The lame king, vanquisher of Jerusalem, in medieval Arabic tradition on ancient Egypt, and his possible prototypes
EDN: HNXFJK
Abstract
The article examines the plot concerning a lame king of Ancient Egypt who overcame a king of Jerusalem, as transmitted in the works of Arabic medieval historians, including Ibn Abd alHakam and Maqrizi. According to their writings, the lame Egyptian king captured Jerusalem and imprisoned its ruler. However, the question of who was the historical prototype for this king and whether this king even had such a prototype remains open. The article suggests that the figure of the “lame king” was a representation of several Egyptian rulers, both real and legendary. The main prototype was the Pharaoh Necho II of the XXVI Dynasty, who defeated Josiah, king of Judah, and captured his son Jehoahaz during his campaigns in Syria and Palestine. Besides him, elements of other Egyptian rulers also contribute to the image of the “lame king”; he was credited with the exploits of Shoshenq I, the founder of the XXII Dynasty (Libyan in nature). In addition, the descriptive characteristics of the “lame king”, namely his great might and pride, indicate that the Arabic accounts reflected in their own way the image of the legendary Egyptian king-conqueror Sesonchosis.
Supporting agencies: The research is sponsored by the grant 24-18-00378 of the Russian Science Foundation “The Origin and the Contents of the Late Antique and Medieval Picture of the Near Eastern and Aegean Past in the Earliest (preAchaemenid) Period”, https://rscf.ru/project/24-18-00378/.
About the Authors
M. S. Apenko
Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Mikhail Sergeevich Apenko, Cand. Sci. (History) Researcher, Department of Comparative Studies of Ancient Civilizations
119334, Moscow, Leninsky Prospekt, 32a
O. A. Davydova
Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Olga Aleksandrovna Davydova, Junior Researcher, Department of Comparative Studies of Ancient Civilizations
119334, Moscow, Leninsky Prospekt, 32a
A. A. Nemirovsky
Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexander Arkadievich Nemirovsky, Cand. Sci. (History) Senior Research Fellow, Department of Comparative Studies of Ancient Civilizations
119334, Moscow, Leninsky Prospekt, 32a
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Review
For citations:
Apenko M.S., Davydova O.A., Nemirovsky A.A. The lame king, vanquisher of Jerusalem, in medieval Arabic tradition on ancient Egypt, and his possible prototypes. Shagi / Steps. 2026;12(1):99-119. (In Russ.) EDN: HNXFJK
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