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Lecture 6

Chariots and Kadesh

HIST 332

Spring 2012

The Development of the Chariot

pulled by wild asses (onagers)

wooded wheels rimmed with copper
top speed = 5 miles/hour
yoked to a central shaft (turning difficult)
no bit for onagers
usually armed with javelins and axes

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Egyptian Chariot

lighter for Egyptian sand

and faster
D shape of lighter wood
central yoke and axle
moved to the rear

belly-bar and leg straps

greater tensile strength

only 2 people: driver and

archer
special quiver for archer

Hittite Chariot

Heavier than other chariots

single text noting 80 chariots in a single battle
Middle Kingdom

training manual for charioteers found

Most important arm of military by Early
Empire under Suppiluliumas (~1375)

Chariot Comparison

Egyptian
light D shape of wood
arm of decision infantry
shock troops for infantry
two-man crew
driver carried a shield
archer w/composite bow

quivers w/3 ft. long hurling

javelins
used as firing platform

Hittite
Heavy construction
arm of decision chariot
closed on enemy infantry
three-man crew
driver
shield bearer
spearman used 6 foot spear
as a lance and heavily
armored

used as mounted heavy

infantry

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1270 BCE

Battle of Kadesh (1274)

Egyptian Side
Ramses II
4 Divisions (5,000 each)

Amun (Ramesses)
Re
Ptah
Set

Hatusili

Hittite Side
(Muwatalli II)

Amassed a vast army in

Syria
3500 chariotry
37,000 infantry
Hittite regulars
vassal states
mercenaries

Egyptian Name
t
Nhrn
Irw
Pds
Drdny

Location
atti (central Anatolia)
Nahrin = Mitanni
Arzawa (western Anatolia)
Pitassa (central Anatolia)
Dardania (Trojans,[northwest Anatolia)

Ms
Krk
Krkm
Qd
'kr
Kk
Lk
Qwdn

Masa (Mysia, northwest Anatolia)

Karkisa (Anatolia)
Carchemish in Syria
Kadesh (in Syria)
Ugarit (in north Syria)
Kaska (northern Anatolia)
Lukka lands (Lycia and Caria, southwest Anatolia)
Kizzuwatna (Cilicia)
alba (Aleppo, in Syria. Led by its king, Talmi-Sarruma,
grandson of Suppiluliuma I.)

lb

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Battle of Kadesh:
Military Field Intel
As Amun Division is setting up camp:
2 Bedouins were caught by Egyptian forces and
swore their loyalty to Ramesses.
They claimed the Hittite army was still North of
Aleppo
They were however spies sent by Muwatalli to deceive
the Egyptians

Two real scouts were caught

Under torture they revealed the true location of the
Hittites

CP 5.12
Then, as his majesty sat upon a throne of gold,
there arrived a scout who was in the following
of his majesty, and he brought two scouts of the
vanquished chief of Kheta. They were
conducted into the presence, and his majesty
said to them: "What are ye?" They said: "As for
us, the vanquished chief of the Kheta has
caused that we should come to spy out where
his majesty is." Said his majesty to them: "He!
Where is he, the vanquished chief of Kheta?
Behold, I have heard, saying: 'He is in the land of
Halap (Aleppo),'"

Said they: "See, the vanquished chief of Kheta is

stationed, together with many countries,
which he has brought with him by force, being
every country which is in the districts of the
land of Kheta, the land of Naharin, and all
Kode. They are equipped with infantry and
chariotry, bearing their weapons; more
numerous are they than the sand of the shore.
See, they are standing, drawn up for battle,
behind Kadesh the Deceitful."

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Phase I
Hittites hide and wait
The Hittite army hide behind
the tell of Kadesh, but Ramses
believed false rumors that his
enemy was still near Halap.
After beating what he thought
was the truth out of two
captured Hittites, he held a
council of war and the vizier in
a chariot and a rider on
horseback were dispatched
south to hasten the progress
of the Re and Ptah divisions.

Phase II
Surprise Chariot Smash
While the Amun division
was setting up camp, 2500
Hittite chariots attacked
the marching Re division in
two waves.
The other two Egyptian
divisions were still on the
far side of the river
Orontes (Arnath) near the
town of Sabtuna.

Phase III
Tightening the noose
Hittite chariot shatter Re
division and tighten
their circle on Ramesses
Ramesses stands his
ground and mounts a
brave counter attack
Ptah and Set dash
across river to save
Pharaoh

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Phase VI
Hittites get greedy
Total rout of Egyptian forces
seemed inevitable
The Hittites disperse the Amun
division and began pillaging the
Egyptian camp
Muwatalli sent an additional
1000 chariots led by the kings of
Aleppo and Carchemish, two of
his own brothers and many
allied princes
keeps most of his infantry to
himself on the far side of the
river.

