
The Libu were an Ancient Libyan tribe of Berber origin, from whom the name of Libya derives. The Ancient Egyptians depicted the Libu as having light-colored, yellowish skin and reddish brown hair, and the Libu nomads and the peoples of the Western Desert first threatened Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah during the late 13th century BC. In 1208 BC, Merneptah defeated the Libu and Sea Peoples led by the Libu chief Meryey. Pharaoh Ramesses III defeated another Libu invasion in 1181 BC and again six years later, when the Libu joined the Meshwesh and invaded the western Nile Delta. The Greek colonists of Cyrenaica used the name of the Libu to refer to all of Cyrenaica and Northwestern Africa as "Libya". In spite of Libya's long rivalry with Egypt, thousands of Libyans served in the Egyptian army and were settled within Egypt's borders, going on to occasionally usurp the title of Pharaoh.