Information
Date: 1285 BC
Location: Kadesh (present-day Syria)
Commander of the Egyptian forces: Ramses II
Commander of the Hittite forces: Muwatalli II
Outcome: indecisive
In the Battle of Kadesh both armies deployed large numbers of horse-drawn chariots. We have no reliable records as for their precise number, but some estimates suggest that the Egyptians used 2,000 two-person, and the Hittites used 3,000 three-person chariots in the battle.
War chariots
The Clash of Chariots: the Battle of Kadesh
The importance of Kadesh, located where Syria is today, grew in the 2nd millennium BC when, due to its favourable location, became the target of conquering ambitions. At the beginning of his reign, Ramses II ventured on a military campaign against the Hittite Empire of King Muwatalli II. The pharaoh occupied several towns, but at Kadesh he found himself facing the main Hittite army. The battle that ensued became probably the largest battle in history where the chariots of two armies clashed. The outcome of the battle was not decisive, but afterwards both armies
claimed victory.
Hittite infantry
Hittite war chariots
Hittite camp
Ra division
Egyptian camp
Ramses II and
his bodyguards
Hittite Empire
Egyptian Empire
Kadesh
Orontes River
Stage 5
Worried about being encircled by the approaching Egyptian divisions,
the Hittite commander ordered his army to retreat into the camp. The battle reached a stalemate.
Kadesh
Its location, an ideal place to control trade routes
of the region, gave Kadesh an outstanding strategic importance.
Amun division
Stage 1
The Amon division, led by the pharaoh, set up camp near the fort. The Hittite commander hid his troops behind the hills surrounding the fort, misleading Ramses.
Stage 2
The Hittites launched their attack before the Egyptian commanders could assess
the situation. The Hittite chariots stormed across the middle of the Egyptian army, causing them huge losses.
Stage 3
The next target of the Hittite chariots was the Amon division. The pharaoh,
in a daring and reckless
move, charged into the thick of the Hittite army with his
few hundred men.
Stage 4
The mercenaries did not arrive
in the same route as the four divisions, so Ramses avoided falling into a trap. The tables
were turned on the Hittites: the Egyptians gained advantage and launched a counterattack.
Belligerents
Egyptian Empire
18,000 infantry
2000 chariots
Hittite Empire
20,000 infantry
3000 chariots
Early Wars
11
◄
Early Wars
10
►
