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# Treaty of Kadesh

## Overview
The Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE) between Egypt and the Hittite Empire is the earliest known international peace treaty. It ended decades of conflict between the two great Bronze Age powers. The name "Treaty of Kadesh" is informal — the treaty text itself does not mention the Battle of Kadesh.

## Key Facts
- Date: ~1259 BCE (some scholars cite 1258 BCE)
- Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)
- Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE), approximately 15 years later
- Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform
- Original medium: Silver tablets (now lost); surviving versions are copies

## Terms
- Mutual non-aggression pact
- Defensive alliance against third-party attacks
- Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)
- Mutual recognition of borders in Syria [^1]
- Divine witnesses invoked; violations threatened with divine punishment [^3]

## Physical Record
- Egyptian version: Inscribed on temple walls at Karnak and the Ramesseum (Thebes)
- Hittite version: Cuneiform clay tablets discovered at Hattusa in 1906 by German archaeologist Hugo Winckler; two tablets now held at the Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul [^3]
- Both versions are translations of the original silver tablets exchanged between the parties

## Significance
- Earliest surviving international peace treaty
- A copy hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of diplomacy
- Both Egyptian and Hittite versions survive (discovered at Karnak and Hattusa) [^2]
- Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess
- Ushered in a prolonged period of peace and cooperation, allowing Ramesses II to focus on monumental building projects [^3]

---
[^1]: Beckman, G. *Hittite Diplomatic Texts* (1999)
[^2]: Bryce, T. *Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East* (2003)
[^3]: Wikipedia, "Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian%E2%80%93Hittite_peace_treaty

## Review Queue

<!-- factbase:review -->
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Date: ~1259 BCE" - when was this true?
> 1259 BCE event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE)" - when was this true?
> 1274 BCE event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Mutual non-aggression pact" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Defensive alliance against third-party attacks" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Mutual recognition of borders in Syria [^1]" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Earliest surviving international peace treaty" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "A copy hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of di..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Both Egyptian and Hittite versions survive (discovered at Karnak and Hattusa)..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Beckman (1999) [^1]; Bryce (2003) [^2]; Wikipedia [^3].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Date: ~1259 BCE" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE)" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "Mutual non-aggression pact" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Defensive alliance against third-party attacks" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Earliest surviving international peace treaty" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "A copy hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of di..." - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - what is the source?
> Beckman (1999) [^1] and Bryce (2003) [^2].
- [x] `@q[ambiguous]` Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - what does "II" mean in this context?
> Ramesses II is the regnal number — the 2nd ruler of that name. Standard historical convention.
- [x] `@q[ambiguous]` Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - what does "II" mean in this context?
> Ramesses II is the regnal number — the 2nd ruler of that name. Standard historical convention.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 19: "Mutual recognition of borders in Syria [^1]" - Beckman source from 1999 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Still accurate. Beckman (1999) remains a standard reference. The underlying historical facts are well-established.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 24: "Both Egyptian and Hittite versions survive (discovered at Karnak and Hattusa)..." - Bryce source from 2003 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Still accurate. Bryce (2003) remains a standard reference. The underlying historical facts are well-established.