The Battle of Kadesh: The History of the Most Important Battle Between the Egyptians and Hittites

Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world's first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world. With famous leaders like King Tut and Cleopatra, it's no wonder that today's world has so many Egyptologists.



Many battles fought in antiquity remain famous thousands of years later, such as Marathon, Thermopylae, and Cannae, mainly due to the belligerents involved and the ways in which the battles changed the course of history. However, even as people are fascinated by the Egyptians, one of the most important battles in antiquity has also been one of the most overlooked: the Battle of Kadesh, fought by Ramesses II against the Hittites.



Seeking to spread the area of Egypt's influence and control, Ramesses II led his first military campaign as pharaoh into Canaan in 1275 BCE. There were many battles fought during this campaign, but the one that is recorded in most detail describes Ramesses II fighting one of the Canaanite princes. This prince was apparently wounded by an arrow before his army was broken and routed by the Egyptian force. In the aftermath of the battle, the other princes of Canaan were made prisoners by Ramesses II, captured, and sent back to Egypt as their lands were plundered by the pharaoh's troops. Cowed by Egypt's military power, these vassal lands were thereafter forced to provide tribute to Egypt every year, which Ramesses II received himself at ruling headquarters he set up for himself in Riblah.



The Hittite vassal state of Amurru was another one of those captured on this military campaign, and the expansion of Egypt's forces into their territory was of great concern to the rulers of the Hittite Empire. Hittite forces posed a threat to Ramesses II and his ambitions, but his early military successes only led him to plan even further expansion for his empire. It was this expansionist attitude that would lead directly to the Battle of Kadesh in the fifth year of his reign.



In order to achieve his dreams of conquest, Ramesses II needed a constant supply of trained forces and a vast cache of weapons. With his ambitions now clearly defined, the Pharaoh set about creating an industry of war after setting up a new capital he dubbed Pi-Ramesses. This military industry was primarily set up to support another planned campaign into Hittite territory; the capital of Pi-Ramesses was located to the northeast of Cairo in the region of the Nile delta, inland from Tanis and the Mediterranean Sea, and the position of the city itself was possibly motivated by military reasoning.



The main battle of the campaign took place outside the moderately important city of Kadesh, which was located in modern Syria. Although Egyptologists, historians, and archaeologists of the ancient Near East are quite familiar with the battle, outside of a few references in films that concern Exodus, it has failed to capture the popular imagination, despite its critical importance. For one thing, it is the earliest known pitched battle to be documented, and the number of troops deployed by both the Egyptians and Hittites may have made it the largest battle ever fought up until that point in time. The organization of the forces, especially the Egyptians, is another intriguing aspect of this battle, because the Egyptians organized their units into divisions, which may be the first such case in history or simply the first time the organization was recorded.