1274 BCE (battle) / 1259 BCE (treaty) Β· Kadesh, Orontes River (modern Syria)
The Battle and Treaty of Kadesh
The clash between Hittite and Egyptian armies ended without a clear winner; the treaty signed fifteen years later is the oldest known balanced peace agreement in history.
Kadesh was a strategic city in modern Syria near the Orontes River β the threshold where Egyptian and Hittite spheres of influence met. Around 1274 BCE, Ramses II marched north with a large army; the Hittite king Muwatalli II ambushed Ramses' advance units. Through personal bravery and timely reinforcements, Ramses averted disaster. Both sides claimed victory, but neither secured lasting control of northern Syria.
The lasting importance lies in what came fifteen years later. The treaty signed between Hattusili III and Ramses II was recorded in two languages β Egyptian hieroglyphs and Akkadian cuneiform. It includes mutual friendship, military aid, extradition of fugitives, and recognition of borders.
Both copies survive: the Egyptian version on a temple wall at Karnak, and the cuneiform Hittite version in the royal archive at Hattusa. It is the oldest known written peace treaty between two sovereign great powers signed as equals. A reproduction hangs at the entrance of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Location
Kadesh, Orontes River (modern Syria) Β· OpenStreetMap β
Sources
- Battle of Kadesh β World History Encyclopedia β World History Encyclopedia
- The Egyptian-Hittite Peace Treaty β The Metropolitan Museum of Art