Princes on Chariots
The Sons of the King in their Chariots at the Battle of Kadesh
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II, c. 1264–1244 B.C.
Scene from Abu Simbel. Facsimile by Egyptologist Ippolito Rosellini (1800-1843), “I Monumenti dell’Egitto e della Nubia“, first published in 1832.
This facsimile of princes on chariots documents an image from within the final scene of the famous Battle of Kadesh (1274 B.C.), as depicted at Ramesses II’s Abu Simbel.
From a historical standpoint, the depiction of the battle from Ramesses P.O.V., is often considered a rather revisionist telling of the battle, with naturally, Egyptian favouritism and self grandeur unashamedly on display. Ramesses II displays a scene of magnificent triumph, however, the Hittites’ telling of the story suggests the same tale but in reverse, according to their telling of the tale, it was actually the Hittites and their king Muwatalli II who overcame all. This contradiction showcases another example of how propaganda worked in the ancient world and how for some events, you really “had to be there” to truly know the truth of the matter.
Despite the rather comical retelling by each party, in 1258 B.C., 15 years after the Battle of Kadesh, the first treaty in historical recorded was cemented;
Ramesses II, 21 years into his reign, and the then new Hittite king Hattusili III, came to an agreement of peace. The original clay tablet declaring the peace treaty was found at the site of the Hittite capital Hattusa, in modern day Turkey, and is currently on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. An enlarged copy of the peace treaty hangs at the headquarters of the United Nations.
