War as Elimination of the Rebels

Abstract

Before leaving for war, the army has to be reassured that the enemy is really inferior, lacking any ability to resist and launch a counter-attack. For magical purposes, the Egyptians broke clay figurines representing their enemies and inscribed with their names.¹ The Hittites performed various rituals, mostly based upon magical procedures:

They divide the young men into two halves, and they name them: one half they call ‘men of Hatti’ and the other half they call ‘men of Masha’. The men of Hatti have bronze weapons, the men of Masha have reed weapons. They fight together and the men of Hatti win.²