12:02

name translates as, powerful

12:05

is the Ma'at, or order of

12:07

Ra, beloved of Amun.

12:10

The name references two of Egypt's major

12:12

deities, Amun and Ra,

12:15

and it ensures that the new Pharaoh gains

12:17

their blessings and their power. The

12:20

name Uthir Ma'at-Ra, Meri-Amun,

12:22

is also nearly identical to

12:25

Remeses' famous predecessor.

12:27

The king, Remeses II, Remeses

12:30

the Great, had called himself Uthir

12:33

Ma'at-Ra Setap-en-Ra,

12:35

that is, powerful is the Ma'at of

12:37

Ra, chosen by Ra.

12:40

So Remeses III deliberately

12:43

looked to his famous predecessor when

12:45

he chose his royal identity. He

12:48

changed one part of it to make himself distinct,

12:50

but anybody who saw or heard

12:53

this name would understand whom he

12:55

was referencing.

12:56

Both king claimed to be Remeses the

12:58

Great come for a second time.

13:01

Of course, the big question was, would

13:04

Remeses II justify

13:06

that claim?

13:08

Spoiler alert, yes, he would.

13:11

For some scholars, Remeses III

13:13

earns the title of the Last Great

13:15

Pharaoh, the last significant ruler

13:18

to control the house of theronic Egypt.

13:21

We can debate that another time, but

13:23

there is no disputing. Remeses III

13:26

was a significant monarch, and

13:28

his achievements are well recorded

13:31

today. Remeses III

13:33

would reign for over thirty years,

13:36

and in that time he would achieve much. But

13:39

for our purposes, the most significant

13:41

events of Remeses' time on the

13:43

throne were the numerous wars

13:46

in which he was involved. Every

13:48

pharaoh, to some degree, aspired

13:50

to be a war leader. Going back

13:53

to the very start of their history, the

13:55

image of a successful king was

13:57

that of a victorious warrior. And

14:00

for nearly 2,000 years since, the

14:02

various monarchs had expanded

14:04

their control over neighbouring lands. They

14:07

had led expeditions to seize captives, plunder

14:10

distant communities, and, of

14:12

course, destroy anyone

14:15

who stood in their way. Of course it was not

14:17

all battle, the pharaohs were also skilled

14:19

diplomats and active traders

14:22

with their neighbouring kingdoms. But

14:24

the image of the warrior, the strong

14:26

leader who conquers, that lay

14:28

at the heart of their royal institutions.

14:32

Remeses III was another king in that

14:35

mould, and his reign would be

14:37

remarkably eventful in terms

14:39

of conflict and battle. Following

14:42

Remeses' accession, the first major

14:45

event that afflicted his kingdom came

14:47

in year five. This is a

14:49

time when Remeses III marched his

14:52

armies west. He went to

14:54

face a coalition of tribes

14:56

coming out of Libya. The

14:59

Libyans, referred to by various

15:01

names, had attacked Egypt before, most

15:03

recently, in the early days of

15:06

Mernaptar. Now they

15:08

tried again, and like Mernaptar

15:10

before him, Remeses III went

15:13

forth into battle, and he claimed

15:16

great victories. Hieroglyphic texts

15:18

recorded on Remeses' temples describe

15:21

these campaigns and battles. I

15:23

won't read all of them, they're quite extensive,

15:26

but a small selection will give us the gist and

15:28

the idea of Remeses at war.

15:31

In year five, Remeses described

15:33

events as follows.

15:36

The land of the Chemehu came, united

15:39

in one place, together with the

15:41

Libu, the Seped, and the Meshwish,

15:44

aka the tribes of Libya. They

15:47

had levied from the lands of the Buriru.

15:49

Their warriors relied upon their plan,

15:52

coming with confident hearts. The

15:54

enemy announced, we will advance

15:56

ourselves, we will achieve.

15:58

Their hearts were full of love.

15:59

of harm. But their

16:02

plan was smashed and turned

16:04

aside by the will of the god."

16:07

This had happened before. A group of tribes

16:10

had coalesced under a single leader or

16:12

plan and attempted to move into the

16:14

fertile lands of the Egyptian delta

16:17

and Nile valley. But whenever this happened,

16:19

the Egyptians gathered their forces and

16:21

marched to meet the Libyans in battle. Ramesses

16:25

III followed this example.

