Sennacherib, king of Assyria 705 BCE–681 BCE. (Public Domain)
This article explores the extraordinary account, recorded by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and echoed in biblical texts, of how a plague of field mice may have been the secret weapon that saved Egypt. We will delve into the story of the priest-Pharaoh Sethos, who, having alienated his own military, faced the Assyrian threat with an army of shopkeepers and artisans. We will examine the bizarre incident at the frontier town of Pelusium, where a swarm of mice allegedly devoured the leather gear of the Assyrian soldiers, rendering them defenseless. Finally, we will investigate the tantalizing possibility that this event was not merely a strange omen, but an early, and perhaps accidental, case of biological warfare, where the mice, as carriers of pestilence, turned an entire army into unwitting agents of their own destruction. Was this a divine miracle, a freak accident of nature, or a calculated act of sabotage that changed the course of history?
Pharaoh Sethos
As Herodotus mentioned, Sethos was a priest, thus divinely inspired, and felt that the gods were on his side thus he was not needing an army. But reality soon enveloped the Pharaoh. For a brief moment his divine omnipotence was shaken and he was left to humble and lament himself before the god: “the priest, being driven into a strait, entered into the sanctuary of the temple and bewailed to the image of the god the danger which was impending over him.” As the priest bellowed and begged the god Ptah for an answer, as Pharaoh Sethos slept, dreams and visions were bestowed upon him, the god Ptah is said to have spoken with Pharaoh Sethos saying: “that he should suffer no evil if he went forth to meet the army of the Arabians; for he himself would send him helpers.”
