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INTRODUCTION

The Late Bronze Age war between the New Kingdom of Egypt and the Hittite Empire to the north occurred at a time when pharaoh Ramesses II sought to reestablish Egyptian influence in its former territory in Syria. The Hittites, whose capital city Hattusa was located in Anatolia, or modern-day Turkey, had defeated the Babylonians in 1595 BCE and had emerged as one of the prominent regional powers of the time. The Anatolian plateau was rich in copper and tin, the metals required to forge the bronze weapons common to the time, but the plateau's rugged terrain did not allow for widespread cultivation, and much of the empire's food was imported from the fertile Euphrates River valley. As such, control of well-used trade routes, many of which passed near or through the city of Kadesh, was of vital importance to the Hittite Empire. Ramesses II wished to reclaim imperial lands in Syria that had been lost under previous rulers, and he forged an uneasy alliance with the Mittani Empire that was situated along the Hittites' eastern flank.[1]

THE WAR

The conflict between the two powers came to a head at the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BCE. Marching north from their homeland, the Egyptian army under Ramesses II numbered an estimated 20,000 men split into four divisions, each named for an Egyptian god, and was accompanied by a large number of two-man war chariots. At Kadesh, which had been fortified against attack by the Hittite king Muwatalli II, Ramesses sought to claim a decisive victory that would drive the Hittites from the Egyptian border. A victory at Kadesh would allow him to seize control of the city and its valuable trade routes, would provide access to ports on the Mediterranean Sea, and would serve to restore Egyptian influence in Syria that had been lost under his father Pharaoh Seti I. To oppose Ramesses II, Muwatalli II mustered a force of an estimated 37,000 foot soldiers and 3500 three-man war chariots composed of Hittite troops as well an men from a number of his regional allies. Though the three-man vehicles were heavier than their Egyptian counterparts, their strength, speed, and superior numbers presented an advantage to the Hittite ruler and offered him the benefit of conducting surprise attacks. "The Hittites were known to be highly skilled in chariot-based combat," and their superior numbers provided an advantage to Muwatalli II that he hoped to use to drive Ramesses II out of Syria.

The ensuing battle, often referred to as the largest chariot battle in history, is the "earliest battle in recorded history for which details of tactics and formations are known." was an indecisive encounter that almost certainly ended in a draw. Hittite spies captured by the Egyptians had misled Ramesses II by informing him that the Hittite army was further away than it actually was. As a result, Ramesses II chose to split his forces, leading one of his four divisions ahead of the others and arriving at the battlefield severely outnumbered. Believing his foes to be much further away than they actually were, he set up camp and waited for the arrival of the remainder of his army. Sensing an opportunity, Muwatalli II sortied from the city in an attempt to ambush the opposing force, but the timely arrival of Egyptian reinforcements prevented him from routing the Egyptian forces. Muwatalli II maintained control of the city, but Ramesses II had managed to

Both sides claimed victory...but the two powers eventually signed what is commonly recognized as history's first peace treaty in 1258 BCE...