16:27

The king described the battle like this.

16:29

Quote, His person, the Pharaoh,

16:32

went forth amongst the enemies, like

16:35

a flame that is scattered through the brash.

16:38

The Libyans were threshed like sheaves

16:40

of grain. They were reduced to ashes

16:43

and cast down prostrate in their

16:45

own blood.

16:46

Their overthrow was heavy and

16:48

without limit.

16:50

Their mass, the enemy horde,

16:52

was gathered in one place for their

16:55

slaughter, and they were made into pyramids

16:58

on their own soil.

16:59

Every survivor was carried

17:02

back to Egypt, a captive. The

17:04

severed hands and the fallacies were

17:06

beyond numbering. These were presented

17:09

as prisoners beneath the window

17:11

of the king's appearance.

17:13

The chiefs of the foreign countries, maybe

17:16

diplomats,

17:17

were gathered to behold the Libyan's

17:19

ill fortune. End quote. There

17:22

are a few interesting details here. First

17:25

of all, Ramesses mentions a military

17:27

practice, which we get hints of in

17:29

the archaeological record. Following

17:32

the outcome of the battle, Ramesses describes

17:35

how the enemy survivors were brought

17:37

back to Egypt as captives,

17:39

and from the dead, the

17:41

severed hands and fallacies were

17:43

gathered together.

17:45

This is a practice that we hear about in

17:47

Egyptian art and sometimes in archaeology.

17:50

Apparently, following a battle, Egyptian

17:53

warriors would cut off one of the hands

17:55

or the penis of their foe. They

17:58

would do this to accurately count the enemy's will. the

18:00

number of enemies whom they had slaughtered

18:02

and beaten, and when the various appendages

18:05

were gathered, they would be presented before

18:07

the Pharaoh and the gods.

18:09

Now that may sound slightly unbelievable,

18:12

but surprisingly archaeologists have found

18:15

gatherings of hands buried in

18:17

ancient settlements. Especially at

18:19

times of conflict, there are traces

18:21

of these sorts of practices, and

18:23

on the walls of his temple, Ramesses

18:26

showed the counting in action. In

18:29

an elaborate scene just beside the

18:31

gate, Ramesses appears as

18:33

a massive figure. He reaches out

18:35

his hand while royal officials

18:38

present news of the great victory. Behind

18:41

those officials, a pair of army

18:43

officers are dumping out severed

18:46

hands and penises. The appendages

18:48

are piled up, and behind them, groups

18:51

of scribes are counting each one.

18:54

Following this grisly display, long lines

18:56

of prisoners, the Libyans themselves, come

18:59

forth before the Pharaoh. Egyptian

19:01

troops push them forward into the king's

19:04

presence, and they raise axes or

19:06

bows to threaten and cajole them. One

19:08

scene that I particularly like even

19:10

shows prisoners carrying chariots

19:13

upon their shoulders. A pair of Libyan

19:15

captives appear at the right of this scene,

19:18

and they reach up, holding an entire

19:20

chariot on their back. Of course

19:22

that is artistic license rather than strict

19:25

reality, but it conveys the basic

19:27

image. The enemies had been defeated,

19:29

and all of their equipment, and some

19:32

of their physical parts had been gathered

19:34

for presentation. It is a

19:36

brutal scene, but that is the outcome

19:39

of ancient warfare. This

19:42

was not the only occasion in which Ramesses

19:44

fought the Libyans. About six

19:47

years after his first campaign, he

19:49

faced the Libyans in battle again. Again

19:53

hieroglyphic texts proclaim the victory

19:55

of Ramesses, and an extended

19:57

description of his conquest.

19:59

The young

20:02

lord, the hero to whom victory

20:04

was promised even when he was in the

20:06

womb, along with strength great

20:09

and exalted like the war gods, on

20:12

this lord it was commanded to trample

20:14

down the lands, to lay them low,

20:17

and to subdue them for Egypt. The

20:19

war gods, Montu and Seth, are

20:21

with him in every battle, and

20:24

the Canaanites, Anat and Astarte,

20:26

are a shield for him. It is Amun

20:29

that determines his words. The

20:32

king does not turn back. He wields

20:34

the sword of Egypt over the enemies.

