Abstract
- Methodological bases include:
a) No notion of "meritocractic leadership": birthright, social-status, political, economic, religious, and military
b) The issue of religious leadership: divine favour, prayer, sacrifice = leadership in piety, faith, and favor.
c) Talismanic leadership: the figurehead, heroic leadership, connection to gods. - How important is leadership/generalship in real terms in determining success? Armies succeed anyway, despite good or bad leadership.
- Do the "exceptions" (e.g., Thutmose III) simply prove the rule?
- Economic power in the home country, Egypt in this case, is covered.
- The specific Egyptian background concerns kingship, the status of the Egyptian army, the structure of the economy, the costs of military upkeep/preparedness, and the like.
- The issue of logistics will be adumbrated. Specific cases will be dealt with later in lectures 2-4.