Kadesh: Phase V
The Pharaoh, fighting among his
body guard with his back to the
river, looked lost.
A force referred to as Nearin
arrived, surprising the pilfering
Hittites, and drove them out of
the camp.
1.
2.

Footsoldiers dropped off at the

port city on the Med. coast
Recruits coming from Amurru

Ptah Division arrives

Ramesses reorganized his forces
and the Hittites escape being
surrounded by the Egyptians by
retreating towards Kadesh.

Stalemate at Kadesh
Ramesses finally retreats
Ramesses receives a message from Muwatalli and
decides to retreat
According to the Egyptians, the "wretched,
vanquished chief of Hatti" pleaded with the
Pharaoh
The land of Kemi, the land of Hatti, are at your
service. They are under your feet. Re, your exalted
father, gave them to you so you would rule us. Is
it good, that you should kill your servants?

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Egyptian Account of the Battle

Ramesses claims to have won
Muwatalli represents it as a victory for Hittites
Reality: stalemate, but Hittites forced to pull
back

Battle of Kadesh
South wall of the Hypostyle Hall Karnak Temple

Kadesh Poem
dialogue between royal shield bearer and Ramses II

We stand alone in the midst of battle, abandoned

by soldiers and chariotry....His Majesty said to his
shield-bearer: Stand firm, steady your heart
shield-bearer! I will chase them as a falcon
pounces, I will slaughter, butcher, fling to the
ground. Why do you fear these weaklings whose
multitudes I disregard? His Majesty then rushed
forward. At a gallop he charged the midst of the
foe. For his sixth time he charged them. I was
after them like Baal in his moment of power, I
slew them without pause.

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The Poem of Pentaur

No officer was with me, no charioteer, no soldier of the army, no
shield-bearer ...
not one of my princes, of my chief men and my great, was with
me, not a captain, not a knight;
For my warriors and chariots had left me to my fate,
Not one was there to take his part in fight.
........
Here I stand, all alone;
There is no one at my side,
My warriors and chariots afeared,
Have deserted me, none heard
My voice, when to the cravens I, their king, for succor, cried.
But I find that Ammon's grace
Is better far to me
Than a million fighting men and ten thousand chariots be .

Egyptian Dispatch of Kadesh

(From the "Bulletin") "Year 5, 3rd month of the
third season, day 9, under the majesty of
(Ramesses II)...The lord proceeded northward,
and his majesty arrived at a vicinity south of
the town of Shabtuna.

The peace treaty was recorded in two versions

Egyptian hieroglyphs
Akkadian, using cuneiform script;
fortunately, both versions survive.
Such dual-language recording is common to many
subsequent treaties. This treaty differs from others,
however, in that the two language versions are
differently worded.
Although the majority of the text is identical, the
Hittite version claims that the Egyptians came suing
for peace, while the Egyptian version claims the
reverse.
The treaty was given to the Egyptians in the form of a
silver plaque, and this "pocket-book" version was
taken back to Egypt and carved into the Temple of
Karnak.
Treaty of Kadesh,
Istanbul Archaeology Museum

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5. But now Reamasesa-mai-Amana, the great king, the king of

the country of Egypt, has established this bond by treaty on
a silver tablet with Hattusili, the great king, the king of the
country of Hatti, his brother, starting from this day, to settle
forever among them a good peace and a good fraternity.
6. He is a brother to me and he is at peace with me; and I am
a brother to him and I am forever at peace with him.
7. Look, we are united and a bond of fraternity already exists
among us and of peace, and it is better than the bond of
fraternity and of peace that existed between the country of
Egypt and the country of Hatti.

Hittite king is depicted as

god (wearing a pointed
hat) and warrior (as he is
wearing a short skirt and
weapons)
The relief is part of the
Hieroglyph Chamber in
Hattusha, Turkey.

Relief of Suppiluliuma II,

Late Empire (1267-1209)

Hittite kings seek divine protection

Tudhaliya IV at
Yazalikiya

Tudhaliya IVs seal

found at Ugarit

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Hittite Empire evaporates

After the son of Tudhaliya IV ascends to the
throne, the king lists stop
mention of a rebellion in CHT
war with Ahhiyawan and city of Milawanda

Numerous theories as to why Hittites disappear

from historical and archaeological record
What happened to the Hittites ????

Invasions/Migrations
1200-1000 BCE
Ammorites

Collapse of the Bronze Age

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