Today, let’s talk about the Battle of Kadeshi. This battle is generally considered to have occurred in 1274 BC. It is one of the first well-known battles in history with a detailed record of strategy. This is also the largest two-wheeled chariot battle in the world. Both sides of the war invested 5,000-6,000 two-wheeled chariots.
Battle of Kadeite Background of the Battle of Kadesh The Battle of Kadesh (Battle of Kadesh) is between the Kingdom of Ancient Egypt under the rule of Ramesses II and the Kingdom of West Taiwan under the rule of Muwatalli II. It is in today’s Syria. Of the Orontes River (Orontes River).
Kadeite Battle Rock Carvings According to Amarna letters, in the late eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt, the Hittite Empire, which was at its peak, continuously invaded the Kingdom of Gumitanni and seized almost the equivalent of the current Syrian region. The entire territory. Expansion of the Western Taiwan Empire Xitai people are the first countries in West Asia and even the world to invent iron smelting and use ironware. They are also the first people in the world to enter the Iron Age. According to evidence from archaeological discoveries, the production of ironware can be traced back to at least the 20th century.
One of the totems of the gods in Xitai He is quite famous in iron smelting. The king of Xitai regards iron as a patent and is not allowed to be spread outside. Even iron is as expensive as gold, and its price is 60 times that of brass. The iron weapons of Xitai once made ancient Egypt and other countries frightened. The most effective weapon of the Xitai people against the enemy is the two-wheeled chariot; on the battlefield, they drove the horse-drawn chariot in iron armor and charged into the battle. It was not until the demise of Xitai around 1180 BC that Xitai blacksmiths were scattered everywhere, and iron smelting technology was spread, and it was passed to India around 800 BC.
The Twelve Gods of the Western Taiwan Empire At the same time, because the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep IV (that is, Amenhotep IV) was quite indifferent to all political matters other than the religious reform, and he was indifferent to the aggression of the Western Taiwan Empire by the dependent countries of Canaan and Syria. As a result, the influence of ancient Egypt in Canaan and Syria also continued to weaken. The importance of Canaan is that it is a bridge to the north, on a trade route that is a port around the Mediterranean. For ancient Egypt, controlling the Canaan area can effectively curb the expansion of the Western Taiwan Empire to the south, and it can also control the trade routes from Central Asia to the Mediterranean. At the same time, the ancient Egyptians could also develop the agricultural resources of Canaan, promote the rule of ancient Egypt in the local area, and give the ancient Egyptian land a peaceful development environment. Geographical importance of ancient Canaan With the further development of the power of the Western Taiwan Empire, in order to contain its southward trend. Horemheb (Horemheb), the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, began to pay attention to Canaan and Syria, a key area, and fought against the Western Empire. The war lasted intermittently until the nineteenth dynasty, and three generations of pharaohs including Horen Heib, Ramesses I, and Seti I continued to use troops in the area.
Three generations of pharaohs fought in Canaan Especially seti I who wanted to push ancient Egypt back to the glory of the kings of Thutmose a century ago. The inscription in the Karnak Temple records his campaigns in Canaan and Syria. Seti I led 20,000 people to reoccupy the abandoned strongholds and garrison cities of ancient Egypt. It occupied the Qadesh and Amurru areas for a period of time.
Karnak Temple However, the Kadeshi and Amru areas eventually fell into the hands of the mighty Xitai Empire. The green one is Egypt during Ramses II, and the red one is the Western Taiwan Empire, around 1279 BC. The situation in 1279 BC In order to rebuild Egypt's influence in Canaan and Syria, Ramses II fought in Canaan with his father in the era of his father Seti I. In the fourth year of his rule, he went north to Syria, and in the fifth year of his rule, there was a large-scale war in the city of Kadeite and the West Taiwan Empire-the Battle of Kadeite. The comparison of the forces between the two sides is roughly as follows: Egypt : 20,000 people, including 16,000 infantry and 2,000 chariots (4,000 people) West Taiwan : 50,000 people, including 40,000 infantry and 3,700 tanks (11,000) The situation at the beginning of the war In the spring of the fifth year of Ramses II’s reign, in May 1274 BC, Ramses II sent troops from his capital Peer-Rameses (present-day Qantir) across the Egyptian border and passed a The march of the month reached the southern part of Kadesh. Ramses' march Ramses II’s army is divided into four legions: Amun (Amon Army), Re (La Army), Seth (Seth Army), and the newly formed Ptah (Putah Army). There is also an almost undocumented regiment called nrrn (Ne'arin or Nearin), which may have been left by Canaanite mercenaries, Egyptian allies, and Ramses II in Amru to protect Sumur The composition of the Hong Kong Garrison . This legion will play an important role in this battle. The presence of the Sherden regiment in the Egyptian army is also very important. This is their first appearance as Egyptian mercenaries, and they will play an important role in the history of the Late Bronze Age.
Battle of Kadeite At the same time, King Mowatari of Xitai, who also ruled several allies (including the King of Aleppo), decided to place his army behind the old Kadeshi. But Ramses II, after being misled by two Egyptian captive spies, made a tactical mistake.
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Battle of Kadeite
According to the Amarna letters, when Ramses II and the forerunner of the ancient Egyptian army arrived 11 kilometers outside Kadeite, south of Shabtuna town, he met two Shasu (Shasu, Nomads) and told him: The Western Taiwan Army is still far away in Aleppo, 200 kilometers north of Tunip City. It was later found to be false intelligence.
