In our modern era, warfare and political unrest seem to be skyrocketing. With conflicts emerging all around the world and countless people suffering horribly, it can be hard to look beyond our situation. Looking at the past can help us find transcendence amid our situation. Throughout human history, there have been countless wars and conflicts.
In the Ancient World, war was sadly commonplace. While there were periods of peace in specific locations, studying this time in history might make you wonder whether humans can even achieve unified peace for any time, let alone for decades or more. But these stories give those of us who live today hope.
The horrible things we live through now will pass into history, just like these seven conflicts from the Ancient World. For better or worse, the conflicts will pave the way for new things in the future. Positive or negative, each of these historical battles and wars by the oldest civilizations in the world has altered the course of human history.
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7 Battle Of Megiddo
After a daring logistical maneuver through a narrow pass, Pharaoh Thutmose III fought a decisive battle at Megiddo
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On April 16, 1457, BCE, a battle broke out between the Egyptians and a coalition of Canaanite cities. Several important Canaanite city-states, such as Kadesh and Megiddo, had risen against Egypt, which controlled the region. The Egyptian pharaoh at the time, Thutmose III, was quick to crush this rebellion. The actual battle occurred in Megiddo, a city now in Israel. Megiddo was situated on an important trade route (the Via Maris) and thus was a strategically important city.
To get to the city speedily, Thutmosis III made a risky move: he steered his army of around 20,000 men through a narrow pass called Wadi Ara. The Egyptian troops could only travel in a single file; if the Canaanites discovered them, it would be easy to pick them off individually. Luck was on the Egyptians' side, and they could pass without issue. Not only that, but the Canaanites didn't expect this maneuver at all. The Egyptians attacked Megiddo the next morning and had a resounding victory.
What makes this battle so important for human history isn't the particular assailants or the location. What makes it so significant is the record of the battle itself. Found on the walls of Thutmose III's temple to Amun-Re at Karnak, the account details the daily journal of the pharaoh's personal scribe, Tjaneni. The Battle of Megiddo (1457 BCE) is thus one of the earliest battles with a detailed description, if not the earliest. It's also the earliest battle that historians actually have records of the number of assailants and the number of dead.
Opposing sides:
Egypt vs. a Canaanite coalition
Date:
April 16, 1457, BCE
Locations:
Megiddo, Wadi Ara
6 Battle Of Kadesh
This Bronze Age battle isn't famous for its fighting, but rather its ultimate, peaceful conclusion
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The year was 1274 BCE, and Egypt's longest-ruling pharaoh, Ramses II, was about to fight a battle against Muwatalli II of the Hittites. On the plains near Kadesh, an important Canaanite city-state, Ramses and Muwatalli's large armies of chariots clashed with each other.
This battle isn't famous for the actual fighting, though, or even the military gains from the outcome. Who won the battle isn't even clear; both Ramses and Muwatalli claim to have won. What makes this battle so important today is the peace treaty that the Egyptians and the Hittites signed sixteen years later. Named the Treaty of Kadesh after this battle, Ramses II and the new Hittite king, Ḫattušili III, pledged brotherhood to each other, each writing down the treaty's contents. This is so significant for world history because it's the first of its kind. No peace treaties have yet been found that date earlier than this.
Years later, archaeologists found both sides of this story. Ramses II recorded his side at Karnak, while Ḫattušili III recorded his on a clay tablet. This pair of discoveries, happening at different areas of the Mediterranean, is widely considered an archaeological discovery that altered known history.
Opposing sides:
Egypt vs. the Hittites
Date:
1274 BCE
Locations:
Kadesh
5 Battle Of Djahy & Battle Of The Delta
These decisive battles can help archaeologists and historians better understand the Late Bronze Age Collapse
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On the walls of Ramses III's mortuary temple in Medinet Habu, two ancient battles were recorded that have puzzled historians for decades. These were the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta, and they've become pivotal points for those studying the Late Bronze Age of the Mediterranean.
In 1178 BCE, a group attacked the Egyptian frontier in Djahy, somewhere in southern Lebanon today. Dubbed the Sea People, they were a coalition of many different ethnic groups, many of whom seemed to have little connection to one another. After attacking numerous cities around the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, they had reached Egypt's borders. Ramses III writes that no other country had been able to fend them off. Ultimately, Egypt won the battle, but the war wasn't over yet.
The Sea People eventually were able to muster a naval fleet, with which they attacked the Egyptian Nile Delta in 1175 BCE. Ramses III was able to fend off the invaders using carefully placed archers on the banks of the Nile.
But what caused such a large influx of assailants in Egypt? For historians who study this era, this is just one factor in a larger problem called "The Bronze Age Collapse," when many different catastrophes hit the Mediterranean within just a few decades. It's theorized that the migration of the Sea Peoples and their coalition was caused by food shortages, climate change, and political unrest elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
The Nuragic Bronze Statuettes, some of the most mysterious artifacts from the Ancient World, may have originated in Sardinia for some of the Sea Peoples. Although Ramses III was quick to paint the Sea Peoples as an elite fighting force of professional bandits, the presence of women and children in carts among the Sea Peoples on his relief shows that this might not strictly be the case; it's possible that the Sea Peoples were desperate people seeking refuge.
Today, these battles are vitally important in understanding the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Historians have used Ramses III's descriptions as a guiding force for understanding the movement of people during this time. One of these groups is very important in Biblical Archaeology. Called the Peleset by the Egyptians, they're now known by a more infamous name: the Philistines.
