Warfare in Ancient Egypt

 

In a book that brings new insights into both military history and the history of ancient Egyptian civilisations, Bridget McDermott surveys three thousand years of continuous development of arms and armour, beginning with the early predynastic culture and ending in the totalitarian supremacy of the New Kingdom. She offers a clear account of the origins of Egyptian military structures, their relationship to other ancient and modern African societies and the fascinating divergences between the 'official' images and records of war and the experience of the Egyptian landsoldier. Warfare in Ancient Egypt takes the reader from the manufacture and use of flint hand-axes, wooden staves and stone bludgeons, through the origins of organised fighting groups under the command of a leader, and into the sophisticated and even elegant military culture that saw the composite bow, the khepesh, the sword, the javelin and above all the chariot. This aspect of Egyptian history has been almost entirely overlooked and, in this lavishly illustrated book, Bridget McDermott is able to present a vivid picture of what battle, training and military life was like for the non-elite members of the Egyptian armies

 

Bridget McDermott

Hardcover 256pp

Book Code:  AW0655