20:36

No land has survived to bring themselves

20:39

against Egypt. In order to annihilate

20:41

them, the god caused them to be

20:44

dragged away. The king is a lion,

20:46

strong and valiant. As

20:48

for the Libyans, previously, the

20:50

king of Egypt had come among them

20:53

before he was even seen. He fell

20:55

upon the Libyans, and they were reduced

20:57

to ashes. Their settlements were

21:00

ruined and destroyed. Their descendants

21:02

were non-existent. It is the command

21:05

of this king to slay everyone

21:07

who ever violates Egypt. The

21:10

Libyans had said, we will settle in

21:12

Egypt, and they kept penetrating the

21:14

frontiers of the land. But

21:16

death surrounded them upon their roads.

21:19

They looked up to the sky, to the sun,

21:22

gesturing with their hands before it. Behind

21:24

them, in the past, they had achieved many

21:27

things, but now, only a

21:29

moment remained before them. Then

21:32

they approached, and they found His Majesty,

21:35

the king, like a divine falcon, raging

21:37

when he has seen his prey, and

21:40

there is no rest or release before him.

21:42

Amun-Ra is the king's protection, and

21:45

the god's hand is with him, to avert

21:47

the enemy's faces, to destroy them. His

21:50

Majesty set out in valor. His

21:53

arm was powerful, and his heart was confident

21:55

in his father, the Lord of the Gods.

21:58

His Majesty was concealed in the and hidden,

22:00

ready to ambush and take captives. His

22:03

voice roared and ballowed like

22:05

a griffin against the enemy. The

22:08

Libyans were taught a lesson for a million

22:10

generations. They were fallen on their

22:12

faces. Their land was taken away. Their

22:15

boasting was ended, and they could not

22:17

flourish. The king expelled

22:19

them with his force and slaughtered with

22:21

the blade. The roads were blocked and

22:23

cut off before them, and the land itself

22:26

was a storm wind behind them, taking

22:28

away their people. Their weapons fell

22:30

from their hands. Their hearts knew

22:33

no more strength. The great fire blast

22:35

of Sakmet, the war goddess, took

22:37

hold in their hearts so that their bones

22:40

burned up within their bodies. The fire

22:42

was terrible in pursuit of them, while

22:45

the land of Egypt was carefree

22:47

and rejoicing at seeing the king's

22:49

feet of valor. Everyone

22:51

who escaped ran to their settlements, as

22:54

if the Egyptian troops were right behind them.

22:57

Woe to the meshwish. Woe to the land

22:59

of the Libyans. He who bound their

23:01

heads was king over Egypt and

23:03

every foreign land.

23:05

They bowed down to him, as if to

23:07

seth himself.

23:09

Their faces were downcast, and

23:11

they were flattened.

23:14

The text goes on and on and

23:16

on like this. It is dramatic

23:19

in the very best way, but it also

23:21

conveys the essence of Egyptian victory.

23:24

The Pharaoh is the son of the gods,

23:26

and his victory is their victory. None

23:29

can stand against him. He rages against

23:32

every foreign land, and he crushes them

23:34

utterly. It is elaborate,

23:37

grandiose, deeply religious,

23:40

and also wonderfully dramatic. Remeses

23:43

III continued the legacy of

23:45

the most ancient rulers. He

23:47

was the victorious warrior who smote

23:50

all enemies. Basic

23:53

scenes carved on the walls of temples

23:55

show these victories in action. We

23:58

see Remeses preparing to mount his chariot,

24:01

while his horses are cared for by a groom.

24:04

Soldiers gather ahead of the king, crumpetiers

24:07

play on their instruments, and the royal

24:09

bodyguard bows as the pharaoh

24:12

ascends his war cart. In the

24:14

next scenes we find the Egyptian army

24:16

itself marching into battle. Ranks

24:19

of infantry march. They carry large

24:21

oblong shields, and they clutch spears,

24:24

wooden clubs, or wicked bronze

24:26

swords, the kopesh. At the

24:28

front, ranks of archers raise

24:31

their composite bows to loose arrows

24:33

upon the Libyan foe. Naturally,

24:36

the enemy is utterly overwhelmed by

24:38

the Egyptian troops. They tumble about

24:40

in confusion, while Egyptian soldiers

24:43

grab them by the hair and raise their weapons,

24:46

preparing to strike them dead. On

24:48

top of this scene we find Ramesses III

24:50

himself building up prisoners with

24:52

rope. He has dismounted his chariot,

24:55

and he steps on the bodies of fallen

24:57

Libyans. One of his feet is on

24:59

the face of his enemy, another is

25:02

upon their legs. As he drags their

25:04

arms behind them and ties them up with

25:06

a string, the king gathers prisoners in

25:09

his glorious victory.

