The petty kings in Canaan were permitted their own armed forces
comprising chariots, owned by the aristocracy, and footmen drawn from
the peasant classes. Egypt did not interfere in local rivalries as long
as her revenues continued to come and her commissioners were able to
carry on the royal projects. When a local ruler had a grievance against
his fellows, he could plead his case showing that the interests of Egypt
would be best served by enabling him to defeat his rivals. This usually
meant a request for troops--particularly bowmen. Egypt tolerated the
perpetual squabbles of her subject states, and it may even have been a
policy to allow such quarrels rather than to permit one state to gain
enough power that it could forge an empire of its own.
Many of the strongholds held by the rulers of Canaanite city states had
been fortified in Hyksos times. Egyptian control, however, was
maintained through commissioners appointed by the Pharaoh to collect
taxes and supervise the compulsory labor groups which worked on roads,
tended the Lebanon forest preserves, or worked in the Valley of
Esdraelon where wheat was grown for the royal court. Under strong
Pharaohs, the interests of the Empire were carefully guarded, but the
Amarna Age was a period during which Egyptian prestige was in eclipse
and local rivalries became increasingly bitter. Only in extreme
instances did Egypt interfere, and then it was usually too late to
rectify matters.
A brief letter from Biridya of Megiddo indicates that forced labor
(corvée) was expected of the subject states. Many, however, sensing the
loss in Egyptian power failed to provide laborers for the royal
projects:
To the king, my lord and my sun, say: Thus Biridya, the true servant
of the king, my lord and my sun, seven times and seven times I fall.
Let the king be informed concerning his servant and concerning his
city. Behold I am working in the town of Shunama, and I bring men of
the corvée, but behold the governors who are with me do not as I do;
they do not work in the town of Shunama; and they do not bring men for
the corvée, but I alone bring men for the corvée from the town of
Yapu. They come from Shunama and likewise from the town of Nuribda. So
let the king be informed concerning his city.[46]