Pharaohs at War - Episode Guide

This episode focuses on the Battle of Megiddo which, fought in 1457 BC, was a significant military engagement led by Pharaoh Thutmose III against a Canaanite coalition. It resulted in a decisive Egyptian victory, solidifying their dominance in the Near East.

The Battle of Kadesh, fought in 1275 BCE between the Egyptian Empire led by pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire led by king Muwatalli II. In one of the world's largest chariot battles, fought beside the Orontes River, Ramses sought to wrest Canaan and Syria from the Hittites and recapture the city of Kadesh. There was a day of carnage as approximately 5,000 chariots charged into the fray, but no outright victor. Ultimately, the battle led to the world's first recorded peace treaty.

The Battle of Raphia, fought in 217 BC near modern Rafah, which was a pivotal clash between Ptolemaic Egypt and the Seleucid Empire during the Fourth Syrian War. The outcome was a decisive victory for Ptolemy IV Philopator's forces, which secured Coele-Syria for Ptolemaic Egypt.

The Battle of Actium, fought on September 2, 31 BC. It was a decisive naval engagement that pitted the forces of Octavian against those of Roman politician and general Mark Antony and Egyptian ruler Cleopatra. This clash, near the Roman colony of Actium in Greece, marked the end of the Roman Republic's civil war era and the beginning of the Roman Empire under Octavian's rule.