Thutmose III was an Egyptian ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty (1500 BCE to 1426 BCE), frequently viewed as the best pharaoh of ancient Egypt. He climbed the honored position around the age of 10 (some historians say age seven), but his stepmother and aunt, Hatshepsut, ruled first as his official and later as an Egyptian pharaoh for the next 20 years. On her death, he started military campaigns to restore Egyptian dominance in Syria and Palestine. Later he assaulted and vanquished the kingdom of Mitanni, an incredible Mesopotamian opponent of Egypt. He quelled the Nubian clans toward the south and utilized them in the gold mines that turned into the premise of Egypt’s riches. He combined his triumphs with more battles and built up a framework whereby local rulers would pay yearly tribute to Egypt and send their beneficiaries as prisoners to Egypt, where instructors teach them in court. At home, he expanded the sanctuary of Amon at Karnak. His mummy was found in 1889 CE and his funeral home sanctuary in 1962 CE.
Thutmose III became famous because of the Battle of Megiddo. The conflict occurred in May 1479 BCE near the city of Megiddo, which is located in present-day Israel and Palestine. Pharaoh Thutmose III commanded the Egyptian Army against Durusha, the King of Kadesh, who commanded his army. The Egyptian army probably comprised 20,000 infantrymen and 2,000 charioteers, while the Kadesh army was composed of unknown, but likely similar military formations. This battle remains important partly because it was the first military confrontation in history recorded by eyewitnesses.
Egyptian power was declining, and following the passing of the Egyptian co-official Hatshepsut in 1482. Durusha drove a revolt of urban areas of Palestine and Syria. Pharaoh Thutmose III was eager to affirm his power and reestablish Egyptian control in the Levant. While removing Hatshepsut’s name and image from public structures, Thutmose modified the Egyptian Army, which had been lethargic for a considerable length of time before he drove a quick advance into Palestine. Under Thutmose III leadership, the Egyptian army became greater and more powerful. The infantrymen were equipped with sickle-shaped swords, battle-axes, and ox-hide shields. The Egyptian officers battled from their war-chariots, many of them were bowmen.
Thutmose III’s enemies, who were all reasonably equipped with similar weapons, were under the command of Durusha. Thutmose III organized his huge army at the fortified city of Megiddo, north of Mount Carmel. Dismissing the guidance of his generals, who dreaded a snare, Thutmose III picked the most direct course north to Megiddo, through a restricted pass. Durusha and his generals believe that the Egyptians would consider this course excessively hazardous, for he had sent the main part of his powers along another street toward the east. When driving his chariot, Thutmose III pushed through Megiddo Pass, dispersing its few defenders. He at that point combined his forces while the Durusha and his troops went back to Megiddo.
Thutmose drew up his military in a concave formation of three fundamental combat elements southwest of Megiddo and athwart the little Kina River. The two flanks were on high ground, with the left flank reaching out toward the northwest of Megiddo to remove any foe escape along a street from the city. The rebel forces remain on high ground close Megiddo. While the southern wing of his military held his foe, Thutmose actually drove the northern wing in an assault that cut between the revolutionary left flank and Megiddo itself, wrapping the foe power and winning the fight. The surviving fighters fled. Because the Egyptian officers decided to plunder the adversary camp, many enemy fighters escaped death, which significantly disappointed Thutmose III. Thutmose III laid siege on Megiddo, which endured for months. When the leaders of Megiddo surrenders, Thutmose detained a large portion of them; however, Durusha escaped. Thutmose captured the ru
PRIMARY SOURCES: Benson, Douglas. Ancient Egypt’s Warfare. Ashland, OH: Book Masters, 1995. Gabriel, Richard, and Donald Boose. The Great Battles of Antiquity. Westport, CT: Greenwood,1994. Steindorff, George, and Keith Seele. When Egypt Ruled the East. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.