Author(s):
Renger, Johannes (Berlin)
[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Ḫattusa | Aegean Koine (
Qadeš,
Kadeš). Town in central Syria, south of Ḥimṣ, modern Tall Nabī Mand, situated in a strategically important location at the junction between the Egyptian sphere of influence on the one hand and Mittanian and Hittite on the other. In the 15th cent., Thutmosis III attempted to conquer the town [2. 94-98]. In 1275 BC, it was the site of the famous battle between the Hittite ruler Muwattalli II (1290-1272 BC) and Ramesses II caused by the defection of Amurru from Ḫattusa to Egypt. The success of the Hittites in this battle put a final stop to the expansionary policy of Rameses II in Syria. In 1258, the relationship between the two great powers was ultimately regulated by a peace treaty between Ḫattusili II (previously 'III', 1265-1240) and Rameses II which is extant in a Hittite version (in Akkadian) and in an Egyptian version (TUAT 1. 143-153; [1]) (a copy of the treaty is displayed at UN headquarters in New York). The Egyptian version conveys the impression of an overwhelming victory that made Ḫattusili II request a peace treaty in a highly subservient manner. The Hittite version of the preamble to the treaty, however, indicates - together with the clauses of the treaty itself and supporting evidence from Ugaritic sources - that the treaty was made on an equal footing. Only on this basis can the later relationship between the two great empires be understood. Ultimately neither of the two was able to gain a…