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factbase-ancient-history/treaties/treaty-of-kadesh.md
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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


Review Queue

  • @q[temporal] Line 10: "Date: ~1259 BCE" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 12: "Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE)" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 13: "Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 16: "Mutual non-aggression pact" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 17: "Defensive alliance against third-party attacks" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 18: "Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 19: "Mutual recognition of borders in Syria 1 " - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 22: "Earliest surviving international peace treaty" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 23: "A copy hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of di..." - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 24: "Both Egyptian and Hittite versions survive (discovered at Karnak and Hattusa)..." - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - when was this true?

  • @q[missing] Line 10: "Date: ~1259 BCE" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 12: "Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE)" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 13: "Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 16: "Mutual non-aggression pact" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 17: "Defensive alliance against third-party attacks" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 18: "Extradition of political refugees (with humane treatment clause)" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 22: "Earliest surviving international peace treaty" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 23: "A copy hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of di..." - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - what is the source?

  • @q[ambiguous] Line 11: "Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)" - what does "II" mean in this context?

  • @q[ambiguous] Line 25: "Later sealed by a diplomatic marriage between Ramesses II and a Hittite princess" - what does "II" mean in this context?

  • @q[stale] Line 19: "Mutual recognition of borders in Syria 1 " - Beckman source from 1999 may be outdated, is this still accurate?

  • @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?


  1. Beckman, G. Hittite Diplomatic Texts (1999) ↩︎

  2. Bryce, T. Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East (2003) ↩︎