Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Diplomacy with the Hatti
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the warrior, the builder, the propagandist. But today I want to talk about something that might be his most surprising achievement: peace. Luna: Peace? That doesn't sound very Ramses. Lucas: I know, right? But think about it: after the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BCE, Ramses spent years locked in a cold war with the Hittite Empire. Both sides were exhausted, bleeding resources, and facing new threats. So in his 21st year as pharaoh, Ramses did something unprecedented: he negotiated a formal peace treaty with his Hittite counterpart, Hattusili III. This wasn't just any treaty—it was the first recorded peace treaty in world history. Luna: Wait, the first ever? What about earlier agreements? Lucas: There were earlier agreements between city-states, but this was a full-fledged, bilateral, written treaty between two great powers. And we actually have both versions: the Egyptian copy carved into the walls of Karnak and the Ramesseum, and the Hittite version on a clay tablet found at Hattusa. The treaty was inscribed on a silver tablet that was exchanged between the two courts. The Egyptians called it the 'Silver Tablet of the Great King.' Luna: A silver tablet—that's a lot of bling for a peace deal. Lucas: Exactly. But the content is what's really fascinating. The treaty established eternal peace and brotherhood between the two kings. It included a mutual defense clause: if either empire was attacked by a foreign enemy, the other would come to their aid. There was also an extradition agreement for political refugees—if someone fled from one kingdom to the other, they had to be returned. And it even had provisions for the protection of royal tombs. Luna: That sounds almost modern. Like a mutual defense treaty. Lucas: It really does. And the extradition clause was particularly important because Ramses had been harboring a Hittite prince named Urhi-Teshub, who was a rival to Hattusili. The treaty essentially forced Ramses to stop supporting him. In return, Hattusili recognized Ramses as his equal and promised never to invade Egypt again. Luna: So what made Hattusili agree to this? Was he just tired of fighting? Lucas: Partly, but there was a bigger geopolitical shift happening. The Assyrian Empire was rising in the east, and both Egypt and Hatti saw them as a common threat. Hattusili had also just come to power after a civil war with his nephew, and he needed legitimacy. A peace treaty with the most famous pharaoh in the world gave him that. Plus, there was another factor: the Hittite queen, Puduhepa. Luna: Puduhepa—we've mentioned her before. She was the queen who corresponded with Ramses. Lucas: Yes, and she was a major force behind this treaty. We have letters from her to Ramses, where she negotiates the terms and even demands that Ramses marry her daughter to seal the alliance. That's how we get Maathorneferure, the Hittite princess who became one of Ramses's wives. Puduhepa was a brilliant diplomat, and she made sure the treaty favored Hatti as much as Egypt. Luna: So the marriage was part of the treaty? Smart way to cement it. Lucas: Absolutely. And Ramses celebrated it with typical flair. He had a stela carved at Abu Simbel proclaiming the marriage as a great triumph. But the treaty itself was remarkably balanced. Both sides swore oaths before their gods: the Hittites swore by Tarhunt, the storm god, and the sun goddess Arinna; the Egyptians swore by Amun and Ra. And the treaty was written in both Egyptian and Akkadian, the diplomatic language of the time. Luna: It's amazing that we have both versions. How do they compare? Lucas: They're almost identical, with a few interesting differences. The Egyptian version emphasizes Ramses's role as the one who initiated peace, while the Hittite version presents Hattusili as the primary mover. But the core terms are the same. And the treaty explicitly stated that it would last forever—which, of course, it didn't. But it did hold for the rest of Ramses's reign and beyond. Luna: So no more wars between Egypt and Hatti after this? Lucas: Not directly. The two empires remained at peace for decades. In fact, after Ramses's death, his son Merneptah sent grain to the Hittites during a famine. But the Hittite Empire collapsed around 1180 BCE during the Bronze Age Collapse, so the treaty became moot. Still, its legacy is enormous. This treaty influenced later diplomacy, including Greek and Roman treaties. And in 1970, the United Nations actually displayed a copy of it as a precursor to modern peace agreements. Luna: That's incredible. So Ramses the Great wasn't just a warrior—he was a peacemaker too. Lucas: He was a pragmatist. When war served his purpose, he used it. But when peace served him better, he pursued it with just as much energy. And the treaty with Hattusili shows that he was willing to treat a foreign king as an equal—something that didn't come naturally to a man who called himself 'Lord of the Two Lands.' Luna: Did the treaty actually prevent any specific conflicts? Lucas: We know of at least one incident. A few years after the treaty, there was a border skirmish in the region of Nuhashshe, near modern Syria. Both sides quickly de-escalated because they were bound by the treaty. They referred the matter to arbitration. That's remarkable—they had a mechanism for resolving disputes peacefully. Luna: So it wasn't just a piece of paper—it actually worked. Lucas: For a time, yes. And it set a precedent. When Ramses later married the Hittite princess, the treaty was reinforced. The marriage was a huge event—Ramses even had a special stela carved celebrating it, where he claimed the gods themselves ordained the union. He called the princess 'Maathorneferure,' meaning 'One who sees Horus, the invisible.' The Hittites called her by her original name, but we don't know what it was. Luna: It's strange to think of a pharaoh having a foreign queen. Was she treated well? Lucas: As far as we know, yes. She was given a prominent place in the royal household. We have a record of her being given the title 'Chief Royal Wife,' which put her on par with Nefertari and Isetnofret. But we don't know much about her personal life. She may have had children, but none that we can identify. Still, her presence at court was a living symbol of the peace. Luna: So the treaty and the marriage—was this Ramses's greatest diplomatic achievement? Lucas: I'd say so. It showed that he could think beyond military conquest. And it's a reminder that history isn't just about battles—it's about the moments when leaders choose peace. That silver tablet, with its carefully chosen words, represents a turning point in ancient international relations. Luna: And we can still read those words today. That's pretty remarkable. Lucas: It is. And it's a good place to leave it. Next time, we'll look at something completely different—maybe Ramses's impact on art and architecture, or the fate of his children after his death. But for now, it's worth remembering that Ramses the Great was also Ramses the Diplomat.