Battle of Kadesh 1275 BCE

Pitted against one another near Kadesh in Syria were the dominant imperial powers in the Middle East of the time, the Egyptians and Hittites. Having deceived their foes with false intelligence, the Hittites were able to launch a devastating surprise attack, their heavy chariots scattering the Amun and Re corps on the Egyptian right flank. Assuming victory was theirs, the Hittites set to plundering the Egyptian camp, allowing Pharaoh Ramesses to mobilize his forces and mount a series of counterattacks. Mutawalli, the Hittite king, then plunged the rest of his forces into the battle, once more closing on the Egyptian camp before being counterattacked by the Ne’arin and Ptah corps, and forced to retreat across the Orontes River. Egyptian propaganda claimed victory, the outcome was closer to a draw. Neither side gained decisive advantage, and, eventually, after years of evenly matched clashes, the two empires forged a non-aggression pact.