Ancients? You want ancient? I'll give you ancient. All you Romans and Greeks are practically contemporary. Here is some info or a really ancient bunch of guys, the early Israelites. I will cover (briefly) the Period from their departure from bondage in Egypt to the crowning of David. The main source of information for this Period is the Bible but any amateur student like myself does well to lean heavily on modern historians who can interpret the sometimes contradictory myth-enshrouded accounts of the Period to be found there.

I have tried to stick to the most common interpretation of events but for every "fact" Presented in this article there are Probably several competing versions. I have left out the accounts of direct Divine intervention. No letters to the Editor from outraged fundamentalists, please. We are all entitled to our opinion. Having said all that, on with the show!

1641BC

Around 1641 BC, a number of Hebrew clans entered Egypt on the coattails of the Hyksos. The Hyksos or Shephard Kings, were invaders who defeated the Egyptians of the Middle kingdom by employing innovations in war such as chariots and body armor. The invaders held the delta, the native Egyptians remaining in control farther south. The Hyksos kings, who may have been semitic, welcomed a number of Semitic clans into the delta to help consolidate their Power. Among them were the core of what would later become the Israelite nation.

A Word on the Israelites

The Biblical "12 tribes" were a much later Political entity. The Israelites in Egypt included the "Rachael" tribes; Ephriam, Manessah, and Benjamin and probably so me others, but certainly not all 12 tribes. Nomadic Hebrew clans had been wandering south and east of Canaan as well as within it's borders for centuries. Some of them would eventually be incorporated into the Israelite confederacy. Others, like Edom and Moab, would not. For the Period of the Exodus we will follow Moses and the Rachael tribes only but there were Perhaps as many as four separate escapes or expulsions of Semites from Egypt during this Period. Why did they leave? Briefly, the native Egyptians learned the new tools of war from the Hyksos and turned them on the invaders, driving them from Egypt after about two centuries of occupation.

Then followed a hard time for the Semitic settlers in the delta. The Egyptians extracted forced labor from them and generally made their lives miserable. Moses was either an Egyptian or an Egyptiarized Hebrew. He had ability and authority but was exited to Sinai for being a Hebrew sympathizer. He made his way back to Egypt and gained control of the disaffected Rachael tribes during a time of upheaval due to natural disaster and raids by the first waves of the Sea Peoples.

When the lights went out, so to speak, the Israelites ran for the border. They didn't take the coast road along the Mediterranean. The Egyptians watched that too closely and there was too much danger from the marauding Sea Peoples.

Instead they headed south east to the northern tip of the gulf of Suez.

An Egyptian army was dispatched to round them up and bring them back. The fugitives waded across the Sea of Reeds, a region of marshes and shallow Ponds, aided by the Prevailing winds. The traditional drowning of the Egyptian army may represent a defeat of the Pursuing charioteers by the Israelite rear guard in the difficult terrain of the Sea of Reeds.

In the Sinai, the Israelites were outside the reach of the Preoccupied Egyptians. Moses was now faced with the daunting task of welding a mob or escaped slaves into a nation. Factors in his favor were the common language and traditions of the tribes and the internal administrative infrastructure that must have existed in each tribe. Working against success were a lack or weapons and military experience and an inability of the Israelites to think and act cohesively as a nation. This was due to centuries of bondage. The hordes which numbered perhaps 6,000 men, women, and children moved south from one water hole to the next until they reached Mt. Horeb where some basic laws for the new nation were laid down. This early version of the Great Escape probably took place sometime around 1211 B.C.

Moving north toward the Asian mainland the migrating tribes were harassed by the local nomad tribe, the Amalikites. These local boys Picked off stragglers and snapped at the fringes of the horde. The closer the Israelites came to the main Amalikite oasis of Rephadim the hotter things became. The nomads abandoned their hit and run tactics at Rephadim in favor of a stand up fight. Moses' war chief Joshua, making his debut, soundly defeated them. At last, Moses led his-- ragged band out of the Sinai desert into the country south of Canaan.' It was here that they linked up with some of the other Hebrew tribes of the region. At this Point it may be t4peful to list the traditional 12 tribes of Israel, although it is important to remember that it was rare for more than half of them to ever be engaged in a common enterprise.

