Ramses II's Diplomatic Archive and the Hittite Peace

Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History · Oct 6, 2026 · 7m · transcript

While earlier episodes have explored Ramses II’s military might at Kadesh and his grand architectural legacy, this episode turns to the quiet power of diplomacy and bureaucracy. We examine the surviving correspondence between Ramses II and Hattusili III, the Hittite king who became his rival-turned-ally. These clay tablets and gold-bound letters reveal a complex web of political marriage, shared religious obligations, and mutual defense pacts that stabilized the Near East for decades. We look closely at the specific language used in these treaties, how they were translated across linguistic…