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General Category => Army Research => Topic started by: Jim Webster on February 01, 2019, 12:38:44 PM

Title: Nubians in Hyksos armies?
Post by: Jim Webster on February 01, 2019, 12:38:44 PM
Just reading The Many Ethnicities in Avaris, Evidence from the northern borderland of Egypt by Manfred Bietak (Free pdf download)

In the DBMM list, I/3 it comments "After the collapse of the Middle Kingdom, remnant Egyptian garrisons in Nubia were taken over by the partly Egyptianised kings of Kush/Kerma. Although Kush was allied to the Hyksos, their armies never fought together."

Yet reading Bietak he mentions that a fair quantity of Nubian pottery etc have been uncovered in Avaris but interestingly

"Of the Nubian pottery from the Hyksos Period only a very few sherds can be associated with the Kerma Culture and even these are doubtful. The bulk of the material cannot be attributed to any Nubian culture known to us. The closest relationship can be established with rounded bowls with criss-cross incisions to the Pan-Grave Culture, but they lack the typical Pan Grave forms with ledged rims, a nearly vertical profile and a deep position of the maximum diameter"

His conclusion is "The location of this ware in the Hyksos palace suggests that they were employed at the court, probably as mercenaries, the traditional field of employment of Nubians in Egypt. We cannot assign a specific district in Avaris as a living quarter of Nubians. Since there is a concentration of their relics in palace quarters, they may have very well lived there.

So it strikes me the argument is reasonable for at least a few bases of Nubians as guard units.
Title: Re: Nubians in Hyksos armies?
Post by: Andreas Johansson on February 01, 2019, 12:50:08 PM
Checking the DBMM Hyksos list, it's got a wodge of regular swords/axemen and a few regular bowmen, a few of which could surely be depicted as Nubian guardsmen.
Title: Re: Nubians in Hyksos armies?
Post by: Jim Webster on February 01, 2019, 02:51:44 PM
Quote from: Andreas Johansson on February 01, 2019, 12:50:08 PM
Checking the DBMM Hyksos list, it's got a wodge of regular swords/axemen and a few regular bowmen, a few of which could surely be depicted as Nubian guardsmen.

They could be put into that, it just stuck me that a couple of bases of Wb(F) might be amusing

Quick comment to say it's not an army I've got or intend getting  :-[
Title: Re: Nubians in Hyksos armies?
Post by: Tim on February 01, 2019, 09:09:12 PM
Quote from: Jim Webster on February 01, 2019, 02:51:44 PM
...

Quick comment to say it's not an army I've got or intend getting  :-[

Spoilsport...
Title: Re: Nubians in Hyksos armies?
Post by: Jim Webster on February 01, 2019, 09:21:24 PM
Quote from: Tim on February 01, 2019, 09:09:12 PM
Quote from: Jim Webster on February 01, 2019, 02:51:44 PM
...

Quick comment to say it's not an army I've got or intend getting  :-[

Spoilsport...

Given I've got Christian Nubian, plus Meroic Kushite I feel I've got my share of less popular armies  :-[