Mind-Benders of Ancient Egyptian History
The battle that produced the oldest surviving peace treaty
Around 1274 BCE Ramesses II fought the Hittite empire at Kadesh in Syria in one of the largest chariot battles ever recorded. Roughly fifteen years later the two powers put their conflict to rest with a formal agreement (c. 1259 BCE), the oldest surviving known peace treaty in the world, preserved in both an Egyptian and a Hittite version.
How we know
Battle of Kadesh c. 1274 BCE (Ramesses II vs. Hittites under Muwatalli II); Egyptian-Hittite "Eternal Treaty" c. 1259 BCE (Ramesses II and Ḫattušili III) — oldest surviving peace treaty, with both Egyptian and Hittite copies extant; ~15-year gap. Conventional (Shaw) chronology; Ramesses II reign began c. 1279 BCE.
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.