On 16 April 1457 BCE, the Battle of Megiddo was fought between the Egyptians under Thutmose III and the Canaanites under Darusha during the Wars of Ancient Egypt.
Why did it happen?
In 1479 BCE, the pharaoh of Egypt, Thutmose II, died, and his son, Thutmose III, succeeded him. However, because Thutmose III was too young to take on the responsibility of ruling over Egypt, his mother, Hatshepsut, ruled as regent until the boy came of age. When Hatshepsut died in 1457 BCE, the tribes of Canaan (modern-day Israel) rebelled against the new pharaoh, Thutmose III, who assembled his army at the Egyptian border on 22 March. After a journey of 21 days, Thutmose arrived at Mount Carmel Ridge on 12 April. Against the advice of his generals, Thutmose chose to march his army through the narrow Aruna Pass because Canaanite forces guarded the northern and southern routes. After three days of marching single file through the pass, the Egyptian army arrived on the Plain of Esdraelon, taking the Canaanite army by surprise and forcing it to redeploy around Megiddo.
Who was involved?
The Egyptian army at Megiddo numbered 15,000 infantry and 1,500 chariots. The Egyptian forces were arrayed into three divisions of 5,000 infantry and 500 chariots each. Each infantry division consisted of spearmen, archers, and Shardana Guardsmen from Syria. The chariots carried a crew of two: a driver and an archer. Thutmose III himself led the centre in a chariot of gold and silver. The Egyptian plan was to advance in a concave formation to surprise and envelop the Canaanite army. The Canaanite army at Megiddo numbered 10,000 infantry and 924 chariots. The Canaanite infantry consisted of spearmen and archers, although these were generally of poorer quality than the Egyptian units. However, the Canaanite chariots were more solidly built, carrying a crew of three: a driver, spearman, and archer. As stated by Jim Graham, “The Canaanite coalition suffered from a lack of centralised control as the multitude of contingents were led by their own kings who jealously protected their autonomy” (Graham, 2010, p.47).
What happened?
On the day of the battle, the Egyptian centre led by Thutmose III surged toward the Canaanite centre, pushing it back towards the town of Megiddo. At the same time, the Egyptian left wing drove a wedge between the Canaanite right wing and Megiddo, while the Egyptian right wing, deployed in a concave formation, attacked, and enveloped the Canaanite left flank. Faced with an attack from three sides, the Canaanite forces broke and routed back towards Megiddo, where they were lifted over the walls with ropes made of civilian clothing. In the brief battle, the Canaanites lost 83 killed and 340 captured.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Megiddo was an Egyptian victory. In the aftermath of the battle, the Egyptians laid siege to Megiddo, which surrendered after seven months. Thutmose would go on to successfully campaign against the other Canaanite cities which had risen in rebellion against Egypt, “crushing them with a mastery of art of war which was to become legendary, and re-establish Egyptian authority in the whole region” (Graham, 2010, p.46). Over the next twenty years, Thutmose conducted sixteen campaigns that brought Egypt’s empire to its largest extent during the New Kingdom Period. When Thutmose III died in 1425 BCE, Egypt’s lands stretched from Nubia in the south to the Euphrates River in the north. Megiddo itself would continue to be fought over throughout history due to its strategic position, dominating the trade routes between Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia. Indeed, two further battles would be fought at Megiddo in 609 BCE and 1918 CE, while according to the Bible, the final battle in history would take place at Megiddo, which in Hebrew is known as Armageddon.
Bibliography
Cotterell, Arthur. Chariot: The Astounding Rise and Fall of the World’s First War Machine. London, Pimlico, 2005.
Graham, Jim. “The Battle of Megiddo, 1457 BC.” Wargames Illustrated. October 2010.
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Holmes, Richard. & Marix Evans, Martin. A Guide to Battles: Decisive Conflicts in History. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009.
Lanning, Michael Lee. The Battle 100: The Stories Behind History’s Most Influential Battles. Naperville, Sourcebooks, 2003.
McNab, Chris. The World’s Worst Military Disasters. London, Amber Books, 2005.