1:51

Remeses,

2:00

legendarily, had many wives, and

2:03

fathered dozens of sons and daughters

2:05

during his long reign. King

2:07

Remeses ruled Egypt for more

2:10

than sixty-five years. On

2:12

the one hand, that was a fantastic

2:14

achievement, a demonstration of longevity,

2:17

the obvious favour of the gods, and

2:19

the supremacy of Egypt as a home

2:22

and a kingdom. It also

2:24

had its troubles. Because

2:26

Remeses ruled so long, all

2:28

of the sons whom he originally groomed

2:31

for power, they pre-deceased

2:33

their father. One after

2:35

another, the eldest children died,

2:38

long before their elderly parent.

2:41

By the last years of Remeses reign, he

2:43

had gone through twelve sons, all

2:46

of whom dead before their time. That

2:48

left Prince Mernepta. Mernepta

2:52

means beloved of Pithar.

2:55

Pithar is a great creator deity,

2:58

especially prominent in the royal city

3:00

of Memphis in the north, and

3:02

also in the necropolis of Giza and

3:05

Saqqara. Pithar is a major

3:07

deity, one of Egypt's most important

3:10

creator gods, and worship

3:12

of this deity goes all the way back to

3:14

the earliest phases of their history. So

3:17

a name like Mernepta, beloved

3:19

of Pithar, is a classic Egyptian

3:22

name, good, strong, and

3:25

loyal. That would make a good description for this prince

3:27

as well. When his father

3:30

finally died, Prince Mernepta

3:32

had been the heir to the throne for approximately

3:35

ten years. By this point,

3:37

Mernepta was already a mature man.

3:40

He was at least in his late forties,

3:43

possibly even older by the time

3:45

he inherited the throne. We know

3:47

that because the mummy of Mernepta

3:49

survives. It was preserved in

3:51

a quiche, a secret reburial

3:54

of royal mummies dating to the new kingdom.

3:57

Mernepta, son of Remeses, was

3:59

a among that great collection, and

4:02

scientific studies of his body, including

4:05

x-rays and CT scanning, have

4:07

placed his age around the time that he

4:09

became king at approximately 50 years

4:12

old. Now in the ancient world, 50

4:15

years was a pretty advanced age. The

4:18

average lifespan, assuming a person

4:21

escaped childhood, was roughly

4:23

late 30s to mid 40s before

4:25

they finally died. Of course the royals

4:28

and the wealthy members of society had

4:30

access to a better diet and more sophisticated

4:33

medical treatments, so usually

4:35

the pharaohs seemed to live a little bit longer

4:38

than the average person. Nonetheless, 50

4:41

years old in ancient Egypt was

4:43

an advanced age. Logically, Mernepta's

4:46

reign was not going to be long.

4:50

Following his father's death and burial, Mernepta

4:53

became the pharaoh. He declared

4:55

his public identity as the quote,

4:58

strong bull who rejoices in

5:00

Ma'at, the two ladies who

5:02

act powerfully against the land

5:05

of Chemehu or Libya, the

5:08

golden falcon, the Lord who

5:10

is feared, and great of majesty,

5:13

the king of southern and northern Egypt,

5:16

the soul or the ram of Ra,

5:19

beloved of the gods, the

5:21

son of Ra, Mernepta,

5:23

beloved of Pata, he who

5:26

satisfies Ma'at. This

5:28

is an example of the five royal names,

5:31

a feature of the ancient Egyptian kingship

5:33

which placed the pharaoh in a long tradition

5:36

of political and religious ideas. I

5:38

won't break it down right here, but two

5:41

of Mernepta's royal names are significant.

5:44

His throne name, the king of southern

5:47

and northern Egypt, the soul of Ra,

5:49

or powerful for Ra, and beloved

5:51

of the gods. In Egyptian, that

5:54

sounds like Nesubiti, Ba'en-Ra,

5:58

Meri-Nekeru.

