Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Kadesh Reliefs: The First Propaganda War
Transcript
- Lucas: So today I want to talk about something that is all over the walls of the Ramesseum and Karnak, and it's the battle reliefs of Kadesh. But here's the thing — these are not neutral historical records. They are full-on propaganda. Luna: Right, because we've talked about how Ramses used scarabs and obelisks for messaging, but the reliefs are different. They're huge. Lucas: Exactly. The reliefs cover entire walls — they're public, monumental, and they tell a very specific story. And the story is that Ramses single-handedly saved Egypt against overwhelming odds. But if you compare the Egyptian account to the Hittite sources, or even just look at the details, it's clear that the battle was at best a draw. Lucas: The battle itself happened in year five of his reign, around 1274 BCE, near the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River. Ramses led four divisions: Amun, Ra, Ptah, and Seth. He thought the Hittite army was still far away, but actually Muwatalli II, the Hittite king, had hidden his forces behind the city. Luna: So he walked into a trap. Lucas: He did. The Hittites ambushed the Ra division and scattered it. The Egyptian camp was overrun. Ramses was cut off with only his personal guard. In the reliefs, though, you see him alone in his chariot, shooting arrows, charging into the enemy. The hieroglyphic captions — the ones the Egyptians call sS n qd, 'writing of drawing' — say he was like Montu, the god of war. Lucas: But the reliefs also show the Amun division arriving in time to rescue him, and then the Ptah division showing up later. So the story is carefully framed: Ramses's personal courage, then divine favor through the army's arrival. The Hittites are shown fleeing, drowning in the Orontes. And there's this famous scene of Ramses capturing Hittite spies. Luna: Oh, the spy scene — that's the one where he's interrogating two guys who give away the Hittite position? Lucas: Exactly. The reliefs show two Hittite spies being beaten with sticks, and they confess that the Hittite army is nearby. But this is almost certainly invented. The real intelligence failure was on the Egyptian side. Ramses himself says in the Poem of Pentaur — that's the literary version of the battle — that he was misled by his scouts. But in the reliefs, it's the enemies who are deceitful. Luna: So he's shifting the blame. Lucas: Exactly. And the reliefs are not just images — they're accompanied by long hieroglyphic texts called the Bulletin and the Poem. They repeat key phrases: 'His majesty killed the entire force of the fallen ones of Hatti.' Over and over. The message is that Ramses was victorious because he was favored by Amun-Re. And that's the point: to show that Userrenput-aanehktu, Ramses's throne name meaning 'Strong in right, beloved of Amun,' was literally true. Lucas: But we know from the Hittite archives at Hattusa that Muwatalli considered it a Hittite victory. And later, the Kadesh Treaty — the one we covered earlier — is a mutual non-aggression pact, not a surrender. So the reliefs are a masterclass in spin. Luna: It's fascinating that they put so much effort into this. I mean, these reliefs were carved in stone for eternity. Lucas: And not just in one place — they appear at the Ramesseum, at Karnak, at Abu Simbel, even at temples in Nubia. Ramses wanted everyone in Kemet and beyond to see his version. And it worked. For centuries, people believed Kadesh was a great Egyptian victory. It's only with modern archaeology and translation of Hittite sources that we got the other side. Luna: Speaking of keeping these stories alive, it reminds me how important it is that shows like ours can keep digging into this stuff. You know, if listeners want to support that work, they can do it at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Keeps things ad-free and lets us do deep dives like this. Lucas: Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of deep dives — one detail I love in the reliefs is the depiction of the Hittite city of Kadesh itself. It's shown as a fortified island in the river, with towers and battlements. The Egyptian army is shown crossing a bridge of boats to attack it. That part might be real — the Hittites did retreat behind the walls. Luna: So the reliefs mix real geography with invented heroics? Lucas: Exactly. They include authentic elements — the chariots, the weapons, the terrain — but the narrative arc is pure propaganda. For example, Ramses is shown as a giant among smaller enemies, which is a standard artistic convention. But the text says he killed 'hundreds of charioteers' on his own. That's hyperbole. Lucas: Another thing: the reliefs show Egyptian soldiers looting the Hittite camp and taking prisoners. That probably did happen after the Hittites withdrew. So the victory claim has a grain of truth: Ramses survived, regrouped, and the Hittites didn't destroy his army. But it was not the decisive triumph he claimed. Luna: It seems like the reliefs are more about justifying his rule than recording history. Lucas: Exactly. And they set a template. After Kadesh, Ramses built more temples and carved more battle scenes, even for smaller conflicts. The Dapur reliefs we talked about are similar. He created a brand of invincibility that lasted his entire 66-year reign. And the reliefs are why — they're visual, they're everywhere, and they're tied to religious imagery. Lucas: There's even a scene where the god Amun-Re hands a sword to Ramses on the battlefield. So it's not just his own strength — it's divine mandate. That's the ultimate propaganda: the pharaoh wins because the gods will it. Luna: So if someone visits the Ramesseum today, what should they look for? Lucas: The main wall on the north side of the first court. It's the longest and best-preserved. You'll see the Egyptian camp, the Hittite spies being beaten, Ramses in his chariot, and the Hittite prince of Aleppo drowning. The captions are in hieroglyphs, but even just the scenes tell the story. And you can see the cracks — literally, because the stone was reused later, but the carvings are still sharp. Luna: I'll have to add that to my list. So the reliefs worked for centuries, but now we see them differently. Lucas: Right. And that's the value of looking at ancient sources critically. They're not just art — they're arguments. And Ramses was one of the best at making his argument last.