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(History & Warfare). Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press,
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Bentley. Ancient Siege Warfare.Bloomington: Indiana Uni-
versity Press, 1999; Shaw, Ian. Egyptian Warfare and
Weapons.London: Shire Publications, 1999.
Min (1) (Menu, Amsi, Khem) An Egyptian fertility
god, Min was depicted in the ithyphallic form and served
as the patron of desert travels and guardian of harvests.
He was worshiped in AKHMINand KOPTOSfrom the earli-
est eras. Min was then the patron of hunters and nomads.
The god was normally shown as a man with an erect
penis, wearing a plumed crown with a streamer. In some
eras his statues resembled mummies. Originally such
statues were painted blue-black, symbolizing divinity, and
Min had a human head or a hawk’s head. He held his
phallus in his left hand. In that pose he was called “the
God of the Lifted Hand.”
The ancient deity of Koptos, a god called A’ahes or
Rahes, was absorbed by the cult of Min early on. The
temples of Min were round in design. LETTUCEwas his
symbol, and his festivals were joyous occasions. In time,
Min was worshiped as Min-Horus. The PALERMO STONE
gives an account of Min, and there were three colossal
statues of the deity at Koptos. He was depicted on a bowl
of KHA’SEKHEMWY, dating to c. 2650 B.C.E. In some eras he
was called Min-Isis-Horus.
Min (2)(fl. 15th century B.C.E.) Priestly official of the
Eighteenth Dynasty
Min served TUTHMOSIS III(r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) as the
mayor of THINISand overseer of the priests of ANHUR. His
most important position, however, was as archery
instructor for AMENHOTEP II, Tuthmosis III’s son and heir.
A veteran of military campaigns, Min supervised the
prince’s military training and served as well as treasurer
of Lower Egypt and judge. He was buried with honors in
THEBES.
Minkhaf (fl. 26th century B.C.E.) Prince of the Fourth
Dynasty
A son of KHUFU(Cheops; r. 2551–2528 B.C.E.), Minkhaf
assumed powerful court roles, as this dynasty maintained
a firm grip on the various government agencies, not shar-
ing the offices with outsiders. He was not the heir to the
throne.
Min-Nakhte(fl. 15th century B.C.E.)Agricultural offi-
cial of the Eighteenth Dynasty
Min-Nakhte served TUTHMOSIS III(r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) as
the inspector of granaries for the throne. His tomb near
THEBESwas designed as a single rectangular chamber with
a statue niche.Mirgissa A site near the second cataract of the Nile, in
NUBIA(modern Sudan), this was the largest of a series of
fortified stations erected by SENWOSRET III(r. 1878–1841
B.C.E.) to protect Egyptian TRADEand to control traffic on
the river. Troops were garrisoned at the site, and storage
chambers were available for trade goods in transit.Mitannis A powerful people who spoke the Hurrian
language and invaded Mesopotamia and Syria, they
emerged as a unified state during the Middle Kingdom
(2040–1640 B.C.E.) or earlier, ruled by an Indo-Aryan
royal line of kings. The Mitanni capital was Washukania
or Washukanni, believed to be the modern Tell al-
Fakhiriyeh in northern Syria. Coming from the Caspian
Sea originally, the Mitanni had Indo-European connec-
tions and worshiped Indian deities. During their imperial
period, they ruled from Assyria to the Levant.
The rise of the militaristic Eighteenth Dynasty
(1550–1307 B.C.E.) brought Egypt into conflict with the
Mitannis, who were expanding their own imperial
domain. This expansion aided TUTHMOSIS I(r. 1504–1492
B.C.E.) and TUTHMOSIS III(r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) in their
successful campaigns, and the Mitannis suffered defeats
at the hands of the Egyptians at Aleppo and CARCHEMISH.
AMENHOTEP II (r. 1427–1401 B.C.E.) led an army into
Mitanni domains, capturing KADESHon the Orontes River.
TUTHMOSIS IV(r. 1401–1391 B.C.E.) asked ARTATAMA, the
Mitanni king, for his daughter, to seal an alliance
between the two states. Tuthmosis IV had to make this
request seven times before the Mitanni princess arrived
on the Nile. The Assyrians captured the Mitanni capital
in the reign of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari (1305–1274
B.C.E.), and made the state a vassal. Shalmanesser I
(1273–1244 B.C.E.) annexed the Mitanni lands, ending
the empire. Egypt’s alliance with the Mitannis would
prove costly in time, as Tuthmosis IV’s preference for the
Mitannis over the rising HITTITESwould spark political
and military problems for the Ramessids of the Nine-
teenth Dynasty (1307–1196 B.C.E.).Mit Rahinah A temple site of the god PTAH, located
near MEMPHIS, the shrine is half covered with water at the
present time. A temple of Ptah dominated the site and
contained an elaborate shrine and colossal statues of
RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.). Stone blocks from the
Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.) and New Kingdom
(1550–1070 B.C.E.) were salvaged from an older shrine.
Ramesses II also erected a pylon in the western part of
the temple and northern and southern gates.
A smaller temple at MIT RAHINAH included an
embalming house of APIS, erected by SHOSHENQ I (r.
945–924 B.C.E.), with chapels added by SHABAKA (r.248 Min