5:59

interesting name. It connects the king

6:02

specifically with the sun god Ra,

6:05

and it presents Mernepta as a

6:07

powerful individual who perhaps carries

6:09

the strength of the sun god in his

6:11

day to day rule. Mernepta

6:14

is also beloved of the gods,

6:16

a pretty classic phrase for an Egyptian king,

6:19

but it's not one that we often see included

6:22

in their names. So apparently

6:24

Mernepta was quite interested in

6:27

divine favour, the blessings of

6:29

the gods, and ensuring that his

6:31

reign would be a pious man. Mernepta

6:34

also called himself the Sa

6:37

Ra or son of Ra, Merni

6:39

Bata, beloved of Bata, Hetep

6:42

Her Maat or he

6:45

who satisfies Maat. This

6:47

is an interesting concept. Maat

6:50

is the ancient Egyptian word for truth,

6:52

justice, the natural order of things,

6:55

and the world or reality that the

6:57

gods have established. Maat,

7:00

in short, is the way things are supposed

7:03

to be, the systems and rules established

7:05

by the divine creators, maintained

7:08

by the pharaohs, and part of

7:10

all society. Maat was

7:12

also a goddess, a personification

7:15

of the idea in a divine figure.

7:18

So Mernepta calls himself he

7:20

who satisfies Maat. In

7:22

other words, he is a king who maintains

7:25

order, who keeps things stable, and

7:27

ensures the natural world, the world

7:29

created by the gods, is peaceful

7:31

and established. It was

7:33

a powerful statement for his agenda

7:36

and how he intended to rule. Of

7:38

course, things would always be more complicated

7:40

than that, and Mernepta's

7:42

reign was anything but peaceful.

7:45

When his father died and

7:47

he inherited power, Mernepta

7:50

became the new king of southern and

7:52

northern Egypt. He also inherited

7:55

the Egyptian Empire. Previous

7:57

generations had stamped their military,

8:00

economic and religious authority over

8:02

many lands and peoples. To

8:04

the south, the pharaohs had conquered

8:06

Nubia, modern-day Sudan,

8:08

and they exploited its gold mines, its

8:11

cattle herds, and its many trade

8:13

links with distant lands in Africa.

8:16

To the west, the pharaohs had subjugated

8:18

the Libyans, a loose tribal

8:21

confederation of people who made their

8:23

home amid the Oasis, grasslands,

8:26

and deserts of the great Sahara. To

8:28

the east, the Sinai Peninsula was

8:31

abundant in copper and turquoise,

8:33

valuable minerals for the military

8:36

and decorative arts at home. And

8:39

to the north, the patchwork kingdoms

8:41

of Canaan, Syria, and even

8:43

Cyprus had all bowed before

8:45

the pharaohs at one time or another.

8:48

Their rulers were petty, jealous kings

8:50

who could not hold sway over their own lands.

8:53

And though mighty kings like Remeses

8:56

II, Seti I, and Tuthmos

8:59

III had crushed the Canaanites

9:01

and Syrians underfoot, Meronaptar

9:04

inherited this political situation. But

9:07

by the time he came to power, things

9:09

had changed significantly. Once

9:12

Egypt had enjoyed uncontested

9:14

supremacy over Canaan, Syria,

9:17

Libya, and Nubia. But in

9:19

the last years of the 13th century,

9:21

Nubia's eyes watched these

9:23

provinces, and slowly, but

9:25

surely, drew their plans against

9:28

them. Like many pharaohs before him,

9:30

Meronaptar was as much a war leader

9:32

as he was a ruler. Early

9:35

in his reign, he sent armies to the north

9:37

to stamp out a rebellion in Canaan.

9:40

We'll tell that story in full in another

9:42

episode, but the king's troops marched

9:45

into those lands early in his reign

9:47

to assert his authority and crush

9:50

any who resisted. The king also

9:52

sent an army to the south. Supposedly

9:55

the Nubians, the lands of Wawat

9:57

and Kush, had tried to rise up

11:58

ruler

12:00

of Libya, Maruyu, the son

12:02

of Didi, has descended upon

12:05

the land of Cachenu, or Libya, along

12:07

with his troops. They include

12:09

the Sherdin, the Shekilesh, the Akaiwasha,

12:13

the Luccians, and the Tersha, and

12:15

he was calling up every single warrior

12:18

and able-bodied man of his land.

12:20

But the Pharaoh, Mernepta, was

12:23

angry with the Libyans like a lion. His

12:25

troops and chariots went forth,

12:28

with the creator Amun-Ra among

12:30

them and the violent Seth assisting

12:33

them. Every Egyptian soldier killed

12:35

a Libyan. The enemy wallowed

12:37

in their own blood, and none of them

12:40

escaped. Behold, the

12:42

troops of Mernepta made six

12:44

hours of destruction among

12:46

the Libyans. The wretched chief

12:49

of Libya fled in the depths

12:51

of night. All alone, his

12:53

wives were seized in his presence."

