The Battle of Kadesh occurred around 1300 BC (or 1275 BC depending upon which archeological records are cited). It is probably one of the greatest chariot battles ever to have occurred in the ancient Near East. It was the cumulating of several decades of power struggles between the Hittite and Egyptian empires for control of the northern Syria. Besides being rich in material wealth, vital trade routes crisscrossed the area (which made it a tempting target in Bronze Age "geopolitics"). Before I talk about the actual battle, several things probably need to be pointed out. When talking about Bronze Age "empires", it's better to think of a feudal empire or heroic kingdom. The Hittite Empire is a classic example of this, where the Hatti heartland controlled the neighbokng kingdoms of Mitanni, Hurrian, and central Anatolia through treaty and vassalage. The vassal kingdoms sent tithes of grain and silver to their overlords during times of peace, while providing men and supplies in time of war. The Hittites provided protection against enemies in times of war, in exchange for their vassals' allegiance. This vassal-overlord relationship formed the core of most ancient Bronze Age "empires", such as the Mycenaean Greeks or Minoans. However, New Kingdom Egypt was more like a nation-state than a BronzeAge empire, due to its relative isolation and long uninterrupted history along the Nile. The Pharaohs of the XVIII, XIX, and XX dynasties had inherited an empire when the Hyksos invaders were finally expelled from Egypt in 1550 BC. The Egyptians ruled their Levant provinces through proxies and resisted the impulse to permanently garrison Egyptian troops in the area. The Hatti took advantage of this fact and moved in to consolidate their hold on their southern border as Egyptian languished in internal religious crisis during the 14th century BC. Bronze Age armies were small by modern standards. The Egyptians had a total of 2,000 chariots and 20,000 men divided among four corps. Due to the fact that donkey-laden supplies could only move at a snail's pace, an Egyptian army corps could advance about 10-15 miles a day. In fact, it took Rameses' army an entire month to reach Kadesh. The Egyptians were also dependent on their vassals for food and fodder as they traveled through Canaan. The preferred weapon of the Egyptian army was the compound bow and heavy bronze arrow, which had an effective combat range of 150 meters. Both infantry and chariots were equipment with it, besides a variety of spears, axe-maces, swords, and khopesh (or bronze sickle sword). The average Egyptian infantryman had an ox hide shield and white quilted armor, while the chariot archers (or seneny) wore bronze scale mail. Though the mainstay of its army was infantry, the Egyptian light chariot was designed as a mobile weapons platform, from which a seneny could unleash arrows at a foe and then race back to the safety of their lines. Finally, the Egyptians also employed mercenaries and allies to fight beside their own forces (like Nubians, Libyans, and the Sherden Royal Guard). The Hittites assembled over 18 different vassal kingdoms and 40,000 men at Kadesh. The main Hittite weapon was their three-man battle chariots, which was designed to smash through enemy units with their long bronze spears and allow the Hittite infantry to mop up any remaining resistance. The Hittite chariot crews also wore bronze scale armor, while the rank and file infantryman had an ox hide cloak and shield. The difference in Hittite and Egyptian chariot tactics would be spelled out at Kadesh, when the Egyptian light chariots shot up the dense Hittite chariot formations that tried looting the Egyptian camp. As Egypt suffered reversals in her Caananite provinces, Ramses II came to power around 1300 BC and was intent on emulating the conquests of his ancestor, Tuthmosis III (1504-1450 BC), by furthering Egyptian ambitions in northern Syria. Using the ever-shifting ambitions of the Canaanite princes, the Hittite King Mutwatallish I declared war on Egypt. This happened when the king of Kadesh went back to into the Egyptian fold from his Hittite allegiance (the Hittites were scrupulous in their observance of laws and oaths through out their empire). An emissary came to the court of Rameses II and presented the petition of war to the Pharaoh. The place to which they'd take their case before the gods in combat at Kadesh (which was well known to both men, since they'd campaigned there previously). Rameses' army was strung out as the Egyptian vanguard reached Kadesh. They established an elaborate base camp as Egyptian scouts reported capturing two spies, who were in the pay of the Hittite king. The pair was tortured before falsely confessing that the Hatti were still some distance away. The arrogant Rameses II believed their lies and let them go. The Hittites had actually beaten the Egyptians to Kadesh and were hidden behind the city. King Mutwatallish I waited for information from his spies, who had met with Pharaoh before launching a reconnaissance mission. The following day, about 500 Hittite chariots lumbered out the Hatti camp as the second Egyptian corps (or P'Re) of 5,000 marched up to Kadesh. The Hittite chariots ran across the snaking column and threw entire force into a panic. P'Re routed to Rameses' base camp as the Egyptian light chariots raced to bring Pharaoh news of the disaster. Accounts at this point show Rameses donning his scale armor and single handedly leading an Egyptian chariot force to meet the Hittites, who had overrun part of the encampment, In order to assemble his huge force (at least by Bronze Age standards), Mutwatallish I had employed mercenaries and stripped most of his treasury bare in the process. The average Hittite soldiers forgave pay in the prospect of booty and tribute from the field. Hittite chariots were milling about the Egyptian camp looting everything as Rameses' chariots entered the fray. The Egyptians were able to pick off their enemies, since the lumbering Hittite chariots were crammed together. As the Hatti began to rout, the Sherden Royal Guard held them at bay until P'Re finally rallied and began mopping any enemy stragglers who unfortunate enough to left behind. The entire camp was littered with dead horses, overturned chariots, and slain Hittites (whose right hands were severed as a way to keep track of enemy dead), As Mutwatallish I saw his routing forces being mauled by the Egyptians, 500, chariots from another Egyptian corps (or Ne'arin) were racing from the south to come to Pharaoh's aid. The Hittite king gambled to save his remaining forces by leading an assault across the Orontes River to meet the newcomers. The Hatti attack succeeded in foiling the Egyptians, though at a heavy price (since most of the dead were many of Mutwatallish I's own royal entourage and vassals). The Hittites were then able to salvage the day and retreat back across the river to Kadesh. Rameses II elected not to follow up the fleeing enemy and took his vengeance out the troops of P'Re, who had routed before the Hittites. Egyptian soldiers were rounded up and executed in broad view of the Hittites as a lesson to them and Pharaoh's own men. Rameses II was forced to withdraw from Canaan due to his losses and faced rebellions in various cities after Kadesh. The Hittites didn't fare much better as their Assyrian neighbors began to flex their muscles. The Hatti and Egyptians finally signed a treaty which formally recognized their respective borders, which insured to maintain peace and prosperity in the Near East until the Hatti Kingdom finally collapsed in 1190 BC due to the invading "Sea Peoples" (or Philistines). I hope this has sparked your interested in ancient military history. I'm set to do some Biblical wargaming between Mycenaean Greek, Trojan, Hittite, and Egyptian armies that I've assembled for Warhammer Ancient Battles. Back to Dispatch July 2001 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by HMGS Mid-South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com