A third is that the Egyptian artists were depicting something they had actually observed — a specific headgear tradition that was characteristic of a specific group — and that the absence of this headgear from other records simply reflects the gaps in the archaeological record.

A particularly interesting parallel has been proposed with warrior figurines found in Cyprus and with “hedgehog” warriors depicted in Levantine and Anatolian seal impressions.

Some researchers see connections between these depictions and the feathered headdress of the Egyptian reliefs.

Others are skeptical of the connection.

The feathered headdress remains one of the visual mysteries of the Sea Peoples period.

It is one of the most distinctive markers of these warriors in Egyptian art, and yet its origins in the material culture of the Aegean or Anatolian world remain unclear.

Why Egypt Survived: An Analysis