Egyptianising Luttwak? A New Look on the Military Organisation of the Middle Kingdom in Lower Nubia

The features and meaning of the Egyptian defensive system, that allowed control of Lower Nubia during the Middle Kingdom, are still debated. Scholars have sometimes described the Egyptian fortresses in Nubia as a “material hypertrophy of the Egyptian state in Nubia” or stronghold of an “Equilibrium Imperialism”, aiming to control raw materials and monitor the acquisition of foreign goods. An explanation from the military point of view has often been overlooked. Nevertheless, it seems unlikely, in the presence of a system of at least 17 fortresses, fortified settlements, lookouts and signaling posts, to overlook the size of the Egyptian military and administrative organisation at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. A new theoretical approach could be meaningful. A useful tool to understand the question could be found in adapting the theories about the Roman defensive strategy set out by E. Luttwak to the Lower Nubia military system. With carefulness, due to the comparison between the much more complex Roman and the Middle Bronze Age warfare, theories like “the forward defense” and “the defense in-depth” could be “Egyptianised” to better define the strategy of the Pharaonic state in Nubia during the Middle Kingdom. This new theoretical approach could not disagree with the features and evolution of Egyptian warfare. This contribution aims to include the set of data available within a modern theory concerning the strategic view of an ancient state. Furthermore, making use of Luttwak’s “The grand strategy of Roman Empire” could help answering the question of whether Middle Kingdom Egypt had once “a grand strategy,” in the control of Lower Nubia, as well as in the relationship with the neighboring kingdom of Kerma.