June
14
/ 2023
A 13th-century BC inscription of Ramesses II reads: “ The unruly Sherden whom no one had ever known to combat, they came boldly (sailing) in their warships from the midst of the sea, none being able to withstand them,” referring to a group of mercenaries, called the Shardana / Sherden, famed to be the greatest of all warriors. The Shardana were recruited as mercenaries as early on as the reign of Amenhotep III/IV, when they were mentioned in the royal Egyptian correspondence found at Amarna as having served the Prince of Byblos. Later, for a period of more than 200 years from the time of Ramesses II, they often served as mercenaries for the Egyptian kings. In Egypt, they were
