Battle of Megiddo (15th century BCE)
Megiddo, Canaan
What happened
Pharaoh Thutmose III led the Egyptian army against a group of Canaanite rulers headed by the king of Kadesh and joined by the prince of Megiddo. Thutmose III chose a narrow mountain path where his soldiers had to walk one behind another, even though his generals wanted a safer road. The enemy was guarding the easier roads, so the Egyptians came out by surprise and won the battle the next morning. The defeated soldiers escaped into the walled city of Megiddo, and the Egyptians surrounded it until it surrendered about seven months later.
Why it matters
Result: Egyptian victory Territorial expansion of the Egyptian Empire. Leader: Thutmose III. Why it matters: It is the first battle written down in fairly reliable detail, thanks to a daily journal kept by the king's scribe, Tjaneni. The victory began a reign in which Egypt's empire grew to its largest size.
What came next
Thutmose III had each defeated king send a son to be educated at the Egyptian court, so they would rule with Egyptian sympathies when they went home. Calming the region still took further campaigns almost every year.
Did you know?
The word Armageddon comes from the name Megiddo.
Timeline
- c. 1458 BCEThutmose III begins ruling on his own and marches north after local rulers revolt.
- 16 April 1457 BCE (one reckoning)The Egyptian army defeats the coalition outside Megiddo.
- About seven months laterMegiddo surrenders after a siege behind a moat and wooden fence.
- Around Year 42 of his reignThutmose III has his campaigns carved into the walls of the Temple of Amun at Karnak.