The 12 tribes were:

Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Reuben, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Ashur, Simeon, and Judah. A 13th tribe, Levi, formed an exclusive Priestly class.

There were other Hebrew tribes in the region like Edom, Moab and Ammon that were never included in the confederacy for unknown reasons. The tribe of Judah was more inclined than the other Israelites to intermarry with these other Hebrews and was always regarded with suspicion for that reason.

Having wandered in the barren Sinai for two gears, the Israelites decided that the nomad life was not for them. They looked around for a likely Place to settle down. Canaan looked pretty good so Moses sent 12 scouts into the land to find out what sort of resistance they could expect. The scouts naturally concentrated on southern Canaan, especially the, walled town of Hebron which barred the southern approachs. The scouts returned with discouraging news. The inhabitants were well armed and their towns strongly fortified. The Israelites lacked the cohesion and self confidence to make the attempt, so for the next 38 years they settled down at Kadesh, about 50 miles south of Hebron.

During this time of waiting, there was some political and religious infighting among the tribes. Reuben attempted to dominate the Political scene and was Put down so harshly that they appear greatly weakened in the Period that follows and eventually fade from history. Another tribe that took a heavy hit around this time was Simeon. They seem to have launched a solo attack on Sechem in Canaan and got clobbered. They eventually became a weak client of Judah.

Move On

Eventually the Israelites decided to move on. Either they were under pressure or they felt strong enough to take better land. Hebron still looked too intimidating so they decided to approach Canaan from the East rather than the south. A number of their fellow Hebrews stood between them and their goal.

The first of them, the Edomites, refused free passage so the Israelites moved south east to avoid them. Swinging north they next came to the Moabites and Ammonites, both Hebrew tribes. These also denied them passage. The Moabites had recently been beat up by a Caananite People called the Amorites.

The Israelites attacked and crushed the Amorites, annexing their territory. This was the first territorial conquest achieved and it began to make them aware of their own strength. Still operating east of the Jordan river, they moved out north against Og, king of Bashan and broke his power at the battle of Edre'i on the Yarmuk river. His territory was also annexed.

The Moabite king, Batak was getting a little tense. The previously passive Israelites had served up two crushing victories in a short period of time and he had antagonized them by refusing passage. He encouraged a policy of fraternazation with his new neighbors. Moses harshly broke off these attempts at intermarriage but in the end there were no more than a few skirmishes and a black eye for his Midianite allies.

The nomadic Hebrew Ammonites were hustled east and their land added to the new territories. At this Point the invaders held all the land adjoining the east bank of the Jordan river from the northern end of the Dead sea to the sea of Galilee. The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Part of Manasseh settled down on there although they still contributed warriors to the army that was Poised to invade Canaan Proper (west of the Jordan). It was here that Moses died. He was succeeded by his war chief, Joshua.

Joshua

The Israelites were in high gear now. Although poorly equipped, they were numerous, confident in themselves and their leader and fresh from a. string of impressive victories. Their spies on the west bank of the Jordan reported that the people of Jerico, the first important town in their path were paralyzed by fear. They forded the river and invested the town. To further demoralize the-defenders they marched around the town day after day led by their priests. The numbers displayed by the invaders, their foreign and savage aspect and the magical web their holy men seemed to be weaving around the town had the intended effect. What happened next is open to debate. The Bible has it that they blew their trumpets and the walls fell down. Other explainations might include earthquake, 5th column inside the town opening a postern, or sappers working on a weak wall while attention was distracted by the daily procession. In any case, the town was wiped out and the invaders passed into Canaan.

The rest of Joshua's career is difficult to follow. the Bible recoi~,ds a war fought against a coalition of southern Canaanite Princes led by Hebron and Jerusalem followed by a campaign against a northern Canaanite coalition. Both wars are called major victories but when the smoke clears the Israelites art confined to the highlands and all the fertile lowlands remain in the hands of the Canaanites. Historians believe that as long as they were in rough ter-rain the vigorous invaders couldn't be beat but as soon as they came down into the plains they couldn't deal with the walled towns, iron weapons, and chariots of the Canaanites. The Israelites had no chariots or horses, no siege techniques, and only bronze weapons. When Joshua died around 1150 B.C. a stalemate existed.

