Warfare in New Kingdom Egypt, by Paul Elliott

Barnsley, Eng.: Fonthill Media/ Philadelphia: Casemate Publishers, 2017. Pp. 144. Illus., maps, chron., append., gloss, bibio., index. $32.95. ISBN: 178155580X.

An  Introduction to Pharaoh�s Army

Paul Elliott has written extensively on ancient warfare, including such works such as Legions in Crisis and The Last Legionary. In this new book, he gives the reader an look at Egyptian war making during the period of the New Kingdom (c. 1550-c. 1077 BC). Eliot draws on the evidence that can be gleaned not only from both ancient and modern literature and archaeological evidence, but also from, experimentation, and reenacting.

Eliott opens with a chapter on the military institutions of the Middle Kingdom and one its fall to the �Hyksos� (c. 1650� c. 1550 BC), a disaster still not well understood. He follows this with chapters on the rise of the New Kingdom, based in Upper Egypt, and its army, and then alternates chapters on weaponry (bows, hand-to-hand, and thrown), with a chapter on the various enemies the Egyptians faced, the life of the common soldier, and the conduct of operations, which offers an overview of the New Kingdom way of war that produced an empire reaching from Nubia to Mesopotamia.

Elliott writes clearly, and uses numerous illustrations, with many images in color, to help the reader understand how weapons were used, and an interesting appendix on how to make a proper shield and another on contemporary military terminology.

Warfare in New Kingdom Egypt is a very useful work for anyone interested in ancient warfare, and particularly good for the relative novice.

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