2 – Battle of Kadesh – 13th Century BC
This is another battle where the exact date is unknown. Some historians claim it happened in 1288 BC while others suggest it took place in 1274 BC. Rameses II is regarded as one of the greatest Pharaohs in Egyptian history and in this battle, he fought against King Muwatalli II at Kadesh which is located near the modern day Syrian-Lebanese border. According to historians, it is the oldest recorded battle in history in terms of knowing the tactics and formations used. Additionally, the Kadesh inscriptions ensure it is probably the best documented battle in ancient history.
After reaching its peak under Thutmose III, the Egyptian Empire began to lose territory. Towards the end of the 14th century BC, Egypt was losing territory to Mitanni which is located in modern day Syria. While Rameses I and Seti I managed to take back territory in Canaan and Syria, it seems as if the Hittites wrestled back control by the time Rameses II became Pharaoh.
By this time, Amurru had defected to Egypt and the Hittites wanted this territory back. This led to the Battle of Kadesh which happened in the fifth year of Rameses’ reign. He had approximately 20,000 men compared to the Hittite force which numbered anywhere from 23,000-50,000 men depending on the source you believe. Regardless, Rameses was outnumbered by his enemy and the battle didn’t start too promisingly.
Rameses made the mistake of believing that the Hittites were near Haleb; in actual fact, his enemy was hiding near Kadesh which was some 200 kilometers away from where the Egyptians thought they were. Rameses thought he could quickly take Kadesh without opposition so marched towards the city. His four divisions became scattered as they approached Kadesh; the Hittites quickly seized the initiative and launched a huge chariot attack and destroyed one of the Egyptian divisions.
They moved onto a second Egyptian division and had similar success. Then the Hittites made a fatal error; instead of continuing the onslaught, they began looting the bodies of their dead enemies. This gave Rameses crucial time to regroup and the two remaining divisions came together and launched a decisive attack which destroyed all but a small number of the Hittite chariot division. The battle continued the next day and both sides suffered huge losses.
While Rameses claimed a great victory upon his return to Egypt; historians now suggest the Battle of Kadesh was probably a draw. However, it could be classified as a ‘victory’ for the Egyptians in the sense that they halted Hittite incursions into their territory. Certainly, the battle paved the way for successful Egyptian military campaigns. Within four years, Rameses managed to capture Tunip and Dapur although these successes didn’t last very long. After years of constant war where no side could make a significant breakthrough; Rameses eventually signed a peace treaty with the Hittites some 17 years after Kadesh.