The Shekelesh on the Web

Michele MacLaren

CAMS 400W

The Sea Peoples group known as the Shekelesh are one of the less well-known and obscure groups.Not much is known about them and they are only mentioned in passing in the ancient texts, such as the annals of Ramesess III from his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu and the Ugaritic Texts.The group is also mentioned in the Kom el-Ahmar Stela from the reign of Merneptah.But what we do know of this group is quite impressive and the Shekelesh officially make an appearance around 1220 BCE attacking Egypt and again in 1186 BCE invading the Delta.It appears, that although not much is said on this group of people, that they were still a force to be reckoned with.

One of the earliest accounts of the Shekelesh occurs early in the reign of the pharaoh Merneptah.In the beginning of his fifth year of rule, the pharaoh had to face off with a Libyan invasion; which he boasts of his victory in his annals at Karnak (Barnett 1975: 366).When Merneptah confronted his enemy, he not only faced one hostile tribe, but a alliance of Sea People groups, which consisted of the Meshwesh, the people of the island Kos, and the Lycians, who were the major forces and urged smaller tribes like the Shardana, Trysenoi, and the Shekelesh to assist in the fight against the Egyptians (Redford 1992: 148).When the two armies met, the Egyptians, who had suffered major losses, essentially slaughtered over nine thousand members of the Sea Peoples coalition.Merneptah records that he took hundreds of prisoners, and he claims to have taken 222 Shekelesh warriors prisoner among the ranks of those taken (Barnett 1975: 367).

Years later, Ramesess the III would finish the job that Merneptah began and completely wipe out the Sea Peoples, or so he tells us.He would enjoy a much more complete victory over the Labu, who in their attack of Ramessess III did not have the time or opportunity to call up the coalition that Merneptah had faced.Ramesess gives us an account of his victory in the Harris Papyrus (Pritchard 1969: 261):

See! I (Ramessess III) destroyed them and slew them at one stroke. I overthrew them,

felled them in their own blood, and turned them into heaps of corpses. I turned them

back from treading the frontier of Egypt…I brought the rest…as numerous

prisoners, pinioned like fowl before my horses, and their wives and children by tens

of thousands.

Although Ramessess III gives the impression that he has completely eradicated the enemy, the Sea People groups were still a major threat in the Mediterranean.The Harris Papyrus is also an important account because it seems to indicate that the Shekelesh were used as garrison forces and mercenaries by Ramessess III, along with other Sea People groups (Sandars 1985: 167).

The reliefs and inscriptions at Medinet Habu are the most famous and well-known source for references to the Sea Peoples.The annals here give the most detailed account of the Sea Peoples, but only mention the Shekelesh briefly (Pritchard 1969:262).However we are able to get a glimpse of what a Shekelesh soldier would have looked like and what accoutrements accompanied him into battle.“Of the others, the Shekelesh (and the Teresh) wear cloth headdresses and a medallion on their breasts, and carry two spears and a round shield; their place of origin has been considered to be Sagalassos in Pisidia" (Redford 1992: 252).Some scholars, such as N.K. Sandars, believe that the Shekelesh came from southeastern Sicily.In the 8^th century, Greek colonists came across a group of people known as the Sikels on the island, which they believed had come from Italy after the Trojan War (Sandars 1985: 112).The Medinet Habu relief depicts a Shekelesh prince, who is shown bearded, with a thin prominent nose and a swept back turban, which some scholars believe to be hair.

Although not much is known about the Shekelesh, it is clear that they were an important element in the “invasion” of the Sea Peoples and played an important role in the military conquests of the coalition.I view this group as a strong and proud group of people, despite the fact that they are a more or less obscure group, mentioned infrequently in ancient texts.

Primary Sources

Kitchen, K.

Ramesside Inscription.Princeton. (Waiting for this text on interlibrary loan)

Medinet Habu Inscritpions and Papyrus Harris (Ramesses III and IV) in

Pritchard, J. B., ed.

1969 Ancient Near Eastern Texts. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Secondary Sources

Barnett, R. D.

1975 The Sea Peoples, Pp. 359-378 in The Cambridge Ancient History vol II,

part 2 (3^rd edition), eds. I.E.S. Edwards, C.J. Gadd, N.G.L. Hammond, and

E. Sollberger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Provides very detailed information about the Sea Peoples, and gives many

primary source references to these different groups.

Redford, Donald B.

The Sea Warriors of the Ancient Mediterranean.London.

A very useful source when discussing the Sea Peoples, this book gives information about the Sea Peoples, including their appearance, possible origins, and gives a long discussion of their significance.

Sandars, N.K.

The Sea Peoples Warriors of the Ancient Mediterranean.London

Presents detailed and accurate information when looking for the possible origins of the Sea Peoples.She gives the various theories concerning the Sea Peoples origins, along with ancient references to the different groups.