Merneptah’s campaign to Canaan and the Egyptian occupation of the southern coastal plain of Palestine in the Ramesside Period

Abstract

Alt's theory that the Ramesside kings of the 19th and early 20th dynasties imposed direct Egyptian rule over large parts of the southern coast of Palestine has been fully corroborated by recent archaeological research. It is now possible to reconstruct the subsequent phases of the "Egyptianization" of the Shephelah, which more or less correspond to the reigns of Ramses II, Merneptah and Ramses III. In the first phase, strategic places on the "Via Maris," such as Aphek and Ashdod, were turned into Egyptian bases. Later, Merneptah eliminated the last Canaanite city-kingdoms on the southern coast, Ashkelon and Gezer, thereby turning the entire route between Gaza and Aphek into a virtual Egyptian highway. Domination of Gezer was also imperative for an attempt to penetrate into the central hill country. Merneptah's clash with the tribes of Israel should perhaps be understood in that context. After a gap of about two decades in the documentation, the Egyptian reinforcement policy reached its climax under Ramses III. With the annexation of Lachish, Tel Seraʿ, and perhaps Tell eṣ-Ṣafi, Egyptian jurisdiction extended to the foothills of the Judean mountains. However, this short-lived "swan song" of the Egyptian Empire in Canaan, characterized by extensive economic activities centered around Egyptian religious institutions, ended shortly after Ramses III's rule.