Ramses II’s 13th son, Merneptah (ruled 1213–04 bc), was his successor. Several of Merneptah’s inscriptions, of unusual literary style, treat an invasion of the western delta in his fifth year by Libyans, supported by groups of Sea Peoples who had traveled from Anatolia to Libya in search of new homes. The Egyptians defeated this confederation and settled captives in military camps to serve as Egyptian mercenaries.
One of the inscriptions concludes with a poem of victory (written about another battle), famous for its words “Israel is desolated and has no seed.” This is the earliest documented mention of Israel; it is generally assumed that the exodus of the Jews from Egypt took place under Ramses II.
Merneptah was able to hold most of Egypt’s possessions, although early in his reign he had to reassert Egyptian suzerainty in Palestine, destroying Gezer in the process. Peaceful relations with the Hittites and respect for the treaty of Ramses II are indicated by Merneptah’s dispatch of grain to them during a famine and by Egyptian military aid in the protection of Hittite possessions in Syria.
The-Pyramids-of-Giza-Egypt-26th-25th-century-BCThe Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, 26th–25th century bc.[Credits : © Sylvain Grandadam—Stone/Getty Images]
Egyptian-hieroglyphic-numeralsEgyptian hieroglyphic numerals.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Egyptian-hieratic-numeralsEgyptian hieratic numerals.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Illustration-from-an-Egyptian-Book-of-the-Dead-1275-BCIllustration from an Egyptian Book of …[Credits : © The British Museum/Heritage-Images]
The-Palermo-Stone-first-sideThe Palermo Stone, first side[Credits : Courtesy of the Regional Museum of Archaeology, Palermo]
The-Rosetta-StoneThe Rosetta Stone.[Credits : Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum]
Howard-CarterHoward Carter.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Scientists-X-ray-a-3000-year-old-Egyptian-mummy-PoznanScientists X-ray a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, Poznan Medical Academy, Poland.[Credits : Remigiusz Sikora—epa/Corbis]
Papyrus and other agricultural crops were vital to the development of Egyptian civilization.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Depiction of ancient Egyptian gods as forms of nature.[Credits : Copyright © 2004 AIMS Multimedia (www.aimsmultimedia.com)]
Djoser’s step pyramid, Ṣaqqārah, Egypt, late 27th century bc.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
The Valley of the Kings, Thebes, Egypt, 16th–11th century bc.[Credits : Copyright © 2004 AIMS Multimedia (www.aimsmultimedia.com)]
Founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria was destined to become one of the great cities of the …[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Overview of the Alexandrian Museum, founded c. 280 bc, Alexandria, Egypt.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Overview of the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, founded early 3rd century bc.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
The Pyramids at Giza are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Link to this article and share the full text with the readers of your Web site or blog-post.
If you think a reference to this article on "ancient Egypt" will enhance your Web site,
blog-post, or any other web-content, then feel free to link to this article,
and your readers will gain full access to the full article, even if they do not subscribe to our service.
You may want to use the HTML code fragment provided below.
We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.
Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.