GABINIANS. The Gabinians were a force of Roman legionaries led by the proconsul of Syria, Aulus Gabinius, who in 55 BC, at the wish of Cnaeus Pompey, reinstated Ptolemy XII (Auletes). The expedition set out from Syria and marched through Palestine toward Egypt. Marcus Antonius was a general of the cavalry and seized the garrison in Pelusion. The Roman force approached Alexandria where it engaged the Egyptian army, commanded by Archelaos, the husband of the reigning queen Berenike IV (daughter of Ptolemy XII). Gabinius and Antonius led on two fronts and after a second, naval, battle on the Nile, Ptolemy was able to regain his kingdom. The Gabinians were left in Alexandria, and were deployed on several occasions against the population. They were prominent on the Egyptian side against Iulius Caesar and Kleopatra VII in the Alexandrian War.
GARRISON. The troops stationed within a fortress. There were presumably garrisons in strategic towns and access points, key storage centers, and royal residences from the earliest times. There is, unfortunately, little early documentary evidence. According to some of the school texts that extol the benefits of the elite contrasted with less fortunate members of society, the garrison soldier’s “clothing is skins and his food the grass of the field, like any cattle.” Not surprisingly, therefore, being stationed in garrisons, particularly those in foreign parts or on borders, was greatly disliked and a cause of interminable boredom. There is evidence that in some fortresses permanent garrisons were installed with the soldiers and their families (perhaps living in extramural settlement). This was certainly the case with the Persian garrison on Abu and the Ptolemaic garrison at Pathyris.
Pharaonic: Egypt. Small garrison forts seem to have been located at many points within Egypt. They might have controlled the nome boundaries. There is evidence for them on the outer approaches to major cities. The “northern” and “southern” fortresses of Memphis, for example, were some distance from the city itself, controlling access. The “Place-beloved-of-Thoth” might be a similar small garrison in Thebes. The earliest known Egyptian fortresses outside of the Nile Valley are the Early Dynastic site of En Besor in southern Palestine, which might have served as a defended supply station for caravans, and the Old Kingdom fort at Ain Asil in Dakhla Oasis. There is good evidence for the Persian garrison on Abu in the fifth century BC. The soldiers were mainly Jews and other western Asiatics.
Pharaonic: Empire. Permanent garrisons were placed in the fortresses of Lower Nubia from the 12th Dynasty and in the more southerly ones (Sai and Napata) from early in the 18th Dynasty. With Egyptian expansion into western Asia garrisons were established just as they were in Nubia. There is evidence from documentary sources, notably the Amarna Letters, and archaeology. Following the siege and capture of the city by Ahmose I, Sharuhen became a garrison, although it was replaced in importance by Gaza. Other coastal towns farther north in Phoenicia had garrisons and were points to which longer range expeditions would sail before marching inland. Ullaza was later replaced by Sumur, and there might have been garrisons in the old trading partners of Byblos and Tyre. Joppa was a center for grain storage and organization of the corvee and in the 19th Dynasty used as a chariot depot. Inland garrisons seem to have been much fewer: Jerusalem in the late 18th Dynasty controlled the grain producing regions; Megiddo controlled the north-south routes, and Beth Shean was in a strategic position in the Jezreel Valley and could control the crossing of the Jordan and way to Damascus. Other towns with garrisons were probably Kumidi, Yarimuta, and perhaps Ugarit on the coast. Archaeological evidence from the 19th and 20th Dynasties suggesting the presence of garrisons comes from Tell Mor, Tell el-Far‘ah south, Tell esh Shari‘ah, Aphek, Ashdod, Beth-shemesh, Lachish, Megiddo, Beth Shean, and Tell es-Saidiyeh.
Ptolemaic: Egypt. There is evidence for garrisons established in the towns of Upper Egypt in the Ptolemaic period. Following the rebellions of Haronnophris and Chaonnophris, they were placed in Krokodilopolis and Pathyris. After the civil war between Ptolemy VIII and Kleopatra II, there were garrisons in the Memnoneia district of Thebes and in Hermonthis. That in Thebes was at Medinet Habu.
Ptolemaic: Empire. There were garrisons in all of the numerous overseas possessions of the Ptolemies. Because the troops and their commanders were generally mercenaries and many of Greek or Macedonian origin, defection in times of crisis was common. The first Ptolemaic garrison was placed in Cyrene in 322/321 BC, soon followed by garrisons in Cyprus and Coele Syria. Samos, although a naval base, does not appear to have had a garrison. In Caria and Pamphylia, there was a long Ptolemaic presence, and in Cilicia a number of coastal strongholds were garrisoned from the time of Ptolemy III. On Crete, there was a garrison in Itanos for much of the Ptolemaic period. During the Chremonidean War, Thera received a garrison, including a contingent from Pamphylia: its soldiers are particularly well documented. One of the principal functions of this garrison was defense against pirates. Also established at the time of the Chremonidean War were the bases on mainland Greece: Methana in the Peloponnese was renamed Arsinoe; Sikyon and Korinth were garrisoned from 308–303 BC. In the north Aegean, there were garrisons at Ainos and Maroneia in Thrace from the time of Ptolemy III. Ephesos was under Ptolemaic control from the reign of Ptolemy II until 259 BC. It was recaptured by Ptolemy III in 246 BC and received a large garrison, being held until 197 BC.
