Josh Brown
CAMS 400W
The tribe of “Sea Peoples” known as the Meshwesh
rose to prominence during the reign of Ramses III in Egypt. Some of the
first references to this group appear in the
Medinet
Habu inscriptions (Breasted 1906: 18-68), the
Harris
Papyrus (Breasted 1906: 110-206) and the
Anastasi
Papyrus (Gardiner 1964). They are also depicted in several reliefs
detailing the battles the Egyptians fought against the Sea Peoples. During
the recurring, incessant border wars of the time, the Meshwesh first appeared
as kindred tribes of the Tehenu and Temehu, but began to play increasingly
substantial roles in the later campaigns. In 1182 BCE, Egypt was under
threat from an alliance between the Libyans and the Meshwesh—who possibly
also coordinated an attack with the Philistines and the
Tjekker
(Drews 1995: 51). Following Ramses III’s victory in the second Libyan war,
the Meshwesh were left with enough strength and numbers to become Egypt’s
chief opponent for the remainder of the conflict (Nelson 1931: 8-9). Another
historical record of the Meshwesh comes from
inscriptions
found at Karnak from Merneptah’s victory in Libya during the fifth
year of his reign—when he fought against an army composed of the Libyans,
Meshwesh, and other northern sea-borne forces (Barnett 1975: 366; Breasted
1906).
The Meshwesh are again found in the Classical writings
of Herodotus, over a thousand years later. He refers to this group of peoples
as the “Maxyes”, and offers the most physical description outside of the
pictorial reliefs. Herodotus describes their semi-barbaric hairstyle—consisting
of shaving one side of the head while leaving the other—and the fact that
they paint their bodies and lay claim to Trojan heritage (Selincourt 1954:
306). He goes on to talk about the land from which they came (eastern Libya),
all the while making sure to guard himself by saying that he cannot vouch
for any of these statements, he is merely passing along what he himself
has heard.
These are the two major sources for description, both
physical and cultural, for the Meshwesh. They are initially identified
in Egyptian battle records as having fought alongside the Libyans and their
allies, but also recognized as having risen to their own respective seat
of power following these skirmishes. The fact that they are again specifically
singled out by Herodotus in his Histories serves notice to the fact that
they were indeed a significant socio-political entity in the Eastern Mediterranean
at this time.
Primary Sources
The Great Karnak Inscription of Merenptah, in:
Breasted, J. H.
1906 Ancient Records of Egypt,
vol. 3. Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
The Medinet Habu Inscriptions and Papyrus Harris, reign of Ramesses
III. In:
Breasted, J. H.
1906 Ancient Records of Egypt,
vol. 4. Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
The Papyrus Anastasi, reign of Ramesses II. In:
Gardiner, A. H.
1964 Egyptian Hieratic
Texts. Literary Texts of the New Kingdom I. Georg
Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung Hildesheim.
Herodotus' Histories, in:
Selincourt, A.
1954 Herodotus: The
Histories. Baltimore: Penguin Books.
A translation of the writings of Herodotus, the “father” of Greek and
Classical history.
Secondary Sources
Barnett, R.D.
1984 The Sea Peoples. Pp.
359-378 in The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol II, part
2 (3rd ed.), eds I.E.S. Edwards, et al. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
An article dealing with the specific references to various Sea Peoples
groups,
citing the primary sources and history. Goes into depth with each of the
major tribes, specifically how they related to Egypt.
Drews, R.
1995 The End of the
Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe ca. 1200
B.C. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Drews’ article talks about the types of migratory movement that was prevalent
in the Mediterranean at the close of the 13th century BCE, based
both on
Egyptian records and archaeological data.
Nelson, H.
1931 Medinet Habu
Reports. The Oriental Institute of theUniversity of Chicago, Vol. 3.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
A periodical of archaeological research, this specific edition deals with
the
epigraphic survey of 1928-1931 at Medinet Habu.
