event · evt_ramesses_iii_year11_libyan_war
Ramesses III's Year 11 Libyan war
Medinet Habu preserves a dated Year 11 inscription and poem presenting another Egyptian conflict and victory against Libyan forces.
What is the evidence?
observation
Medinet Habu preserves a dated Year 11 inscription and poem presenting another Egyptian conflict and victory against Libyan forces.Review and provenance
Specialist reviewer: not recorded. Review date: not recorded.
Dataset workflow: proposed. This is separate from specialist review.
Confidence describes the stated assessment; it does not certify expert approval. How review works.
Chronology
Dating intervals may describe uncertainty or phases; their width alone does not establish event duration.
1174 BCE–1173 BCE
Precision: regnal year conversion
Chronology model: Conventional chronology aligned with the existing c.1177-1176 BCE Year 8 model
moderateYear 11 is directly stated in the inscription. The BCE conversion follows the conventional model and remains separate from the higher date.
- informs · provides primary text
Medinet Habu, Volume II: The Later Historical Records of Ramses III — The Epigraphic Survey (1932)Provides the direct regnal year.
Locator: Year 11 records - informs · dates
Historical Records of Ramses III: The Texts in Medinet Habu, Volumes I and II — William F. Edgerton, John A. Wilson (1936)Provides the Year 11 translation and commentary.
Locator: SAOC 12, pp. 71-93
1185 BCE
Precision: regnal year conversion
Chronology model: Higher Ramesses III chronology
moderateThis preserves the higher model separately. It is not combined with or averaged against the conventional date.
- informs · provides primary text
Medinet Habu, Volume II: The Later Historical Records of Ramses III — The Epigraphic Survey (1932)Provides the direct regnal year.
Locator: Year 11 records - informs · provides primary text
Historical Records of Ramses III: The Texts in Medinet Habu, Volumes I and II — William F. Edgerton, John A. Wilson (1936)Provides translation and commentary.
Locator: SAOC 12, pp. 71-93 - informs · contextualizes
Severe Multi-Year Drought Coincident with Hittite Collapse around 1198–1196 BC — Sturt W. Manning, Cindy Kocik, Brita Lorentzen, Jed P. Sparks (2023)Supplies the alternative absolute chronological framework already used by the baseline graph.
Locator: Higher Egyptian chronology discussion used by the existing Year 8 model
Interpretation and caveats
The Year 11 material demonstrates that conflict on Egypt’s western frontier continued after the better-known Year 8 eastern Mediterranean fighting.
Event context
Classification
Event type: military conflict and royal text
Evidence layer: primary text
People and places
Locations: Egypt, Medinet Habu
Alternative interpretations
- The absolute BCE date depends on the accession chronology. A higher chronology places Year 11 around 1185 BCE. (moderate confidence)
Research notes
- Facsimile edition of the monumental record. Role: provides primary text. Locator: OIP 9, Year 11 Libyan war records.
- Translation and explanatory notes. Role: provides primary text. Locator: SAOC 12, pp. 71-93; Year 11 inscription begins p. 74 and poem begins p. 87.
Evidence and sources
- informs · provides primary text
Medinet Habu, Volume II: The Later Historical Records of Ramses III — The Epigraphic Survey (1932)Facsimile edition of the monumental record.
Locator: OIP 9, Year 11 Libyan war records - informs · provides primary text
Historical Records of Ramses III: The Texts in Medinet Habu, Volumes I and II — William F. Edgerton, John A. Wilson (1936)Translation and explanatory notes.
Locator: SAOC 12, pp. 71-93; Year 11 inscription begins p. 74 and poem begins p. 87
Referenced records
- Egypt · entity
- Medinet Habu · entity