The Sea Peoples
A Look at the Mysterious Invaders from the West
Although the references to the ‘Sea Peoples’ are scattered there is evidence of them in ancient Egyptian writings, as well as archaeological evidence of massive destruction. That massive destruction is what is often attributed to the Sea Peoples.
Identification of the Sea Peoples
The origin of these seafaring raiders is not known with any kind of surety. Despite that many have hypothesized that they had to have come from the Aegean area and Anatolia. There is also some evidence during this time that the abandonment of many Mycenaean cities on the mainland of Greece can be attributed to the ‘Sea Peoples’. This evidence is found in the reference of the ‘watchers of the sea’ in the Mycenaean form of writing, Linear B. This reference and later references in Egyptian writings seem to suggest that the ‘Sea Peoples’ moved from west to east.
The references to the ‘Sea Peoples’ that are contained within ancient Egyptian documents include several names that have been attributed to the ‘Sea Peoples’. These include Denyen, Ekwesh, Lukka, Pelesect, Sherden, Shekelesh, Teresh, Tjekere, and Weshesh. These names are also included in other sources besides the Egyptians ones. They can be found in Hittite and other Greek Sources. These names are likely to be different groups of the ‘Sea Peoples’ that came from different areas in the west. For examples the Sherden can be linked to the island of Sardinia while the Shekelesh have been identified with the island of Sicily.
Why the Sea People Migrated
Although no one can be certain why these peoples migrated into the east there are a number of theories. One is that famine struck these groups, forcing them to go in search of a food source. Another possible explanation is that there was an abrupt climate change that altered their way of life enough to force them to move on. What is known with certainty is that during the reign of Ramesses III a coalition of the ‘Sea Peoples’ invaded Egypt and may have attacked other civilizations along the way, whatever their reasons.
Evidence of the ‘Sea Peoples’ Existence
The walls of the mortuary temple of Ramesses III depict the invasion of the ‘Sea Peoples’ in great details. The depictions include the warriors along with their families, suggesting that the people may have been looking for a new place to settle rather than simply wreaking havoc on the civilizations that they encountered. Around the same time Ammurapi, who was king of Ugarit, located on the coast of Syria, wrote letters requesting help from an unknown enemy advancement. He didn’t receive any help and it is often assumed that the unnamed threat is any number of the ‘Sea People’ groups.
More in History
Latest Articles