Opposing sides:
Egypt vs. the Sea Peoples
Date:
1178 and 1175 BCE
Locations:
Djahy (Lebanon) and the Nile Delta
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4 The Trojan War
This legendary war might have had a basis in historical fact, though many events of the epic probably didn't happen the way Homer describes
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Most people, both today and in the Greek Mediterranean, know about the Trojan War Epic. Made famous by Homer's Iliad and Odyssey during the Greek Dark Ages, this story has resonated with people across the world for thousands of years. To this day, scholars and fans alike study these texts, trying to understand the secrets of this ancient war. But is there any historicity to this highly influential text? Archaeology says both yes and no.
Let's start with the positive: a real-life ancient conflict likely formed the basis for the incredible tale we know today. The site of Troy itself has been found. During its day, the city was known as Wilusa. Today, it's been extensively excavated. Excavations showed that the city was destroyed in the 1180s BCE. This would have placed it squarely between the destruction of Mycenaean cities and the height of the Bronze Age Collapse. Because many historians believe that the Mycenaeans eventually became part of the Sea Peoples that were raiding the Eastern Mediterranean at this time, it's highly likely that these precursors of the Greeks at least contributed to the fall of Wilusa at this time.
Unfortunately, though, the beat-by-beat details of the Trojan War are likely to be highly mythologized. While mythological elements like the creation of a wooden horse to hide in, the dealings between gods and mortals, and the legendary warriors with impenetrable skin make for great tales; they don't make for good history.
Nevertheless, it's clear that something happened at Troy that caused this battle to be remembered so extensively. The problem is that the story has become so mythologized that finding the real events might feel underwhelming for many.
Opposing sides:
Wilusa vs. the Mycenaeans (possibly)
Date:
1180s BCE
Locations:
Wilusa
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3 Sennacherib's Siege Of Jerusalem
A crafty strategic move by the king of Jerusalem might have saved his people from certain destruction at the hands of the Assyrians
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The Siloam Tunnel in Jerusalem is where an actual Bible event happened and the site of a historic battle. Around 700 BCE, King Sennacherib of Assyria sought to crush cities in the Levant that had refused to pay taxes. After crushing the city of Lachish, Sennacherib and his army moved on Jerusalem.
Jerusalem's king at the time, a man named Hezekiah, knew of the danger that awaited his people at the hands of the Assyrians. In order to survive the siege, Hezekiah came up with a brilliant plan. He declared that the waterways outside the city would be blocked, leaving the Assyrians without water and their people with enough sustenance to ride out the siege.
To accomplish this, he ordered a tunnel built beneath the city to direct water from the Gihon Spring. Two teams started from either side, working tirelessly until they met in the middle. This is truly a feat of incredible ancient engineering!
When Sennacherib came to the city, he claimed in his account that he "had Hezekiah like a bird in a cage." But then he says that he immediately left without fully taking the city, instead moving on to pacify other areas. Could this be related to Hezekiah's tactics of rerouting the water? The answer to this question is still unknown.
Opposing sides:
Assyria vs. Judah
Date:
700 BCE
Locations:
Jerusalem, Lachish
2 The Liberator's Civil War
On the hilly plains of Philippi, the Roman Republic took its dying breaths during this important ancient war
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The assassination of the Roman politician Julius Caesar is considered to be one of the most famous events in world history. This pivotal moment is widely considered to be a turning point for humanity as a whole, but most people don't know about its aftermath.
In 43 BCE, a year after the murder, the two main assailants, Cassius and Brutus (called the Liberators), fought a war against those who supported Caesar, Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus (called the Triumvirs). Rome was no stranger to civil wars, but this one had a unique aspect: it was fought over the governmental structure of the Republic itself.
Culminating in the Battle of Philippi on October 23, 42 BCE, the Liberators lost. After this point, the Roman Republic was pretty much over. Although historians debate what exact year marked the end of this pivotal era, 42 BCE is a great candidate for it.
Opposing sides:
Liberators vs. Triumvirs
Date:
43-42 BCE
Locations:
Philippi
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1 Battle Of The Teutoburg Forest
In the dense, misty woods of Germany's Teutoburg Forest, a surprise attack left the Romans reeling
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Few defeats in Roman history are as infamous as the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Fought between the forces of Roman general Publius Quinctilius Varus and a coalition of German peoples, this battle was a decisive moment in Roman expansion across Western Europe.
After more than a decade of unrest in the area, the Romans felt that the land of Germany (called Germania in Roman times) had been adequately pacified. Setting up a man named Varus as governor, the Romans were confident that the area would soon be completely brought into Rome's fold. However, Varus was more of a statesman than a general. While looking into unrest, Varus made crucial errors that led to a surprise attack.
A local Germanic nobleman informed Varus that a Roman ally among the Germans, Arminius, would launch an attack soon. Varus didn't believe him. Though it's easy to blame Varus in hindsight, it's important to remember that his actions made sense within their context. This particular Germanic nobleman was Arminius' father-in-law -- and he was not happy about Arminius as a husband to his daughter. Varus felt that Arminius was being set up due to internal politics among the Germans. Sadly for him, though, Arminius' father-in-law was right.
On September 8, 9 CE, the Roman army was attacked as they moved through the dense and ancient Teutoberg Forest. Using the terrain to their advantage, the Germanic coalition was able to cut the Roman army off from each other, stranding them so communication wasn't adequately possible between different internal groups. Heavy rain started to fall, adding more difficulty to the Romans' plight. Ultimately, around 20,000 Romans were killed.
Opposing sides:
Romans vs. Germans
Date:
9 CE
Locations:
Teutoberg Forest