Mercenaries or Refugees? The Evidence from the Inscriptions of Merenptah on the ‘Sea Peoples’

Citation metadata

Type

journal article

Publication

Journal of Greek Archaeology, vol. 2, 119–134

Peer reviewed

Yes

Open DOI or stable record (opens in a new tab)

Records informed by this source

• causal hypothesis Unified Sea Peoples Invasion
  Unsupported explanationConfidence in this assessment, not in the proposed story
  contradicts · challenges model

  Provides evidence or reasoning against Unified Sea Peoples Invasion.

• claim Merneptah’s Great Karnak Inscription records a Libyan-led coalition including several groups later placed under the modern Sea Peoples umbrella.
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  informs · establishes

  Supports the claim: Merneptah’s Great Karnak Inscription records a Libyan-led coalition including several groups later placed under the modern Sea Peoples umbrella.

• event Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  informs · proposes interpretation · entire article

  Source relationship recorded for Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• date assertion Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition — date assertion
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  informs · proposes interpretation · entire article
• claim Egyptian records of Libyan wars establish military coalitions and captured or settled people, but do not by themselves prove migration by entire peoples.
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · proposes interpretation · pp. 119–134

  Provides alternatives to a simple refugee or mass-invasion reading for named groups.

• claim Sea Peoples is a modern umbrella for source-specific named groups and does not establish one ethnicity, homeland, polity, or coordinated migration.
  Evidence confidence: ◈ very high
  supports · supports

  Supports the claim: ‘Sea Peoples’ is a modern scholarly umbrella for several differently attested names and should not be represented as a demonstrated single ethnicity, state, nation or unified population.

• property assignment Teresh — modern scholars classify as — Sea Peoples
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports assignment

  Teresh is conventionally included in modern Sea Peoples discussions because the name occurs in relevant Egyptian conflict records.

• property assignment Teresh — source describes as — Group Named in Egyptian Records
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports assignment

  The name Teresh is attested in Egyptian textual evidence, though transliteration and identification questions remain.

• property assignment Sea Peoples — is a — Modern Scholarly Umbrella
  Evidence confidence: ◈ very high
  supports · supports assignment

  The Sea Peoples label is a modern scholarly umbrella for several ancient names rather than a demonstrated single ethnicity or polity.

• property assignment Ekwesh — modern scholars classify as — Sea Peoples
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports assignment

  Ekwesh is conventionally included in modern Sea Peoples discussions because the name occurs in relevant Egyptian conflict records.

• property assignment Ekwesh — source describes as — Group Named in Egyptian Records
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports assignment

  The name Ekwesh is attested in Egyptian textual evidence, though transliteration and identification questions remain.

• entity Ekwesh
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports entity record

  Supports the existence, description, classification, or historical context of Ekwesh.

• entity Teresh
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports entity record

  Supports the existence, description, classification, or historical context of Teresh.

• property Possible Migrant Population
  supports · supports property definition

  Supports the definition or scholarly use of the property Possible Migrant Population.

• property Sea Peoples
  supports · supports property definition

  Supports the definition or scholarly use of the property Sea Peoples.

• relationship Ekwesh — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Ekwesh is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• relationship Teresh — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Teresh is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• relationship Lukka — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Lukka is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• relationship Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition — occurred in — Egypt
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition is geographically assigned to Egypt.

• relationship Shekelesh — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Shekelesh is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• relationship Great Karnak Inscription of Merneptah — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Great Karnak Inscription of Merneptah is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• relationship Sherden — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  Sherden is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.

• relationship New Kingdom Egypt — participated in — Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition
  Evidence confidence: ◈ high
  supports · supports relationship

  New Kingdom Egypt is a participant, evidential object, or directly involved entity in Merneptah’s Year 5 Conflict with a Libyan-Led Coalition.