From 1150 B.C. to 1028 B.C. Israelite fortunes reached a low ebb. There was no united action. Individual tribes or coalitions of a few tribes would be ruled by a council of elders except in times of crisis when a "Judge" was appointed to rule absolutely until the danger was Passed. They were Surrounded by enemies. To the north were the Arameans. To the east Midianite and Ammonite raiders. Southeast were their cousInso the Edomites and Moabites. To the south the Amalikites. Southwest were the Philistines and in the valleys all around them the Canaanites. All of these people had one thing in common. They loved to beat up on the disorganized Israelites who had terrorized them in the days of Moses and Joshua. What little gains were made by our heros in this period were mostly achieved by peaceful intermarriage with the surrounding folk. So much of this went on that in the days of David, Solomon and their successors that the religion and customs of the majority of the people, especially in the northern heartland of Israel, were a thorough mix of native and Canaanite.

Still, during the period of the Judges, a few notable victories were won. Unfortunately, some of them were in civil wars against other Israelite tribes. An Araman invasion from the north was beaten back by (of all people) the Judean/Moabite judge Othniel leading a coalition of several tribes. Eglon, the Moabite king, gathered an army of Moabites, AmaIikites, and Ammoni and attacked Benjamin. A Benjamite judge assasinated Eglon. In confusion the Benjamites attacked and defeated the invaders. The Philistines were held off by the judge Shamgar.

Perhaps the most notable victory was won by a coalition of northern tribes. The northern Canaanite towns banded together under King Jabon of Hazor and his general Sisera. They were having a good time bullying the local Israelites until two great leaders came to unite them. Barak, a talented guerilla leader of the tribe of Isschar and Deborah, the only female judge on record joined forces and assembled no less than 6 tribes: Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Isscharo, Naphteli, and Zebulon. On the Jezreel Plain they won the first standup fight on Ievel ground against the Plainsdwellers: Of course, they attacked during a violent thunderstorm when the sodden ground was unsuitable for the Canaanite chariots. They followed up their victory by taking and burning Hazor.

Invasion

While all this was going on, the nomads living east of the Jordan were making a good living pillaging those Israelites that lived on the other side of the river. The biggest hitters were the Midianites and the Amalekites, cousins of those living south of them. Flushed with success, they crossed the Jordan. A judge, Gideon, gathered the men of Manasseh, Ashur, Zebulon, and Naptheli. A small party attacked the nomad camp at night and stampeded them. As they fled back to the Jordan the rest of the Isralelis waiting for them at the fords. They were slaughtered. Gideon pursued across the Jordan andbeat the surviving nomads again at Karkor. On the way home, he settled accounts with the Israelite tribe of Gad which had allowed the nomads free passage by razing the walls of one town and executing the leading men of another.

After this, Gideon ruled as a sort of unofficial king among the northern tribes. His son succeeded him but was so unpopular, he was killed putting down a rebellion.

The Ammonites continued to raid the trans Jordanian Israelite tribe of Gad. The Gaddite Judge Jephthah fended them off and then capped his performance by crushing an invading Ephriamite army (fellow Israelis).

There were more such episodes in the period of the Judges which I will spare you. The upshot of all this activity was that the Israelite confederacy of Moses and Joshua was almost completely shattered when the greatest threat of all arose.

Along the coast now known as the Gaza strip, a powerful group of the sea peoples had settled down and established five towns in a fertile strip 40 miles long and 20 miles deep. The towns Ashkelons Ashdod, Gazai, Gatho and Ekron cooperated. They came to dominate the lowlands of Canaan and as many of the Israelite Highlanders as they could get their hands on. The tribe of Dan migrated to the northern limits of Israelite lands to escape them and Judah was entirely under their control. The demoralized Israelites seemed on the verge of collapse but as so often happens in history, desperate times brought out great leaders.

