Soldier of the Pharaoh: Middle Kingdom Egypt 2055–1650 BC

Osprey Warrior #121

by Nic Fields

Osprey's survey of the soldiers of Ancient Egypt. The pharaohs of Egypt have captured the imagination of readers throughout the ages. Their existence and power have been given a mythical status. In this book, Nic Fields reveals the truth behind these myths, and explores the lives of the ordinary soldiers who were the might of Middle Kingdom Egypt. Using rare artifacts, he pieces together the day-to-day existence of the pharaoh's army, from archers and hand-to-hand fighters, through to the "sole-companions" of the pharaoh.

Quoting from ancient sources Dr Fields depicts the battles on land and at sea in dramatic detail, whilst all the time providing a rare insight into the minutiae of the soldier's life: from the food he ate through to the gods he worshipped. This book is a delight for any reader interested in the mystery of Ancient Egypt.

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

Published November 20, 2007

About the author

Dr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. Having left the Navy, he went back to University and completed a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School of Archaeology, Athens, and is now a lecturer in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky]

Now that's what I'm talking about! This title is exactly what the book is about. "Soldier of the Pharaoh" touches on most aspects of a soldier in Middle Kingdom Egypt.

Although there were trained professionals, the majority of the 'grunts' were local militias from the towns and villages. When called up for service one of the first things they did was get the official haircut. I can relate to that! Instead of woodland camo BDUs the combat uniform these guys wore were white linen kilts. If you think MREs are nasty, Egyptian bread rations had so much sand and abrasive substances in it that in time they developed serious and sometimes fatal dental problems. Their quartermasters saved money on footwear because these guys were barefoot instead of wearing leather boots. Physical training started off with wrestling matches. Unlike soldiers from my day, an Egyptian was either a bowman or a hand-to-hand fighter who used a copper or bronze hand ax. Instead of flak jackets or any other body armor they simply relied on a cowhide shield. Their backup weapon was a small dagger. The flint ones held a sharper and longer lasting cutting edge than a metal blade.

When not fighting, which was most of the time, they were sent on building projects. At other times they might be sent on patrol or escort missions. Sometimes they served in garrisons of the forts that lined the Nile. During this time their main enemy was the Nubians to the south. Troops could move quickly upriver by the use of sails. Moving downstream was quick using the current. There was a demilitarized zone between two of their southernmost fortresses where only those Nubians willing to trade could go but no further. Patrols with greyhound type dogs hunted any trespassing.

This was a great book on the subject and an excellent companion to "The Fortifications of Ancient Egypt 3000-1780 BC."

[Sleepy Boy]

Continuing my Ancient Egypt kick. As per usual good intro to the subject and good art.

[Little Timmy]

You never go wrong with an Ospery history book. they are always laid out nicely with a good assortment of pics. Good read. Recommended

[Rob Roy]

There are lots of books on Ancient Egypt, but this book focuses on the military aspects of the Middle Kingdom. It is not long, but in its defense, we really don't know much more. The author has written this for the general reader but has not left the professional out. I enjoyed this book.

[Iset]

This series of thin, short books by Osprey publishing is the perfect introduction to specialised historical topics for those with no previous knowledge. In my opinion the language used may be too complex for children, even though the book is full of engaging full-colour artwork illustrations, so I would guess that it is targeted at adults, and perhaps teens, with no prior knowledge of the subject, as it covers only the basics of its topic and provides an introduction only, but does so in fairly complex adult language. One complaint I had was that this book also included photographs of artefacts taken from the author’s own collections – but these photographs were almost always considerably blurred and definitely not up to publication standards. Also, this book is only the very beginning, a real introduction to its topic, a mere scratching of the surface, and I feel that I can’t rate it higher because that is all it is – a jumping off point for further research, or a quick and easy basics-covered for the uninitiated. It's not a bad book by any means, it's just limited in how much it can actually convey, but it's a good, quick, easy introduction.

6 out of 10.