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# Treaty of Kadesh

# 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.

## Key Facts
- Date: ~1259 BCE
- Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)
- Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE)
- Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform

## 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]

## 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

---
[^1]: Beckman, G. *Hittite Diplomatic Texts* (1999)
[^2]: Bryce, T. *Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East* (2003)
---

## Review Queue

<!-- factbase:review -->
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Date: ~1259 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. ~1259 BCE. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Mutual non-aggression pact" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Defensive alliance against third-party attacks" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Mutual recognition of borders in Syria [^1]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Earliest surviving international peace treaty" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [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?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Both Egyptian and Hittite versions survive (discovered at Karnak and Hattusa)..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [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.