25:10

Naturally, no one can stand

25:12

against him. Another scene, which I

25:15

absolutely love, shows the aftermath

25:17

of this battle.

25:18

We find the Egyptian courtiers, the

25:21

high-ranking generals and commanders, gathering

25:23

together to praise the pharaoh on his

25:26

magnificent victory. Again, government

25:28

officials gather up severed hands

25:31

and penises, which they dump in

25:33

front of the pharaoh. These grisly

25:35

trophies provide a physical record

25:38

of the enemy's defeat and slaughter. Watching

25:41

all of this is Ramesses III himself.

25:44

But the king does not stand in glorious

25:46

pomp and splendor. Instead,

25:49

he is perched on the rim of his chariot.

25:52

As if he is sitting on the edge of

25:54

the war cart, he leans on the rim

25:56

while clutching the reins of his horses,

25:59

and he reaches out with one hand to receive

26:01

the offerings from his victorious troops.

26:04

It's a really cool image. We don't often

26:06

see the pharaohs doing this, but the

26:08

king has apparently perched himself up

26:10

on his war cart so that he can see them

26:12

better. The best analogy I can think of

26:15

is that final scene in Independence

26:17

Day, where Bill Pullman gets up

26:19

on the back of a flatbed truck to give

26:21

his grandiose, jingoistic speech.

26:24

This is basically the same thing more

26:26

than 3,000 years ago.

26:29

Of course, every victory is achieved

26:32

by human arms and also by

26:34

divine intervention. The will

26:36

of the gods determines who triumphs

26:38

upon the battlefield. If Remeses

26:41

III, or any king, had

26:43

fallen away from the deities, he

26:45

could not conquer in strength. And

26:47

so a common feature of Egyptian royal

26:50

art is that following a battle

26:52

or a campaign, the king comes

26:54

back to Egypt. He drags long

26:57

lines of prisoners, and he presents

26:59

them to the gods themselves. In

27:02

one scene, the king stands before the shrine

27:04

of Amun-Ra, the king of the gods.

27:07

Beside him stands the great mother,

27:09

Mut, who puts one arm around

27:12

Amun's shoulders and raises the other

27:14

to bless the pharaoh Remeses. The

27:17

gods are within their shrine, which is

27:19

adorned with golden images, so

27:21

this is taking place within the great temples

27:24

of the land. In this city,

27:26

we see long trains of Libyan

27:28

prisoners. The king has gathered

27:30

his captives together, and he now presents

27:33

them as an offering to the gods. It

27:35

is a classic image that many pharaohs

27:37

used.

27:38

The point is,

27:39

all victory comes from the great

27:41

deities of creation. So

27:44

anybody who wishes to rule Egypt must

27:46

pay proper attention to these deities,

27:49

building shrines and temples to their

27:51

honor in order to guarantee their

27:54

favor. There would be

27:56

other wars and great battles in

27:58

the time of Remeses. But the most

28:00

significant one is that of the Sea

28:03

Peoples. This took place sometime

28:05

in the first decade of his reign, and

28:08

it was a titanic struggle on

28:10

the edges of Egypt itself and

28:12

their empire in Canaan. The

28:14

Sea Peoples' invasion is a dramatic

28:16

event, one that really requires

28:19

its own episode to cover,

28:20

but suffice to say,

28:22

historically it was Ramesses

28:24

III and his followers that faced

28:27

the Sea Peoples' invasion. Again,

28:29

the battles and campaigns are displayed

28:32

on the walls of his temple.

28:34

Here we get an incredibly detailed

28:36

and extensive record of the conflict.

28:39

At the start, we even see Ramesses

28:41

gathering his troops together and preparing

28:44

their equipment so that they can go forth

28:46

in conquest.

