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Rory Kemp
Kimberly Dyer
History 134
February 1, 2015
The Treaty of Kadesh
When Ramesses II came to power in 12th century BCE Egypt, the powerful empire he
ruled over was rivaled by few and seemed nonnegotiable when it came to disputes with
others. One of its rivals, the Hittites, was growing more and more powerful, posing perhaps
the greatest threat to Egypt at the time. Unlike his father, Ramesses II was confident enough
in his forces to challenge the Hittites and take control of an important city for trade that they
held, Kadesh. Little did either of the empires know that this defining battle would result not
in further war between the two, but a historical alliance.
The Hittite king, Muwatalli, was underestimated by Ramesses in his war tactics and
managed to trick the pharaoh. When Ramesses was on his way to Kadesh with his army, they
intercepted two "Bedouin" spies, who told the Pharaoh about the fearful flight of the Hittite
enemy in face of the Egyptian forces (Sansal, Burak). These spies told Ramesses that there
was in fact no army waiting for him at Kadesh, but were lying, and Ramesses took the bait.
He led his forces to Kadesh with confidence assuming there would be little to no resistance.
However, he was surprised to be attacked by over a thousand Hittite chariots.
Ramesses forces were still too powerful for the Hittites, even with the deception they
successfully enacted. But because of that tactic, the battle resulted in only a slight victory for
the Egyptians instead of an overwhelming one. Some scholars even debate that the battle was
a draw between the two. Whatever the actual result, upon his return home, Ramesses
declared he had won an overwhelmingly victory at Kadesh. Reliefs inside the Abu Simbel
temple depict a chariot-bound Ramesses riding roughshod over decimated Hittite soldiers
("Ramesses believed to be father of public relations..", N.A.). And while Ramesses claimed

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victory for the Egyptians, Muwatalli also did for the Hittites. Whats still more surprising is
that these stubborn leaders managed to turn this dispute into the worlds first ever peace
treaty. In 1258 BCE, Hattusili III of the Hittites signed the Treaty of Kadesh with the
Egyptians. They allied with each other in hopes of keeping their homelands and being able to
fight together against a much more brutal, common enemy, the Assyrians.
This treaty marked a very important point in history that is still looked back on with awe
today. In a time and place of the world where war was constant between city-states, the
Treaty of Kadesh offered a new means of settling disputes other than with blood. This treaty
would also give Ramesses II a legacy that still survives today and the Hittites a valuable ally.

Works Cited
Mark, Joshua. The Battle of Kadesh and the First Peace Treaty. Ancient History
Encyclopedia. 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2015.
Murane, William. The Road to Kadesh. Chicago, Illinois. The Oriental Institute of The
University of Chicago. 1990. Print.

"Ramesses believed to be father of public relations.." The Free Library. 2010 Al Bawaba
(Middle East) Ltd. 01 Feb. 2015.
Sansal, Burak. Battle of Kadesh (c. 1275 BC). All About Turkey. N.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.

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