Kadesh: The Greatest Chariot Battle

I am talk about Kadesh: The Greatest Chariot Battle, fought around 1274 BCE, was a significant conflict between the Egyptian Empire under Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire led by King Muwatalli II. The Battle of Kadesh, which took place near the Orontes River in modern-day Syria, is notable for being one of the earliest battles with detailed historical records. Despite both sides claiming victory, the battle ultimately led to the first known peace treaty in history, the Egyptian-Hittite Peace Treaty. The Battle of Kadesh is also famed for Ramesses II’s extensive use of chariots and his strategic prowess, despite initial setbacks.

Greatest Chariot Battle Kadesh

Introduction

In late May of 1274 B.C., on the banks of the river Orontes in Syria, the young ruler of Egypt, Ramesses II, rode at the head of a vast Egyptian army and was on the verge of leading them into a battle against his winning a victory that would catapult him into the ranks of the greatest among Egypt’s long line of glorious pharaohs. Unknowingly, however, the eager pharaoh was riding into a trap. The resultant clash would become known as the Battle of Kadesh, and it is the earliest battle in human history whose course and maneuvers we can reconstruct in detail.

Background to Kadesh

• (i) In the generations leading up to the Battle of Kadesh, the main challenger to Egypt for supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean was the powerful Hittite empire based in Anatolia, a region that roughly corresponds to modern Turkey.
• (ii) Lying between was Syria, a strategic and economic crossroads that connected the Mediterranean basin to Mesopotamia and therefore, became a hotly contested territory desired by both the Hittites and the Egyptians, regarded by both as lying within their zone of influence.
• (iii) A minor kingdom in this region usually controlled the key fortified city of Kadesh and played the Hittites and the Egyptians against each other.

Significant Characteristics of the Battle of Kadesh

From a broader historical perspective, the Battle of Kadesh is notable not only for being our earliest detailed battle account but for several other significant characteristics:

• (i) It was one of the largest chariot battles in history.
  
• (ii) It resulted in one of the world’s earliest peace treaties, whose
  full terms have survived.
  
• (iii) It affected the course of ancient Near Eastern history
  for centuries.
• (iv) It formed the cornerstone of the reputation of one of Egypt’s
  most famous pharaohs.

The Opponents

• (i) Ramesses II was 29 years old and had ascended to the throne of Egypt during the period known as the New Kingdom, when Egypt became an imperialist power that sought to extend its sphere along the Mediterranean coast.
• (ii) Ramesses’s father, Seti I, pursued an aggressively expansionist policy, personally leading several large military expeditions, crushing a coalition of Canaanite princes to conquer Palestine, and pushing north into Lebanon. Yet Kadesh had slipped from his grasp into alliance with the Hittites.
• (iii) Ramesses was eager to establish his own reputation as a great military pharaoh, and he already showed signs of being a charismatic leader and a competent strategist. For example, as soon as he gained the throne, he began to build up the army and establish forward bases that would provide essential logistical support for any major campaigns.
• (iv) Muwatalli, Ramesses’s Hittite opponent, was not originally intended to inherit the Hittite throne; he became king after his older brother died. Muwatalli’s father had fought against Seti; thus, the generational aspect.

The Egyptian Army and Its Technology

• (i) The Egyptian army consisted of four divisions of infantry, each composed of 5,000 men and several thousand chariots. Modern estimates suggest that perhaps 500 chariots accompanied each of the divisions and constituted the elite strike force.
• (ii) The three components necessary for an effective war chariot are the spoked wheel, horses, and a reasonably powerful bow. These technologies seem to have come together in the 2nd millennium B.C. and spread via nomadic Indo-European tribes throughout Eurasia.
• (iii) By the time of Ramesses, Egyptian chariots were highly refined war machines.
• (a) They emphasized speed and mobility and favored a lightweight design with six spoked wheels with narrow rims, a D-shaped cab made of ox hide stretched over a light wooden frame with horses was yoked.
• (b) The axle was set far to the rear for stability and a smaller turning radius, and the crew consisted of two men: a driver who also carried a shield and a warrior armed with a compound bow and javelins.
• (c) These vehicles could be readily broken down and carried by infantry in order to traverse rough ground. Their main purpose was to serve as rapidly moving archery platforms that could charge, spin around, retreat, and charge again while unleashing flights of deadly arrows.
• (iv) In addition to being the higher-status units of the army, the charioteers were also some of the more highly trained soldiers. When he accompanied the army, the pharaoh naturally assumed the role of the lead charioteer.
• (v) Although there was a permanent professional core to the army, in times of war, the majority of the ranks, especially the infantry, were with simple spears, bows, or a bronze axe or sword. Body armor was minimal, perhaps a skullcap or jerkin made of stiffened fabric or leather.

