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Free MOOC on ancient Egypt launches

22 Mar 2017

This 5-week course explores the art, the archaeology, the texts and the technology of Egyptian weapons and warfare

Ancient Egypt

Warfare and Weapons in Ancient Egypt is led by Egyptologist Dr Nicky Nielsen and covers the Predynastic Period to the end of the New Kingdom (c. 3100-1000 BCE). Egypt was able to recover from repeated civil wars and occasional foreign rule, and develop its military power to control a vast empire stretching from Sudan to Syria. The military success shows that Egypt understood the value of an efficient fighting force. Propaganda showing Pharaoh riding into battle standing atop a chariot while his defeated enemies flee before him is one of Egypt’s most enduring images. But how accurate is it? What do we know about the realities of weapons and warfare in ancient Egypt?

It introduces the political situation faced by the Egyptian state at different times in its history, and investigates some of the most notable warrior Pharaohs such as Thutmosis III, the victor of the Battle of Megiddo and the self-proclaimed hero Ramesses II, who claimed that he won the Battle of Qadesh single-handedly.

There are four modules:

  • Hacking up the Land of the Sand-Dweller: The Predynastic to the end of the First Intermediate Period.
  • ‘I have made my boundary beyond that of my father!’: The Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period.
  • The Game of Thrones: The 18th Dynasty.
  • The Rise and Fall of the Ramessides: The 19th and 20th Dynasties.

The course starts on 17 April and requires a study commitment of 1-2 hours a week, learning at your own pace.