The Battle of Megiddo, fought between Egyptian forces under the command of pharaoh Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh, is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
Various precise dates have been suggested for the battle.
The date is April 16, 1457 BCE (according to the accepted Middle Chronology), although other publications place the battle in 1482 BCE or 1479 BCE.
The Battle of Megiddo is an Egyptian victory and resulted in a rout of the Canaanite forces, which flee to safety in the city of Megiddo.
Their action results in the subsequent lengthy Siege of Megiddo.
Megiddo, the first battle of which there is a detailed historical account, is also the first recorded use of the composite bow and the first body count.
All details of the battle come from Egyptian sources -- primarily the hieroglyphic writings on the Hall of Annals in the Temple of Amun at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor), by the military scribe Tjaneni.
By reestablishing Egyptian dominance in Palestine, Pharaoh Thutmose III has begun a reign in which Egyptian Empire is to reach its greatest expanse.
