Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Libyan Wars Defending the Western Delta
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- Lucas: You know, Luna, when we think of Ramses the Great, our minds jump straight to Kadesh, the Hittite treaty, and those colossal monuments. But there's a whole other theater of war that kept him busy for decades — the western frontier. Luna: The west? You mean Libya? Lucas: Exactly. The Libyan tribes — known in Egyptian texts as the Tjehenu and Tjemehu, and later the Meshwesh — were a constant thorn in Egypt's side. They weren't a unified kingdom like Hatti, but they made repeated incursions into the fertile Nile Delta, especially during times of weakness. Ramses had to deal with them almost from the start. Lucas: Now, the traditional Egyptian view of Libyans was that they were 'wretched' and 'uncircumcised' — a classic propaganda line. But the reality is that these were pastoral nomads and semi-nomadic groups who lived along the Mediterranean coast and the oases. When drought hit, they pushed east into Egyptian territory. Luna: So they were more of a nuisance than a real threat at first? Lucas: They could be a serious threat. Already in the Old Kingdom, Pharaoh Sahure had to campaign against them. By Ramses' time, the Libyan population in the western Delta had grown, and some groups had settled as mercenaries. Ramses' own father, Seti I, had fought them. But it was under Ramses that the pressure really ramped up. Lucas: We know about these campaigns mainly from inscriptions at Karnak and from the fortress of Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham, which is about 300 kilometers west of Alexandria — a key stronghold on the Libyan coast. That fort was built by Ramses and manned by Egyptian troops and Sherden mercenaries, those sea peoples we've talked about before. Luna: So the Sherden were fighting for Ramses against the Libyans? Lucas: Yes, and that's a fascinating detail. Egyptian records show Sherden warriors as part of the garrison at Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham. They were also settled in the Delta — former pirates turned bodyguards. So you had this multi-ethnic frontier force: Egyptians, Sherden, and even some Libyans who had been integrated. Lucas: One particularly vivid inscription from the fifth year of Ramses' reign describes a campaign against the Libyans in which the Pharaoh claims to have killed over two thousand enemies, with many more captured. The text says he 'turned the land of the Tjehenu into a slaughterhouse.' It's brutal, but it shows how seriously he took the threat. Luna: Two thousand — that's a huge number for ancient warfare. Lucas: It is, though we have to allow for some royal hyperbole. Still, the scale suggests a real military operation. Ramses also established a chain of forts and wells along the western route, similar to what he did in the Sinai. The goal was to control movement and stop raiders before they reached the Delta's farmlands. Lucas: Now, the Libyans didn't just fight and lose. Over time, they became more organized. The Meshwesh tribe in particular grew powerful. By the late New Kingdom, they were serving as mercenaries in the Egyptian army themselves, and eventually — in the Third Intermediate Period — a Libyan pharaoh, Shoshenq I, would actually rule Egypt. Luna: That's a huge turnaround. From enemy to ruler. Lucas: Exactly. But in Ramses' day, they were still a frontier problem. And it's interesting — Ramses built monuments in the western Delta, like at Kom el-Hisn, which was a major administrative center. So he wasn't just fighting them; he was also developing the region and integrating it into the Egyptian state. Lucas: You know, it's moments like this — when we dig into these less glamorous campaigns — that really show how history is full of parallels. The Libyan threat, the need to secure borders, the use of foreign mercenaries... it all resonates. Luna: It does. And it makes you appreciate the sheer scale of what Ramses managed. Lucas: Absolutely. And if you've been travelling with us through these conversations — about Ramses' diplomacy, his monuments, his family — you know we try to bring you the full picture. That takes time and research, and it's only possible because of listeners like you. Luna: Yeah, we really appreciate it. If you want to help us keep this going ad-free, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Every bit helps, and it lets us dig deeper into topics like these Libyan wars. So thank you. Now, let's get back to the frontier. One of the most intriguing archaeological finds from Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham is a series of pottery sherds inscribed with Egyptian names and titles. Luna: Wait, pottery sherds? Like ostraca? Lucas: Exactly. These ostraca record the daily life of the garrison: supplies, rations, and even letters. One mentions a Sherden soldier named 'Shedsher' — a rare personal name from a Sea People. It gives us a glimpse into the multicultural world of Ramses' frontier. Lucas: Another ostracon lists a delivery of fish and bread to the fort, showing that the supply chain from the Nile was functioning. The fort was clearly a permanent base, not just a temporary camp. It had storage rooms, a temple to Ramses, and even a small harbor. Luna: So they were really investing in controlling that coast. Lucas: Yes, because the Libyans weren't just a military problem — they also disrupted trade routes. The coastal road along the Mediterranean connected Egypt to the cities of Syria-Palestine, so keeping it secure was vital. Ramses understood that better than most. Lucas: There's also evidence that Ramses conducted a 'tribal census' of sorts, deporting some Libyans to work on his building projects. The Ramesseum, his mortuary temple, records the forced labor of Libyan captives. So these wars had an economic dimension too — bringing in workers and booty. Luna: That's a darker side of the story. But it's honest. Lucas: It is. And it's important to remember that Ramses' reign, for all its glory, was built on the backs of conquered peoples. The Libyan campaigns were part of that machinery. But they also set in motion long-term changes that would reshape Egypt. Lucas: By the end of his 67-year reign, the western frontier was relatively quiet. But the seeds were planted. The Libyans who settled in the Delta would later form powerful dynasties. In a way, Ramses' victories accelerated a process he couldn't control. Luna: It's like the empire created its own successor. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the kind of historical irony that makes this period so rich. So next time someone mentions Ramses, remember the western forts, the Sherden mercenaries, and the Libyan shepherds who would one day become pharaohs.