Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses and the Hittite Peace Treaty
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the warrior, Ramses the builder, but today I want to look at Ramses the diplomat. Because after all the hype of Kadesh — which, as we know, wasn't really a clear win — something remarkable happened: the world's first recorded peace treaty. Luna: Wait, the very first peace treaty in history? Lucas: That we have surviving evidence of, yes. It was between Ramses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III, signed about fifteen years after Kadesh. And it wasn't just a ceasefire — it was a full-blown mutual defense pact, with extradition clauses, trade agreements, and even a marriage alliance. It's so sophisticated that some historians call it a model for modern treaties. Lucas: The treaty survives in two versions: one in Egyptian hieroglyphs, carved on the walls of the Ramesseum and Karnak, and another in Akkadian cuneiform on clay tablets, found in the Hittite capital Hattusa, in what is now Turkey. The Egyptian version is about 40 lines long; the Hittite one is longer. Luna: So both sides kept a copy? That's really forward-thinking. Lucas: Exactly. And the wording is fascinating. The Egyptian version says that the treaty was initiated by Hattusili III, who sent envoys to Per-Ramesses with a silver tablet — a physical tablet made of silver, which was a big deal. The Hittite version, on the other hand, claims Ramses asked for peace first. So there's a bit of diplomatic spin on both sides. Lucas: But the core is the same: eternal peace between the two great powers, no more hostilities, and a promise that if either empire is attacked by a third party, the other will come to its aid. They also agreed to extradite political refugees — but not punish them harshly. Luna: That sounds almost like a modern alliance. Who were the third parties they were worried about? Lucas: Good question. For Egypt, it was probably the Libyans and the Sea Peoples, who were becoming a growing threat. For the Hittites, it might have been the Assyrians, who were expanding westward. So both sides had something to gain from a stable border. Lucas: The treaty also includes a clause about the gods: both sides call on their deities as witnesses — for Egypt, Amun, Ra, Ptah, and others; for the Hittites, the storm god Teshub and the sun goddess Arinna. And they invoke curses on anyone who breaks the treaty, and blessings on those who keep it. Luna: So it's a legal document, but also a religious one. That must have made it very serious. Lucas: Absolutely. And the treaty was sealed with a marriage: Ramses married a Hittite princess, the daughter of Hattusili and his queen Puduhepa. We've talked about her before — Puduhepa was an incredibly influential figure, a priestess and diplomat in her own right. She was deeply involved in the negotiations. Lucas: The Hittite princess took the Egyptian name Maathorneferure, which means 'one who sees Horus, the invisible splendor of Ra'. She was given a grand procession to Egypt, and Ramses even had a stele carved celebrating the event. But interestingly, we don't know much about her life in Egypt afterward — she seems to have faded from the records. Luna: Did the treaty actually hold? I mean, did it prevent war between Egypt and the Hittites? Lucas: For the most part, yes. There were no major conflicts between them after the treaty. It held for the rest of Ramses's reign and beyond. The Hittite Empire collapsed around 1180 BC, during the Bronze Age collapse, but by then the treaty was already a legacy. Lucas: The treaty also had economic benefits. Trade routes reopened, and there's evidence of diplomatic correspondence between the two courts — letters discussing gifts, shipments of grain, even requests for physicians. It was a genuine relationship, not just a piece of paper. Luna: So Ramses gets credit for being a great builder and warrior, but this treaty shows he was also a shrewd diplomat. Lucas: Exactly. It's easy to get caught up in the propaganda of Kadesh, but the treaty reveals a pragmatic leader who knew when to stop fighting and make peace. And it's a reminder that diplomacy in the ancient world could be just as complex as it is today. Lucas: In fact, a copy of this treaty is displayed at the United Nations headquarters in New York, as an early example of international diplomacy. So in a way, Ramses and Hattusili still have a hand in peacemaking. Luna: That's incredible. I had no idea the UN had a copy of an Egyptian-Hittite treaty. Lucas: It's a powerful symbol. So when we think of Ramses the Great, we should remember not just the colossal statues and the temples, but also this silver tablet — a testament to the idea that peace can be as enduring as stone. Lucas: And that leaves us with a question: if this treaty was so groundbreaking, why don't we talk about it more? Maybe because it doesn't fit the image of the warrior pharaoh. But it's arguably his most lasting achievement. Luna: I think that's a great point. Thanks for bringing it up. Lucas: You're welcome. And that's all for today. Until next time.