Shaw Ian. Egyptian Warfare and Weapons

Shire Publications, 1991. — 72 p. — (Shire Egyptology. Book 16). — ISBN: 0-7478-0142-8.This book traces the military exploits and achievements of the ancient Egyptians from the earliest times to the height of the Egyptian empire. Pictorial and textual sources are combined with evidence from the latest archaeological excavations to build up a complete picture of the grandeur and squalor of Egyptian warfare. There are detailed descriptions of the arms and armour of Egypt, including the distinctive regalia of foreign mercenaries such as the Sherden and the Nubians. A chapter on frontiers and fortresses describes the remarkable development of sophisticated military architecture, complete with moats, barbicans and drawbridges, three thousand years earlier than the medieval castles of Europe. The dramatic expansion of the Egyptian empire in the second millennium BC is brought to life with extracts from original sources such as royal propaganda, military despatches and the autobiographies of war veterans. The careers of pharaohs such as Tuthmosis III and Ramesses the Great are described, complete with maps and plans of their campaign routes and major battles in Nubia and Syria-Palestine.