Legendary Battles

Information

Date: 1457 BC

Location: Megiddo (present-day Israel)

Commander of the Egyptian army: Thutmose III

Commander of the coalition army:
Durusha, King of Kadesh

Outcome: decisive Egyptian victory

Coalition

10,000–15,000 soldiers

Egyptian Empire

10,000–20,000 soldiers

During his long reign pharaoh Thutmose III led 17 conquering campaigns, expanding the territory of the Egyptian Empire. He fought his largest battle during the very first of these campaigns in 1457 BC, against the alliance of Middle Eastern rulers. He defeated the allied armies near Megiddo, then laid siege to the fortified city.

Stage 1

The pharaoh led the chariots towards the hills overlooking the plain around Megiddo.
The foot soldiers remained in the camp.

Stage 2

Durusha, King of Kadesh ordered his soldiers
to stop the approaching Egyptian army.

Stage 3

The pharaoh, Thutmose III ordered Egyptian soldiers to continue advancing.

Stage 4

Using their momentum, the Egyptians quickly gained the upper hand. Having suffered huge losses, Durusha ordered his soldiers to retreat into the fort of Megiddo.

The pharaoh

Thutmose III was the 6th
pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. He is considered one of the most significant pharaohs, due to his conquests. His tomb
in the Valley of the Kings was rediscovered and excavated by Victor Loret, the famous French Egyptologist, in 1898.

Sources

The battle of Megiddo is the first battle in history to have been recorded in reliable detail. The hieroglyphs on the temple of Amun in the Karnak temple complex, which Thutmose III had extended, are the primary source of reconstructing the event.

The campaign

The aim of the pharaoh’s campaign was to force into submission the rulers who formed an alliance with Mi­tanni against Egypt. Also, he wanted to take control of the region’s impor­tant trade routes. One member of the belligerent coalition was the king of Megiddo.