28:47

In one scene, we find Ramesses standing

28:50

on a balcony, possibly in his palace

28:53

or at the temple itself. Below

28:55

him, high-ranking officials and generals

28:58

are gathered to give praise, while

29:00

below him, ranks of soldiers

29:03

are marching to gather their equipment

29:05

from the waiting Egyptian scribes. Officers,

29:09

commanders and bureaucrats are assembling

29:11

the equipment and weapons. We see shields,

29:14

helmets, spears, bows,

29:16

swords and axes. The king's

29:19

elite troops come forth to gather

29:21

their uniforms and prepare to fight

29:24

on the Pharaoh's behalf. Amazingly,

29:26

we even get a speech from Ramesses

29:28

himself. Hieroglyphs adorning

29:30

this scene record Ramesses'

29:32

proclamation to his soldiers as

29:35

they gather. It says, quote, The

29:38

king himself speaks to the courtiers,

29:41

the officials and all of the army

29:43

and chariot officers. The king

29:45

says, Have the weapons issued,

29:48

dispatch the battalions to do battle

29:50

with the rebellious foreign lands. Those

29:53

who do not know Egypt, do this

29:55

in the power of my father, Amun-Ra.

29:59

The king speaks to the the overseers of the army,

30:01

the battalion commanders, and the commanders

30:04

of the archers. He says, All

30:07

elite troops and recruits, every

30:10

brave who has come to His Majesty's

30:12

attention, let them pass in

30:14

review before the pharaoh to receive

30:17

their weapons." The

30:19

reference to Braves is a nice detail.

30:22

This is a unit of the Royal Bodyguard that

30:24

we hear about occasionally during their campaigns.

30:27

Wonderfully, you, yourself, can

30:29

recruit the braves of the king, should

30:31

you take Remeses to the very height of pharaonic

30:34

power in total war pharaoh. These

30:37

heavy infantry, armed with spear and

30:39

shield, will be the core of your strong

30:41

force. They will hold the line and

30:43

pin the enemy down so that the king

30:46

and his chariots can sweep the foe

30:48

away. We also hear about the overseers

30:51

or commanders of the archers. Of course

30:53

the Egyptians are famous for their bowmen. Many

30:56

times their artistic scenes show

30:58

bows at the very front of the line. They

31:01

fire arrows over the heads and directly

31:03

into the bodies of their foes. And

31:05

should you take up the command of the Egyptians

31:07

themselves,

31:08

your royal archers will use

31:10

their composite bows to great and devastating

31:13

effect.

31:14

It's not often that hieroglyph texts

31:16

will reference individual groups and

31:18

units of the army, so whenever details

31:21

appear like that, it is a great feature

31:23

of the overall theme. Remeses,

31:25

apparently, gathered his braves and his

31:28

archers and many more together, and

31:30

this force marched out to face

31:32

the invading foe. What

31:34

happened with the Sea Peoples and how

31:37

it all turned out? That is

31:39

a story for another day.

31:49

Historically, Remeses III was an

31:51

accomplished pharaoh, especially in

31:53

the art of war. In his reign,

31:56

Egypt faced multiple threats from foreign

31:58

lands around them. and the King's

32:00

army march forth repeatedly

32:03

to battle their enemies and defend

32:05

the Nile Valley. In Total War

32:07

Pharaoh, Remeses is a strong

32:09

figure. His followers are elite

32:11

warriors, powerful and trained in

32:13

the Sinai Desert. Your charioteers

32:16

will race across the open plains, striking

32:19

fear into their enemies and raining arrows

32:21

upon them. Your Magi warriors, whether

32:24

armed with sword or axe, will strike

32:26

down the enemy infantry and slaughter

32:28

them mercilessly. To harass the

32:31

enemy, you may deploy your chargers armed

32:33

with heavy clubs or maces and ready

32:35

to strike the vulnerable or unprotected

32:38

flanks. And should you choose

32:40

to employ them, you may even recruit bodyguards

32:43

or raiders from the mysterious shardin.

32:46

The shardin or shardana are

32:48

an interesting group, one that served

32:51

multiple Egyptian pharaohs as

32:53

bodyguards and elite troops. Of

32:55

course, the shardin are most famous

32:58

as part of the larger Sea Peoples

33:00

Group, the mysterious migratory

33:02

and invading forces that ravaged so

33:05

many lands during the late Bronze Age.

33:08

If you should prove a strong pharaoh, you

33:10

might employ these shardin yourselves to

33:12

defend Egypt against their country

33:14

folk. If you do, you may follow

33:17

in the path of Ramesses, who struck

33:19

down all enemies that sought

33:21

to violate Egypt.