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1274 BCE

The Battle of Kadesh between Egypt and the Hittite Empire was one of the largest chariot battles in history and led to the earliest known international peace treaty between two great powers of the ancient Near East.

Conflict & Diplomacy

  • Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt led a force of approximately 20,000 soldiers against the Hittite army of King Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River in modern-day Syria.
  • The Battle of Kadesh was one of the largest chariot engagements in ancient history, with both sides deploying thousands of chariots across the battlefield.
  • The battle ended inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory, and ultimately led to the Egyptian-Hittite peace treaty, one of the earliest known written peace agreements between two sovereign states.

Civilization & Governance

  • Ramesses II, one of the most powerful pharaohs of the New Kingdom, was building extensively across Egypt, including the great temples at Abu Simbel carved into the sandstone cliffs of Nubia.
  • The Hittite Empire, centered in Anatolia with its capital at Hattusa, was a major Near Eastern power controlling territory from western Turkey to northern Syria.

Climate & Environment

  • Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 280 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
  • The world population was approximately 75 million.