Landing in Northern Syria, the
sea-peoples quickly made themselves masters of the fragments of
the once formidable Hittite confederacy, and, absorbing in their
alliance the Hittites, who may indeed have been of their own kin,
they moved southwards along the sea-coast, their fleet of war-galleys
keeping pace with the advance of the land army. They established
a central camp and place of arms in the land of Amor, or of the
Amorites, and their southward movement speedily became a menace
to the Egyptian Empire. Ramses III., the last great soldier of
the true Egyptian stock, made effective preparations to meet them.
Gathering at the Nile mouths a numerous fleet, which carried large
numbers of the dreaded Egyptian archers, he advanced with the land
army to meet the invaders, his fleet also accompanying the march
of the army. The locality of the encounter between the two forces
is doubtful, some placing it in Phoenicia, and others much nearer
to the Egyptian frontier. In any case, a great battle was fought,
both by land and sea, and the Egyptian army and fleet were entirely
successful in the double encounter. The reliefs of Ramses at Medinet
Habu show the details of the battle, the Egyptian fleet penetrating
and overthrowing that of the sea-peoples, while the Pharaoh from
the shore assists by archery in the discomfiture of his enemies.
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