12:57

Mernepta may have been an elderly

13:00

figure, but his armies were strong.

13:03

They marched west against the Libyans, and

13:05

the foot soldiers, including spearmen,

13:08

axemen, and chariots, wreaked a

13:10

great slaughter among the enemy. Supposedly

13:14

the battle lasted for six hours, and

13:17

it resulted in a total Egyptian

13:19

victory. In the end, Maruyu,

13:22

the Libyan chieftain, had to flee

13:24

by himself, and the Egyptians even

13:26

captured his camp and private property,

13:29

including several of his wives. Suffice

13:32

to say, it was a bad day

13:34

for the Westerners. One of the most

13:37

interesting features of this story are

13:39

the allies who came with the Libyans.

13:42

Beyond the Western tribes, Mernepta

13:44

also identifies groups like the

13:46

Sherden, the Shekelesh, the Akhiwasa,

13:50

the Lukyans, and the Tersha. Some

13:52

of these are groups commonly associated

13:55

with the Sea Peoples. The Sea Peoples

13:57

are a genuinely mysterious force.

14:00

They began to appear in the early 13th

14:03

century BCE in scattered

14:05

references to specific tribes and

14:07

peoples. Some groups, like

14:09

the Charden or Chardana, had

14:12

even served the pharaohs earlier as

14:14

mercenaries, but apparently these

14:17

loose-knit, semi-independent groups

14:19

were making their way across the eastern

14:21

Mediterranean and the Near East around

14:24

this time, and some of the Sea Peoples

14:26

did not want to serve. They were

14:28

quite happy to raid. The

14:30

Sea Peoples will be a massive component

14:33

in total warfare. We

14:35

will tell their story another time,

14:37

but suffice to say, when you take

14:40

command of any faction within this

14:42

game, you will have to deal with

14:44

this mighty threat. Curiously,

14:47

it is in the reign of Mernepta that

14:49

we get one of our earliest references

14:51

to a battle against these people.

15:06

Mernepta's wars were a successful

15:08

exercise in Egyptian imperial

15:10

and military power, but his

15:13

reign was not all bloodshed and conquest,

15:15

while the Egyptian army faced some

15:18

major threats. The land overall

15:20

was still prosperous and relatively

15:22

peaceful. In fact, Mernepta

15:25

was just as active as a diplomat

15:28

as he was a warlord. And

15:30

during his reign, we even get an early

15:32

example of international

15:35

aid. Sometime during Mernepta's

15:37

reign, the Egyptian government learned that

15:39

a famine was sweeping through the land

15:42

of Hati. Hati, or

15:44

the Hittite Kingdom, had traditionally

15:46

been an enemy and rival to Egypt,

15:49

but over the past few decades, the two

15:51

kingdoms had grown closer and formed

15:54

an alliance. Following

15:56

a great battle during the time of Ramesses II, Hati

15:58

was a very powerful enemy and was a very powerful enemy.

15:59

Hati had subsequently made peace, so

16:02

by the time of Mernepta, the Hittites

16:05

and the Egyptians were on good terms,

16:07

and when the pharaoh learned of a famine

16:09

in Hati, Mernepta actually

16:12

decided to help. In one of

16:14

his texts, Mernepta mentions the

16:16

famine and how, quote,

16:19

I caused grain to be taken

16:21

in ships to sustain this land

16:24

of Hati, end quote, so

16:26

while Mernepta was a warrior, he

16:28

could also be a friend. It's

16:30

an interesting record, one that we

16:32

haven't heard before. On

16:35

the international stage, Mernepta

16:37

was an accomplished ruler. His armies

16:39

achieved great and violent victories,

16:42

and in the world of diplomacy, he

16:44

was true to his allies and assisted

16:47

them in their time of need. At

16:49

home, the king was also a builder.

16:52

Mernepta has left several significant

16:55

monuments throughout the Nile Valley. We

16:57

don't have time to describe all of them, but

17:00

one that is particularly significant is

17:03

Mernepta's lavish palace. In

17:06

the early 20th century, archaeologists

17:08

uncovered the foundations of Mernepta's

17:11

royal house. This palace

17:13

was located in the great city of

17:16

Memphis, one of the major settlements

17:18

in northern Egypt. Memphis,

17:21

aka Mennefer or

17:23

Enduring Beauty or Hikupata,

17:27

the house of Pata's spirit, was

17:29

one of Egypt's oldest administrative

17:31

capitals. Mernepta decided

17:34

to build his royal palace here. Unfortunately,

17:37

the palace is mostly destroyed, only

17:40

the foundations remain, but archaeologists

17:43

have scoured the monument and uncovered

17:45

thousands of tiny artefacts that

17:47

reveal its original appearance.