The religious loader Samuel organized a guerilla resistance in the hill country of Ephriam and Benjamin. He established base at Mizpeh from which his men led the Philistines a merry chase for a number of years. It seemed like a good idea to try to revive the Israelite confederacy by annointing a king. He selected Saul, a Benjamite. Saul looked like a king, tall, handsome and imposing. Samuel thought he was also dumb and would make a good rallying point behind which Samuel would exercise real control. Unfortunately for him, Saul turned out to be a leader in fact as well as appearance. He and his son Johnathan set about reuniting the Israelites with a will.

King Saul

First he rescued the trans-Jordanian Israelite town of Jabash-Gilead from marauding Ammonites. These trans-Jordanian cousins became enthusiastic supporters of Saul and remained so to the bitter end. Johnathan next overran the Philistine garrison at Geba in Benjamite territory. The Philistines responded by sending am army against Benjamin. They encamped at Mickmash. Saul prudentlykept to the high ground avoiding battle but Johnathan took his men alorg a little known route. and surpised the Philistine camp. The invaders were scattered but Saul wasn't amused. Kings don't being outperformed by their subordinates.

To bind the southern tribes to his cause Saul moved against their old enemies, the Amalikites. He beat them badly and captured their king Agag. Samuel had preached a war of extermination against the Amalikites but Saul was inclined to be a bit more reasonable (and practical). Samuel, realizing he had a tiger by the tail denounced Saul and started plotting against him. He slipped his second choice for king into Saul's following to await his opportunity. This candidate, David, was to eventually become Israel's greatest king but it was Samuel's intention to be the power behind the throne (as prophets go, Samuel wasn't very good at picking figureheads).

David vs. Goliath--Myth?

A Philistine army moved to Shocoh on the Judean border to try and prevent a Judean defection to Saul's Camp. The Israelite army wouldn't come down into the Plains to fight and the Philistines wouldn't go up.

Map of Israel, circa 1050. Enemies are in brackets.

The Philistine champion, Goliath chipped away at Israelite morale by challenging all comers. Legend has it that he was killed by David but there is reason to believe that he was actually done in by the Israeli champion, Elhamen of Judah. The kill may have been later attributed to David to magnify him in the same way that the Psalms were. Whoever did it, Goliath was certainly dead and the Philistines didn't like it one little bit. They fled with Saul hot on their tail.

Things were going too well. The Israelites had to do something to screw it up so they went in for a little court intrigue. David and Johnathan, the only possable rivals to Saul's authority, put their heads together. Saul couldn't do much about his son and heir but he made his feelings known to David who felt compelled to run for his life. Saul did his best to hunt him down, destroying a religious center that sheltered him.

David went into the Judean hills with about 400 men. Saul went in after him but David evaded him. Eventually he was forced across the border into Philistine territory. His band had grown to 600 men by this time and he entered Philistine service as a mercenary.

Saul had managed to alienate the Powerful Judeans and the Priestly class. The Philistines picked this time to strike back. David and his band were left behind by their Philistine paymasters to fend off Amalikite raiders. Saul must have been weak because the enemy penetrated deep into the Israelite heartland in the north before an army could be assembled to face them. The Philistines encamped at Shunem. Saul set up at Mt. Gilboa about 10 miles away. Saul rashly came down into the plains to fight and was badly beaten. Three of his four sons were killed, including Johnathan. Saul committed suicide on the field. The Israelites were prostrate.

A general named Abner escaped to the trans-Jordanian Israelites with Saul's remaining son, Ish-Bosheth. The Philistines set David up as puppet ruler of Judah. This Pax Philistia was imposed in 1013 B.C. and lasted until 1006 B.C David aspired to the kingship of all Israel during this period, and he entered into alternating rounds of negotiation and warfare against Abner and Ish-Bosheth, ending in the treacherous assassination or both northern leaders.

David disavowed involvement in the murders. If you believe that, I have a bridge over the Jordan that you might be interested in buying. In any case, in 1006 David was crowned king of all Israel. The empire created by David and his son Solomon, and it's dissolution under their successors is a separate story.

More Early Israelites

1641BC-1006BC
The Armies and Bilbiography