Oftentimes provincialism prevents one from diligently searching for clues to past, present, and future human behaviour. Resistance and revolts are not exclusive to the most recent past; instead, over 2,300 years ago they were being documented…
As crisp, cool autumn sea air covered Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, Alexander the Great’s invasion was welcomed as liberation from a century of Persian rule. The year was 332 BCE. Yet, the people’s elation was fleeting as the liberators quickly became the new overlords. Post-Alexander, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, blending Greek and pharaonic ideals, encountered numerous challenges. By Ptolemy IV’s reign, just over 100 years later, economic tensions and the war with Antiochus III stirred additional discontent. While many upper-class nobles favored the Ptolemies, anti-Alexandrian sentiment grew among the masses. Preparing for the Battle of Raphia, many locals, trained in Macedonian tactics, gained vital military expertise as well as a sense of purpose, direction, and motivation. Thus, the foundation for potential rebellion in the long term was being created. The line between the liberators and the liberated blurred…
After the Battle of Raphia, Ptolemy IV’s short-term military recruitment strategy appeared to be successful. Trained Egyptians, released from military service, returned to their villages. Skilled in combat, they became key figures in the resistance against Ptolemaic rule. Utilizing guerrilla tactics, these former soldiers effectively challenged the professional Greek army. Notably, it was one of the earliest documented instances of guerrilla warfare in history.
Contrary to modern uprisings with swift communications, information dissemination during these ancient times was exceedingly slow. The protracted communication processes meant that rebellions and their subsequent counter actions were drawn out, extending the duration of civil unrest for the subsequent two decades. By 207 BCE, a revolt was ignited in Edfu. Fast forward to 205 BCE, and Haronnophris, crowned as Egyptian pharaoh in Thebes, was overthrown by the Ptolemies around 200 BCE. His successor, Chaonnophris, also faced defeat, retreating to Upper Egypt as Ptolemy V took Thebes. The city alternated rulers until 194 BCE, when it briefly returned to Chaonnophris before the Ptolemies regained control in 191 BCE. The pendulum swung one last time in 186 BCE when Chaonnophris faced a decisive defeat at the hands of General Komanos. Even though defeat was in the air, the natives spread the uprising as far north as Assiut. The Ptolemies in the end had victory and held Egypt until Cleopatra VII’s fall in 30 BCE, ushering in Roman rule and ending a 3,000-year era.
Over 2,300 years ago, early guerrilla warfare resembled, or perhaps premised, modern resistance against foreign powers, evident in both Vietnam and Afghanistan. While Egypt’s revolts faltered, later uprisings in history succeeded. Does the past shape the future? Only if we can learn from it.
By Richard Schoenfeld