Our best source for Thutmose’s battle of Megiddo are the Annals of Thutmose, an account kept by his scribe Tjaneni and then, almost twenty years later, inscribed into the interior walls of the sanctuary of the temple to Amun-Re at Karnak. There are other sources too. These were official documents, however, and we must be wary of 15th century BC spin.
The traditional date of the battle is usually given as 1479 BC, but it is more likely to date to 1478 BC whichever year it was, it was the 23rd year of Thutmose’s reign. From what we can understand, however, there are several parallels between Thutmose’s battle and that fought in 1918, almost 3,500 years later. The Annals give us certain details which there is no reason to doubt, such as its opening that Thutmose commanded that his victories be recorded together with the booty brought back from his victorious campaigns.
This episode was written by Murray Dahm.
Murray is an ancient and medieval military historian from New Zealand, living in Australia. He has written more than 100 articles on various aspects of ancient and medieval military history and other historical topics from all periods. He is the author of Macedonian Phalangite vs Persian Warrior, Athenian Hoplite vs Spartan Hoplite and Leuctra 371 BC, all from Osprey Publishing. He is a regular on the Ancient Warfare Podcast.