Ancient Egyptian Warfare: Tactics, Weaponry and Ideology of the Pharaohs

by Ian Shaw

A concise introduction to Ancient Egyptian warfare from the Neolithic period through to the Iron Age, covering everything from battle tactics to weaponry and battle injuries. The excellent preservation of Egyptian artefacts including bows, axes and chariots, means that it is possible to track the changing nature of Egyptian military technology, as well as the equipment and ideas that were adopted from other civilisations of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East. As well as discussing such crucial issues as military strategy, martial ideology, construction of fortresses and waging of siege warfare, this book includes the study of practical questions of life, death and survival of individual soldiers on the battlefield.

Genres: History, Egypt, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Military Fiction, Egyptology

160 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2019

About the author

Dr. Ian Shaw (born 1961) is an Egyptologist and Reader in Egyptian archaeology at the University of Liverpool.

His field work was largely focused in el-Amarna, but in recent times, he has done extensive excavations of mining and quarrying sites from many different Ancient Egyptian periods. He primarily focuses his recent work on methods and mechanics of Egyptian craftsmen and laborers. However, he has produced several works regarding ancient Egyptian warfare; a topic that had long been ignored or only briefly commented on by other researchers.

Besides writing original books, he also has edited several "dictionaries" of Ancient Egypt (which might more correctly be labeled "encyclopedias"; they are in no way lexicons).

Reviews

[Erik]

This was a very interesting read on Egyptian warfare. There was a surprisingly large amount of information crammed into this modest book and contained an absolutely amazing reference section that might just set a new high bar for all books on how well it can be done. No simple list... it was broken down into specific subject matters and contained frankly an obscene amount of sources. Wonderful!

There was some sparse illustrations and photos included... maybe a bit light in my opinion. Some of the topics really should have had more pictures to work with as they are not easy to picture mentally without some previous knowledge otherwise.

The physical book by Casemate was actually a little unpleasant to read... tiny print and an odd sizing which was most unpleasing to the eyes. I will not punish Shaw for these negatives, but would encourage Casemate to think more carefully on the age of the readers and help us see the text a bit better. Standard formatting would be nicer too.

I'd want to deduct a star for the physical layout and printing, but will only hit it a half star. A good 4.5 Star grade (rounded up for the author's benefit).

[Josh]

This is a nice entry-point into understanding the big themes in Ancient Egyptian military history. My one qualm is that Ian Shaw condensed this work from his much larger volume on Ancient Egypt and thus many portions of the book assumes a lot of prior knowledge on the part of the reader. I think this book may work better if you have read general histories of Ancient Egypt and have a familiarity with place names, important figures, and the various dynastic periods. Nevertheless, this is an interesting piece of the specific characteristics of Egyptian warfare, international relations, and technological transfer among Late Bronze Age societies.

[Jessica]

An informative look at Egyptian warfare; though a bit dry in spots, I did learn a good deal. However, it would also have benefited from more pictures & illustrations.

[Migs421]

I really enjoyed this book, it's nice to read about something other than Ancient Egyptian Mythology or standard daily living. The author does a good way of walking you through the evolution of different tactics and such.

However, I have to say this isn't really novice friendly. Both to new non-fiction readers and those stepping into warfare history. The book rquires you to have both a firm understanding of Ancient Egyptian History already and warfare terminology.

[William Corrin]

While very in depth and informative for such a small book, the author doesnt carry out his stated purpose of showing what combat looked like for the ancient Egyptian infantryman nor does the author delve into tactics beyond a sentence or two. Still, a lot of great information.

[Joe Collins]

A good primer for someone wanting to understand Biblical era warfare.

[Andrew]

This is an interesting subject, but the book doesn’t really give you a sense of combat and tactics from this early period. Still, it does contain some useful information.

[Abi Pellinor]

This is a really interesting book, but definitely for those with a deep interest in the subject matter. It's written very academically which does make it more difficult to read, as well as being a slower read and harder to recommend more generally. But for those who do have this specific interest this is incredibly well researched and in depth.