Roman. Garrisons were established at key points by Augustus, notably at Alexandria (the fort of Nikopolis), Babylon, and Aswan. As in earlier times, the Roman garrisons were stationed in key population centers, strategic points within nomes, and on the river or desert edges. The total provincial garrison was probably between 20,000 and 30,000, with no one nome having more than 1,000–1,500 men. This has been estimated at 0.5–0.8 percent of the total population (assuming 4.2 million persons). Some garrisons were stationed for an extended period while others had only short visits. The Notitia Dignitatum details the places where units were stationed in the later fourth century AD. The Roman garrisons differed from the earlier periods most obviously in that they were largely drawn from outside Egypt. In the Fayum, there was a major base at Dionysias. A cohort was stationed at Narmouthis on the edge of the desert in the southern part of Fayum. This had been withdrawn by 346 AD. A cavalry detachment (cataphract) was stationed in the nome capital at Arsinoe. There was a garrison at Oxyrhynchos in the reign of Diocletian. Lykopolis in Middle Egypt had a garrison comprising at least part of the Sixth Legion in 354 AD.
GAULS. Term used for Celtic peoples of central Europe who moved southward, both west and east, eventually causing serious problems to the Hellenistic kingdoms. One incursion sacked Rome in 390 BC. There were major invasions of Macedonia and northern Greece (279 BC) and of Asia Minor (278 BC), where they settled in what became Galatia. Ptolemy II and his successors used Gauls, Celts, and Galatians as mercenary troops.
GAZA. An important city in southern Palestine, lying at the east end of the Ways of Horus and, consequently, in a significant strategic position. It was called Kedje(t) in Egyptian. With Ahmose I’s campaigns in Canaan in pursuit of the Hyksos, Sharuhen was made an Egyptian garrison, but by the time of Thutmose III it was replaced by Gaza, which remained a staging and frontier post. Gaza was captured by the kings of Assyria in the westward marches toward Egypt. At that time, an Egyptian vassal ruled the town. The Egyptians soon regained it and used it as a base before and after the battle of Eltekeh (701 BC). It remained a significant strategic center and continued to play an important role in the Ptolemaic period, notably during the Wars of the Diadochoi and the later Syrian Wars.
“GEBEL EL-ARAK KNIFE.” The “Gebel el-Arak Knife” is a Predynastic (Naqada II) dagger from Upper Egypt. A silex blade is fitted to a carved handle of hippopotamus ivory. The handle is decorated in relief with scenes of conflict and taking of captives. Two distinct groups are involved, one with hair and one with shaved heads. Boats of Egyptian and Mesopotamian types are shown, some carry standards. The other side has a scene of animals and a human figure between two lions. This has close similarities with Mesopotamian art. The decoration has similarities with other Predynastic art from Upper Egypt, such as the Painted Tomb 100 at Nekhen. The piece, acquired by the Louvre Museum in 1914, was considered to support the idea of a “Dynastic Race,” which came from Mesopotamia and conquered Egypt. The scene has more recently been suggested to depict conflict between Egyptians and Nubians or Libyans. Some authorities have cast doubt upon the authenticity of the piece.
GEBELEIN. Site in Upper Egypt, south of Thebes. Its ancient name was Per-Hathor. A large number of stelae found here record a colony of Nubian mercenary troops of the First Intermediate Period. The other body of evidence for military settlement here is of Ptolemaic date, when it was known as Pathyris.
EL-GHARBANIYAT. Coastal site to the west of Alexandria and 30 kilometers east of Alamein. Monuments at the site suggest that it was perhaps the location of a fort in the chain that Ramesses II built as a defense against the Libyans.
EL-GIB. A small fortress or watchtower of late Roman date, in the northern part of Kharga Oasis. About 15 meters × 16.50 meters with walls 2.5 meters thick, the walls still stand about 15 meters high. The fortress was originally of three stories, the lowest a series of vaulted rooms with a central courtyard above, and had round corner towers (now collapsed). Along with the nearby and very similar tower of el Someira, it controlled the road, which led to the northern entry/exit to the Oasis through the passes of Ramlia and Yabsa.
GIFT EXCHANGE. Royal gift exchange is well documented for the late 18th Dynasty (Late Bronze Age of Near East) by the Amarna Letters. The scenes of foreign tribute also relate to gift exchange. In return for valuable raw materials, most notably gold but also ivory and ebony, Egypt received timber, lapis lazuli, copper, and other materials. Prestige gifts were sent with the exchange of letters, on royal festivals and at the time of royal marriage. Notable among these “greeting gifts” were chariots and horses, military equipment, and weapons See ARMS TRADE.
GLACIS. Slope leading up to walls of a fortress that exposes attackers to fire from the defenses.
GRIFFON (akhekh). Mythical creature with a lion’s body and eagle’s head. The crested griffon, similar to that found in Minoan art, first appears on the axe of Ahmose I from the burial of Queen Ahhotep, where it is described as “beloved of Monthu” and represents the pharaoh as a manifestation of that god. The eagle, however, does not figure prominently in Egyptian art and the later New Kingdom representations, which are common, are correctly hieraco-sphinxes, having a falcon head on a lion’s body. Following Egyptian convention, these usually have the long tripartite wig (missing on the axe of Ahmose I).
At the battle of Qadesh, Ramesses II hunted his enemies “like a griffon” and “slaughtered them unceasingly.” Ramesses III was “a griffon who is wide of step, a possessor of wings who sees leagues of millions as (mere) strides,” “his war cry is heard like that of a griffon,” and “his voice was bellowing and roaring like (that of) a griffon.”