Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Naval Battle at the Nile Delta
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great on land — Kadesh, the Libyan incursions, the Nubian campaigns. But there's one battle that doesn't get nearly as much attention, and it happened not on a dusty plain, but on the water. Luna: A naval battle? I don't think we've covered that. Lucas: We haven't. In the eighth year of his reign — around 1274 BCE, but scholars debate the exact date — Ramses faced a threat that wasn't Hittite or Libyan. It was a loose coalition of raiders we now call the Sea Peoples. Lucas: Now, the term 'Sea Peoples' is a modern label. The Egyptians themselves called them various names — the Sherden, the Lukka, the Peleset, among others. They weren't a single nation but a confederation of seafaring groups who harried the eastern Mediterranean during the late Bronze Age. Luna: Wait — the Peleset? That sounds like the Philistines. Lucas: Exactly right. The Peleset are widely believed to be the biblical Philistines. But in Ramses' time, they were just one of several pirate bands operating out of the Aegean and Anatolia. And in year eight, they decided to test Egypt's defenses. Lucas: The attack came at the Nile Delta — specifically at the mouth of the Pelusiac branch, the easternmost channel. The Sea Peoples sailed in with a fleet of ships, probably hoping to raid the rich cities of the Delta, maybe even push inland toward Per-Ramesses itself. Luna: How did Ramses respond? Did he have a navy? Lucas: He did. Egypt had always maintained a riverine fleet, but this was a full-scale naval engagement. Ramses positioned his army along the shoreline, with archers and spearmen, to trap the raiders if they tried to land. Then he sent his own ships to meet them. Lucas: The Egyptian ships were probably similar to the ones depicted at Medinet Habu — broad-hulled vessels with a single square sail and multiple oars. They were crewed by sailors and marines, armed with bows, axes, and spears. The tactic was to get close, rain arrows on the enemy, then board. Luna: So it was like a floating infantry fight. Lucas: Essentially. The Sea Peoples' ships were more oceangoing, built for long-distance raiding, but in the confined waters of the Delta, they lost their advantage. Ramses' forces managed to surround them. The inscriptions at Medinet Habu claim that the enemy 'came in their warships from the midst of the sea, but they were trapped and destroyed at the shore.' Lucas: Now, as with Kadesh, we have to take the propaganda with a grain of salt. The reliefs show Ramses personally leading the charge, shooting arrows, capturing prisoners. But the reality was probably more chaotic — a brutal slugging match where both sides took losses. Luna: Were any of the Sea Peoples captured alive? Lucas: Yes — and this is where it gets interesting. Ramses didn't just kill or enslave them. He incorporated many of the Sherden into his own army. We have records of Sherden warriors serving as elite bodyguards for Ramses, fighting alongside Egyptians in later campaigns. It was a pragmatic move — turn your enemies into allies. Lucas: This battle didn't end the Sea Peoples threat — they would return in force under Ramses' successors, especially Merenptah and Ramses III. But for Ramses himself, it was another victory to add to his legacy. He had the reliefs carved at Medinet Habu and Karnak, showing the pharaoh as the defender of Egypt against the chaos of the sea. Luna: It reminds me of how he used the Kadesh battle — turning a near-defeat into a monument to his own greatness. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the pattern with Ramses. Every military encounter, whether a clear win or a stalemate, became a divine victory when carved in stone. The naval battle of the Nile Delta was a real achievement — it kept Egypt safe during his reign — but the way he memorialized it tells us as much about his need for eternal glory as it does about the fighting. Lucas: You know, one of the reasons we can explore episodes like this — the lesser-known campaigns, the details of ancient warfare, the nitty-gritty of how Egypt actually functioned — is because listeners like you help keep this show going. It's not a big operation, just a couple of people who love this stuff. Luna: Yeah, and it makes a real difference. Even a couple of dollars a month at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — that's genuinely what keeps these conversations ad-free and coming. Lucas: So if you've gotten something out of our journey through Ramses' world — or any of the Fexingo shows — that's the link. No pressure, but it does help. Lucas: Anyway, back to the battle. One detail I love is that the reliefs show the Sea Peoples wearing distinctive horned helmets, which archaeologists have found evidence for in Sardinia. That has led some scholars to link the Sherden specifically to the island of Sardinia. Luna: So the Sea Peoples might have come from as far west as Sardinia? That's incredible. They really were a Mediterranean-wide phenomenon. Lucas: They were. And Ramses' victory, while real, was only a temporary check. The Sea Peoples would eventually contribute to the Bronze Age Collapse, toppling empires from Greece to the Levant. Egypt survived, but it was a near thing. Ramses' naval battle was one of the early warnings. Luna: And one more example of how he presented himself as the one standing between order and chaos. Lucas: Exactly. He was Userrenput-aanehktu — 'Rich in Years, Great in Victories.' And the Nile Delta battle, though overshadowed by Kadesh, was a real part of that story.