17:50

Now scholars can even reconstruct

17:52

the ancient house of the sparrow.

17:54

We can see the elaborate halls in

17:57

which Mernepta held court and

17:59

conducted ceremonies of victory. We

18:01

can also see the private apartments in

18:04

which Mernapta may have rested during

18:06

his visits to the capital. So the reign

18:08

of this king is significant for

18:11

giving us a glimpse behind the curtain

18:13

of royal power, a greater idea

18:16

of their day-to-day life. I

18:18

could spend much longer talking about these monuments,

18:20

and one day I will. But for

18:22

now, let's keep our focus on Mernapta's

18:25

reign overall, and especially

18:27

how it affected the political

18:30

landscape of Egypt. Mernapta

18:33

inherited power after the long and

18:35

splendid reign of King Remeses

18:38

II, and Mernapta's

18:40

own time was prosperous and accomplished.

18:43

Unfortunately, even the most successful

18:46

regimes carry the seeds of their

18:48

own destruction, and Mernapta's

18:51

was no different. As I

18:53

mentioned at the start, Mernapta

18:55

was not the eldest son of his father,

18:58

Remeses II, and King

19:00

Remeses had ruled for so long,

19:02

more than 65 years, that

19:04

the Egyptian government was effectively

19:07

his product. By the time

19:09

Remeses died, the entire country

19:11

was populated by people who did not

19:13

know another ruler. That

19:16

kind of transition can be difficult

19:18

for power structures and political systems

19:20

to navigate. If the new king,

19:22

Mernapta, is too different from

19:25

what came before, it might cause an upset

19:27

in the pre-established political structure.

19:30

There was also the problem of Mernapta's

19:32

family.

19:33

Mernapta was son number 13,

19:36

but Remeses II had dozens

19:39

of children,

19:40

and many of those children wound up having

19:42

kids of their own.

19:44

As a result, by the time Remeses

19:46

II died, the royal family,

19:49

in its most basic sense, numbered

19:51

dozens, even hundreds, of

19:53

individuals. The Egyptian government

19:56

and the higher levels of their society were

19:58

filled with people who had a direct blood

20:00

relationship to the previous pharaoh.

20:03

Now many of these people, lesser

20:05

sons, grandsons, daughters and

20:08

granddaughters, might be comfortably

20:10

placed in government positions or

20:12

moved into semi-retirement to live

20:14

a life of luxury with no particular

20:16

problem. But there would

20:19

always be those who wanted more power

20:21

for themselves, who wanted to exert

20:23

greater control over the political,

20:25

economic and even military landscape

20:28

of the country. When Maneptar came

20:30

to power, he inherited a vast

20:32

array of government individuals, all

20:35

of whom had been appointed under Ramesses

20:37

II. And for the first five

20:39

or six years, Maneptar seems to

20:41

have maintained that status quo. He

20:44

didn't change things too much, and he didn't

20:46

get rid of anyone significant. But

20:49

around year seven or year eight, historians

20:52

have noticed that many high-ranking

20:54

officials suddenly disappear

20:57

or change. It

20:59

seems that nearly a decade into his

21:01

reign, Maneptar decided to change

21:04

many of the government positions. He

21:06

removed individuals who had held power

21:08

previously and appointed new ones

21:10

in their place. The

21:13

king's motives are entirely unknown. Perhaps

21:16

he was concerned that some individuals

21:18

were getting too old, or perhaps he was trying

21:20

to strengthen his own power and control

21:22

over various groups. One

21:25

individual is particularly significant.

21:28

During Maneptar's early reign, the

21:30

Viceroy of Kush, the king's

21:32

governor in Sudan or Nubia, was

21:35

a man named Methuhi. But

21:37

around year seven or eight, Maneptar

21:40

fired Methuhi and replaced

21:42

him with another man. Historians

21:45

suspect that this individual, Methuhi,

21:48

was actually known by another name, Amenmessi.

21:52

The two names are identical except for the

21:54

inclusion of Amen or Amun,

21:57

the name of a god, which often drops

21:59

off from a jade.

24:00

That's the scene for Total War Pharaoh.

24:02

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24:04

moving. Now it is up

24:07

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24:09

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