The Hittite Army and Its Technology

• (i) Muwatalli had assembled a gigantic army, with an estimated size of 30,000 to 40,000 men and several thousand chariots. One source claims that there were 3,500 of these; if that number is accurate, this battle may well have been the largest clash of chariots in history.
• (ii) The standard Hittite chariot was significantly different from the Egyptian version:
• (a) It had a much heavier design, with a larger and more solid rectangular wooden cab.
• (b) The axle was centered beneath the cab rather than to the rear.
• (c) It carried three crewmen: the driver, a warrior with a large shield and spear, and one wielding a long, thrusting spear or a bow.
• (iii) In battle, the Hittites favored a single mass charge by the heavy chariots, intended to break the enemy’s ranks and then run them down by using the spears or shooting arrows.

The Battle

• (i) As Ramesses and the Egyptian army approached Kadesh, they were unaware that the Hittite army was nearby; thus, for ease of marching, the four divisions were spaced at intervals of roughly a half day’s march. Ramesses accompanied the lead division, Ammon. Behind them came the Ra, the P’tah, and the Set divisions.
• (ii) When Ammon crossed the Orontes, two men who appeared to be Bedouin locals but were actually Hittite agents told Ramesses that Muwatalli had been frightened at the Egyptians’ approach and had fled to the north. Ramesses accepted their story and evidently made no attempt to confirm the information with his own scouts.
• (iii) The camp guards then caught two Hittite spies lurking nearby who, after being subjected to a thorough beating, divulged that Muwatalli Kadesh and his army were ready for battle.
• (iv) Ramesses immediately dispatched messengers with orders for all the elements of his scattered forces to converge on his location at maximum speed.
• (v) Muwatalli sent forward a strong contingent of his chariots to intercept the Ra division as it attempted to march to the rescue, catching the Egyptians strung out in marching formation. The
  heavy Hittite chariots swept through the protective screen of lighter Egyptian chariots, slammed into the lines of marching infantry, and carved a path through the center of the Egyptian formation. The surviving troops panicked, broke formation, and ran.
• (vi) Following the retreating remnants of the Ra division, the Hittite chariots charged the Ammon camp, overrunning the shield wall formed to defend the camp. The charge took them into the midst of a maze of tents and wagons, piles of supplies, and military gear.
• (vii) The chaos bought Ramesses vital time to arm and organize himself and gather the chariots of the Ammon division, supplemented by the surviving Ra chariots. He then led the assembled Egyptian chariots in a counterattack against the now distracted and disorganized Hittite chariots.
• (viii) Seeing the fight turning against him, Muwatalli ordered his personal entourage of chariots into the fray. Their effect was negated by the timely and long-awaited arrival of the Egyptian reinforcements. The first to arrive was a chariot force known as the Ne’arin, perhaps accompanied by advance units of the third Egyptian division. Assaulted from a new direction by the Ne’arin, the Hittites broke and fled.
• (ix) The arrival of the main body of the P’tah division late in the day and the reorganization of the surviving Ammon and Ra units further tilted the balance in Ramesses’s favor and effectively ended the battle.
• (x) Although the vast majority of his army, including all the infantry, had not been engaged, Muwatalli withdrew within the walls of Kadesh. Ramesses had seemingly snatched a battlefield victory from the jaws of defeat.
• (xi) The day after the battle, Ramesses signed a truce with Muwatalli and returned with his army to Egypt. The Hittites retained control
  of Kadesh.

Who won the Battle of Kadesh?

• (i) In a narrow tactical sense, Ramesses can be considered the victor on the battlefield, but in a broader strategic sense, the Hittites won the campaign because they accomplished the main goal of the war: possession of the city of Kadesh.
• (ii) Although this battle was less decisive in military terms than others, it permanently ended the multigenerational war between two of the greatest powers of the era. Sixteen years after the battle, Ramesses and the Hittites signed a remarkable peace treaty.
• (a) It contains provisions establishing borders, mutual declarations not to invade each other’s territory, and promises of support if one or the other country is attacked or to help suppress internal rebellions, and extradition of political refugees.
• (b) The treaty ushered in an unprecedented era of peace in the ancient Near East that would last nearly a century.

Conclusion

The Battle of Kadesh is also important because it served as the foundation of Ramesses’s reputation as a leader, which he would amply exploit over the course of a 66-year reign. During this time, he built many of the most famous monuments in ancient Egypt.

FAQ about the Battle of Kadesh?