Many Tribes Making Up the Libyan Armies

Most of our current understanding of the Ancient Bronze-Age Libyans comes from texts left by their major competitor for resources --- the Egyptians. So the Libyans are seen as numerous and warlike, although they were usually split by tribal factions. They were a semi-nomadic people, who occupied the lands to the Northwest of the Nile Valley, living in leather tents, raising cattle and goats (note 2). The Libyan warrior was usually deployed as a light infantryman, armed simply with a bow or spear (note 3). Known to the Egyptians under various tribal names such as the Ribu, Libu, Tjehenu (one of the generic terms for "Libyan" in the Egyptian language), or Tjemehu (who were usually fair-haired and light-skinned) and later on as the Meshwesh (note 4), they may have been composed of more than one race of people. As a whole, Libyans were depicted by the Egyptians mostly as dark skinned and bearded, and only occasionally with fair hair and blue eyes.

Other Libyan War Allies

Some even more obscure tribes named in the Papyrus Harris included the Esbeh, Keykesh, Shai, Hes, and Beken (note 5). Around 1200 BC, there appears to have been a mass influx of other Mediteranian types (Sea Peoples) into Libya, and with the coincidental drought conditions, this forced a mass (unsuccessful) invasion into the Egyptian Delta, which will be covered in a different article.