Ramses and the Sea Peoples: The Great Invasion

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Ramses II's confrontation with the Sea Peoples, a confederation of mysterious invaders who threatened Egypt's delta in the early 12th century BCE. We dive into the identity of these groups—the Sherden, Shekelesh, Lukka, Tjekker, Peleset, Denyen, and Weshesh—and their origins, possibly from the Aegean or western Anatolia. Lucas explains how Ramses first encountered the Sherden as pirates in his second year, then incorporated them into his army, before facing a full-scale coalition in his Year 8, recorded at the Battle of Kadesh inscriptions and the Tanis and Karnak reliefs. We discuss the economic and military strategies Ramses used, including a defensive line of forts and naval patrols, and how the Sea Peoples contributed to the Late Bronze Age Collapse. The episode also covers Ramses' successors Merenptah and Ramses III, who fought larger invasions, and the long-term impact: the Peleset settled as the Philistines, while the Sherden may have been linked to Sardinia. Finally, we consider the debate over what drove these migrations—famine, climate change, or the collapse of Mycenaean civilization. #RamsesII #SeaPeoples #Sherden #LateBronzeAgeCollapse #AncientEgypt #Peleset #Philistines #Merenptah #RamsesIII #Karnak #Tanis #Aegean #Anatolia #Pirates #MilitaryHistory #BronzeAge #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo