Weshesh

But who were these destroyers? The Egyptian records actually give us names, lots of them.

The Peleset, the Cheka, the Shekelesh, the Denyan and the Weshesh.

Sometimes they mention the Sherdan and Lukha.

though these groups seem to have appeared earlier, some even serving as mercenaries in Egyptian armies before turning hostile.

They were coming, forward toward Egypt.

Their confederation was the Peleset, Tjekkeru, Shekelesh, Denyen, and Weshesh, lands united.

Their hearts, confident and trusting, 'Our plans will succeed!'" This is describing an alliance of peoples who attacked the Eastern Mediterranean in the late Bronze Age.

The Bronze Age of the Eastern Mediterranean lasted about 2,000 years.

The other groups are more difficult to identify, and some of these identifications are educated guesses.

The Denyen have been matched to the Denuna of southern Anatolia and the area of Cilicia.

The Tijukur and Weshesh possibly were also from this region.

The Shardana may have come from around Byblos, but many historians think their name indicates they could have come from as far away as Sardinia, since Shardana and Sardinia share almost the same consonants, kind of like how the name Peleset shares the same consonants as Philistine.

What we know about these people, the Sea People, mainly comes from the writings of Egyptian pharaohs, like Ramses III, who give the names of the bands of people who are raiding and destroying places.

He says they are Peleset, Tjekker, Shekelesh, Denyana, and Weshesh.

Do we know anything about these people?

[laughs]