126 lines
6.1 KiB
Markdown
126 lines
6.1 KiB
Markdown
<!-- factbase:07edd5 -->
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# Treaty of Kadesh
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## Overview
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The Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE) between Egypt and the Hittite Empire is the earliest known surviving international peace treaty. Also known as the Eternal Treaty or Silver 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. @t[~1259 BCE]
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## Key Facts
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- Date: ~1259 BCE (some scholars cite 1258 BCE) @t[~1259 BCE]
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- Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)
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- Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE), approximately 15 years later @t[~1274 BCE]
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- Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform
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- Original medium: Silver tablets (now lost); surviving versions are copies
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## Terms
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- Mutual non-aggression pact
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- Defensive alliance against third-party attacks
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- Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)
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- Mutual recognition of borders in Syria [^1]
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- Divine witnesses invoked; violations threatened with divine punishment [^3]
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## Physical Record
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- Egyptian version: Inscribed on temple walls at Karnak and the Ramesseum (Thebes)
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- 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]
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- Both versions are translations of the original silver tablets exchanged between the parties
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## Significance
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- Earliest known surviving peace treaty for which both parties' versions survive; an earlier diplomatic treaty between Ebla and Abarsal (~2350 BCE) predates it but is not classified as a peace treaty [^4]
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- A copy hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of diplomacy
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- Both Egyptian and Hittite versions survive (discovered at Karnak and Hattusa) [^2]
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- Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage: Maathorneferure, daughter of Hattusili III, married Ramesses II in his Year 34 (~1246 BCE) @t[~1246 BCE] [^4]
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- Ushered in a prolonged period of peace and cooperation, allowing Ramesses II to focus on monumental building projects [^3]
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---
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[^1]: Beckman, G. *Hittite Diplomatic Texts* (1999)
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[^2]: Bryce, T. *Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East* (2003)
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[^3]: Wikipedia, "Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian%E2%80%93Hittite_peace_treaty
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[^4]: World History Encyclopedia, "The Battle of Kadesh & the First Peace Treaty", https://www.worldhistory.org/article/78/the-battle-of-kadesh--the-first-peace-treaty/
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---
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## Review Queue
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 9: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Original medium: Silver tablets (now lost); surviving versions are copies" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Egyptian version: Inscribed on temple walls at Karnak and the Ramesseum (Thebes)" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 18: "Mutual recognition of borders in Syria [^1]" - Beckman source from 1999 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
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