The Sherden (Egyptian: šrdn, šꜣrdꜣnꜣ or šꜣrdynꜣ; Ugaritic: šrdnn(m) and trtn(m); possibly Akkadian: šêrtânnu; also glossed "Shardana" or "Sherdanu") are one of the several ethnic groups the Sea Peoples were said to be composed of, appearing in fragmentary historical and iconographic records (ancient Egyptian and Ugaritic) from the Eastern Mediterranean in the late 2nd millennium BC.
On reliefs, they are shown carrying round shields and spears, dirks or swords, perhaps of Naue II type. In some cases, they are shown wearing corslets and kilts, but their key distinguishing feature is a horned helmet, which, in all cases but three, features a circular accouterment at the crest. At Medinet Habu the corslet appears similar to that worn by the Philistines. The Sherden sword, it has been suggested by archaeologists since James Henry Breasted, may have developed from an enlargement of European daggers and been associated with the exploitation of Bohemian tin. Robert Drews suggested that use of this weapon by groups of Sherden and Philistine mercenaries made them capable of withstanding attacks by chariotry and so made them valuable allies in warfare,[1] but Drews's theory has been widely criticised by contemporary scholars.[2][3]
- ^ Drews, Robert (1993). The End of Bronze Age. Princeton University Press.
- ^ Cline, Eric H. (1997). "Review of Robert Drews' 'The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in warfare and the catastrophe ca. 1200 B.C.'". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 56 (2): 127–129. doi:10.1086/468535.
- ^ Dickinson, Oliver T.P.K. (1999). "Robert Drews' theories about the nature of war in the late Bronze Age". In Laffineur, R. (ed.). Polemos: Le Contexte Guerrier en Egee a l'Age du Bronze. Aegaeum. Vol. 19. Universite de Liege. pp. 21–25.