In his Year 5 (c. 1274 BC), Ramesses II marched north to fight the Hittites, the great empire of Anatolia, for control of Syria. The armies met at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River. Ramesses told the story of the battle on more temple walls than any other event of his reign.
Key idea
The battle, as Ramesses told it
- The army marched in four divisions named for gods: Amun, Ra, Ptah and Seth.
- Two captured nomads said the Hittites were far to the north. It was a trick.
- The Hittite chariots struck the division of Ra on the march and then the king's camp.
- In Ramesses' account he fought almost alone, the god Amun at his side, until fresh troops arrived and drove the Hittites back.
Why it works
The treaty
About sixteen years later, with Assyria rising, both powers made peace. The treaty survives in two versions: an Egyptian text carved at Karnak and the Ramesseum, and a Hittite version in Akkadian on clay tablets found at Hattusa, the Hittite capital. Each side promised not to attack the other, to help against enemies and to return fugitives. Later Ramesses married a Hittite princess. A copy of the treaty hangs at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
| Source | Says |
|---|---|
| Egyptian temple reliefs and texts | a great victory won by the king himself |
| Hittite records and the result | the Hittites kept Kadesh and the region; no Egyptian gain |
Worked example: Win, lose or draw?
- A victory usually leaves the winner holding the prize.
- Here the Hittites kept the city and the region.
- But the Egyptian army survived and withdrew in order.
Answer: A draw at best for Egypt, presented at home as a victory.
Common mistake