238: Merneptah Seizes Canaan (feat. A Tribe Called Israel)

238: Merneptah Seizes Canaan (feat. A Tribe Called Israel)

July 27, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Merneptah's aggressive military campaigns in Canaan and his diplomatic efforts to bring Ugarit back into the Egyptian sphere.

Merneptah started his reign aggressively, striking a belligerent tone in his royal names and launching an expedition to Canaan in the first few years. In the process, his troops captured Ashkelon, Gezer, and Yenoam, and dealt with a tribe called "Israel." Simultaneously, Merneptah achieved a great diplomatic coup when we brought Ugarit back into the Egyptian sphere. Music by Keith Zizza & Luke Chaos. Video version available at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast Merneptah General Dodson, A. (2016). Poisoned Legacy: The Decline and Fall of the Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasty (Revised edn). Iskander, S. (2002). The Reign of Merneptah [Unpublished PhD. Thesis]. Kitchen, K. A. (1987). The Titularies of the Ramesside Kings as Expression of their Ideal Kingship. Annales Du Service Des Antiquités de l’Égypte, 71, 131--141. Servajean, F. (2014). Mérenptah et la fin de la XIXe dynastie. Sourouzian, H. (1989). Les Monuments du roi Merenptah. Canaan, Ugarit, Proto-Israelites (Summary) Cline, E. H. (2021). 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed (Revised edn). Dever, W. G. (2017). Beyond the texts: An archaeological portrait of ancient Israel and Judah. Hasel, M. G. (1998). Domination & Resistance…

People in this episode

Host: Dominic Perry

Guest: A Tribe Called Israel

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ugarit

Books & works: Poisoned Legacy: The Decline and Fall of the Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasty, The Reign of Merneptah, The Titularies of the Ramesside Kings as Expression of their Ideal Kingship, Mérenptah et la fin de la XIXe dynastie, Les Monuments du roi Merenptah, 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed, Beyond the texts: An archaeological portrait of ancient Israel and Judah, Domination & Resistance: Egyptian Military Activity in the Southern Levant, ca. 1300-1185 BC, Egyptianization and Elite Emulation in Ramesside Palestine: Governance and Accommodation on the Imperial Periphery

Places: Canaan, Ashkelon, Gezer, Yenoam

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