Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses and the Libyan War: Defending Egypt's Western Frontier
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked about Kadesh, the Hittites, the Sea Peoples — but there's another frontier that Ramses spent a lot of time and energy on, and it rarely gets the spotlight: the western border, against the Libyans. Luna: The Libyans? I don't think we've touched them at all. Lucas: Exactly. And they were a persistent headache. The Egyptians lumped them under terms like Tjehenu and Tjemehu — but these weren't a single unified people. They were tribal groups living in the desert and along the coast west of the Delta. And during the 19th Dynasty, they started pushing in. Lucas: Why? Climate pressure, probably. The Sahara was drying out, and the Delta was lush. So you get Libyan groups raiding settlements, stealing livestock, threatening the grain-producing regions that kept Egypt fed. Luna: So Ramses had to fight a war on two fronts, basically. Lucas: More like three, if you count the Nubian south. But yes. And he handled it. There's a famous scene on the walls of the Karnak temple showing Ramses in his chariot, charging into a mass of Libyan warriors. The inscription calls them 'the wretched Tjehenu' — standard Egyptian rhetoric. But the campaign was real. Lucas: We know it happened around Year 30 or so of his reign, based on texts like the Papyrus Harris I. That document, which was actually written after his death under Ramses III, lists the spoils and prisoners from various campaigns, including the Libyan one. Thousands of captives, tens of thousands of cattle. Luna: That's a huge number. Where did all those people go? Lucas: That's the interesting part. Ramses didn't just kill or enslave them. A lot of them were integrated into the Egyptian army as mercenaries. The Libyans were known as fierce fighters, especially with bows. So you start seeing Libyan names in Egyptian records, serving as soldiers, even rising to high ranks. Lucas: It's a pattern that would have huge consequences. A couple centuries later, a Libyan military commander named Shoshenq I actually became pharaoh — founding the 22nd Dynasty. So Ramses's policy of absorbing Libyans into the military basically planted the seeds for a future Libyan takeover of Egypt. Luna: Wait, so Ramses inadvertently created the conditions for Libyan rule? Lucas: In a way, yes. But in his time, it was a pragmatic solution. He needed soldiers, and the Libyans needed land and food. So he settled them in garrison towns along the western Delta — places like the 'Marsh of Reeds' — and they became a buffer against other raiders. Lucas: And speaking of practical solutions — you know, if you've been enjoying these deep dives into Ramses's reign, and if today's episode was worth a coffee to you, we do have a support page. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Helps keep the show ad-free and lets us keep digging into these specific topics. Luna: Totally. It's the little things that keep independent history podcasting going. Lucas: Yeah. So back to the Libyans. Ramses also built a string of fortresses along the western frontier — not as famous as the ones in Nubia, but important. One was called 'The Town of Ramses' in the western Delta. They controlled water sources and movement. Luna: Were these forts just for defense, or did they serve as launch points for attacks? Lucas: Both. But the evidence suggests Ramses preferred to fight the Libyans in the desert, before they could reach the fertile land. He'd send out rapid chariot forces to intercept raiding parties. There's a relief at Karnak showing Libyan prisoners being presented to the gods — standard triumphal scene, but it gives us the names of some Libyan chiefs: names like 'Mereyey' and 'Keper'. Lucas: We also know that Ramses's sons played a role in these campaigns. Khaemwaset — the famous priest-scholar — wasn't just a temple man. He held military titles too. And another son, Ramses, was involved in the Libyan front. The pharaoh was building a dynasty of warriors. Luna: So it wasn't just Ramses himself — he was grooming his sons for command. Lucas: Exactly. This was a family business. And the Libyan campaigns were a proving ground. By the end of his reign, the western frontier was relatively stable. But the demographic shift was already happening. Libyans were settling in the Delta in large numbers, and over the next few generations, they'd become a dominant force in Egyptian politics. Luna: It's almost like the beginning of the end for the New Kingdom, in a way. Lucas: That's one way to see it. The Late Bronze Age collapse was brewing, and the Libyans were part of that wave of migrations and invasions. But Ramses managed to hold the line. It's just that his successors — Merenptah and Ramses III — would have to fight even harder against the same peoples. Lucas: One last detail: we have a letter from a frontier official named Penre, found at the site of Per-Ramesses, that mentions 'the Tjehenu who come every day to trade'. So it wasn't all warfare. There was also commerce — Libyans bringing in cattle, skins, and slaves in exchange for Egyptian grain and textiles. Luna: So a complex relationship — not just enemies, but neighbors and customers too. Lucas: Exactly. And that complexity is what makes this more than just another war story. It's about how an empire manages its borders — through violence, diplomacy, and economic exchange. Ramses did all three. Lucas: If you want to see the reliefs we talked about, check the episode page — we'll have links to images from Karnak. And next time, I thought we might look at something a bit lighter: the pets of ancient Egypt. Did you know Ramses had a lion? Luna: A lion? Now that I have to hear about.