War and Weapons in Ancient Egypt

Command Structure

• The Egyptian pharaoh served as commander in chief of the armed forces. Under him were generals and senior lieutenants, followed by frontier commanders, then commanders of progressively smaller infantry units.
  
  

Chariots

• The Hyksos brought the chariot to Egyptian warfare. While most cultures used chariots as an offensive weapon, the Egyptians used them primarily to defend infantry from enemy chariots. Egyptian chariots were lighter and nimbler than those of other nations.
  
  

Infantry

• Despite the glamour of the chariots, the ancient Egyptian army was an infantry-based force. As time progressed, foreign mercenaries played an increasingly large role in filling the ranks.
  
  

Weapons

• Infantry weapons such as clubs, daggers and axes were supplemented by longer-range weapons such as bows and spears. Egypt had no natural iron deposits (weapons were made of copper and bronze), which proved a major disadvantage in later conflicts against nations using iron-based weapons.
  
  

Navy

• Egypt did develop a navy, though it functioned primarily as transportation and support for infantry rather than as a true naval battle fleet.