Egypt:School Studies:War:Part 1

The Egyptians also sometimes fought off invasions from the Libyans to their west, or from the Nubians to their south (and sometimes they lost to these invaders too). Around 1700 BC, there was a big invasion of Hyksos from the north.

Rameses III conquering the Libyans (ca. 1300 BC)

Also, the Egyptians sometimes invaded their neighbors. They sometimes invaded the Levant (modern Israel [View map] ) to their north, as in the New Kingdom, and sometimes they invaded Nubia (modern Ethiopia [View map] and Sudan [View map] ) to their south.

The Egyptian army had bronze-tipped spears and shields made of wood and ox-hide. They do not seem to have worn armor. The Pharaohs in the New Kingdom fought from chariots drawn by horses, but probably before the New Kingdom the Egyptians did not have horse-drawn war chariots.

Beginning as early as the Middle Kingdom, Egyptian pharaohs hired Nubian mercenaries to fight in their wars. It is likely (though not proven) that the New Kingdom Egyptians hired Greek mercenary soldiers to fight in their wars with them about 1500 BC. Certainly many Greek soldiers fought for Egypt while Egypt was revolting against Persian rule in the 500's and 400's