Amarna Tablets According to the two Shasu people, the West Taiwanese army was very afraid of the Pharaoh and did not dare to go south. The Egyptian scout returned to the Egyptian camp with the captured Xitai prisoners of war. Ramses II only realized his terrible situation after he caught these spies and tortured them to spit out the truth. Under severe torture, these spies finally confessed that the entire Xitai army and the king of Xitai were within easy reach.
Torture Sasu Spy "When they were brought to Pharaoh, the king asked, "Who are you?" The spies replied: "We are under the king of Xitai, here to spy on the military situation." The king asked: "Those enemies of Xitai." Where? I heard that they are in Aleppo, in the north." The Tulip came back and said: " Your Majesty, King Xitai has arrived here. Many countries support him... They have infantry and warfare. Cars. Their weapons are ready, and their numbers are more than the sand on the beach. They are ready to fight a battle at Kadeshi ."
A raid by the Western Taiwan Army In order to seize Kadeite, Ramses II made a tactical error in the deployment of the legion. He widened the distance between Amun (Amun Army), Re (Ra Legion), Seth (Seth Army), and the newly formed Ptah (Ptah Army). He dispersed his army and made his own Amun ( The Army of Amon) is at the forefront of the war. When his army was attacked by the West Taiwanese, Ramses II blamed his generals for not sending out scouts in time to detect the true location of the West Taiwanese and inform him. Then Pharaoh sent an emergency messenger to urge Seth (the Legion of Seth) and Ptah (the Legion of Ptah), who was still far away from the Orontes river, to advance to his position (that is, the position of the Amon Legion). However, Mowatari’s chariots attacked Re (La Legion), surrounded and almost completely destroyed Re (La Legion) on the plain. (Red is the West Taiwan army, blue is the Egyptian army) The Western Taiwan Army intercepts the Egyptian Army Some of the survivors of the Re (La Army) fled to the Amun (Amon Army) camp, but they were tracked by the Western Taiwan Army. The West Taiwan chariot destroyed the wall of the Amun (Amon Army) camp and began to attack. This caused panic in Amun. However, the momentum of the West Taiwan offensive began to weaken because of the camp’s refusal to force the West Taiwan tanks to slow their offensive; some people died in the tank crashes. According to Egyptian records, Ramses II described himself as being abandoned and surrounded by enemies: "There are no generals with me, no tanks, no infantry, no shield servants..." Relying on God’s help, Ramses II defeated the enemy and returned to the Egyptian front: "I am behind them like Sete back then. I found myself trapped in a group of chariots, scattering towards them behind my horse..."
Ramses II in crisis Ramses II is now facing the most desperate battle of his life. He has rekindled his courage and called his guardian Amun to fight for his life. Ramses II personally led his King’s Guard to launch several attacks on the front line of Western Taiwan. He also fought with some chariots of Amun (Amon Army) and survivors of Re. Use their highly agile tanks and powerful Egyptian compound bows to attack the weak and exhausted West Taiwan tanks.
Ramses counterattack For the West Taiwanese, because they firmly believed that the enemy had been completely defeated and did not continue to find the remaining Egyptian camp, they became the target of Ramses II's counterattack. Ramses II’s counter-attack successfully caused the Xitai people to retreat to the Orontes River and leave the Egyptian camp. In the ensuing pursuit, the heavy Xitai chariot was easily overtaken and destroyed by the lighter and faster Egyptian chariot. The Egyptian army successfully defended the camp and began to counterattack Despite the obvious reversal, Mowatari II still commanded the tanks and infantry of the reserve team to hold on to the front. When they withdrew to the river, he ordered another 1,000 chariots to attack the Egyptians, and the high-ranking nobles surrounded (protected) the king. When the West Taiwan army approached the Egyptian camp again, the Ne'arin detachment of Amru suddenly slammed into it, which shocked the West Taiwan army. Ramses reorganized his army at the same time and began to attack. The defeat of the Western Taiwan Army After six assaults, the West Taiwan army was almost completely surrounded, and the survivors had to face the shame of swimming back to the Orontes River and returning to their army. The Western Taiwan army had to abandon its chariots and try to swim across the Orontes River. Many people drowned. Ramses II immediately pursued the West Taiwanese army to Kade Stone City and launched a siege. In this battle, both the Egyptians and the West Taiwanese suffered heavy casualties: the Egyptian army failed to break through the Kadeite defense line, and the West Taiwan army failed to achieve the victory it should have achieved.
Siege of Kadesh
In the end, because Egypt could not support the long-term siege of Kadeshi, Ramses II cautiously ordered his army to retreat to Damascus in the south, and eventually retreated to Egypt. As soon as he returned to Egypt, Ramses reiterated that he had won, but in reality, all he did was save his army after the hopeless capture of Kadeshi. Personally, the Battle of Kadesh was Ramses' victory. After he stupidly caught the Xitai people’s devastating chariot ambush, the young king used courage to reorganize his hard-hit army and fought bloody battles. Avoid being killed or captured. Relying on the lighter and faster Egyptian tanks, the Egyptian army can catch up from behind and eliminate the slower three-man tanks in West Taiwan. Xitai people’s chariots were chased into the river one after another. In some Ramses hieroglyphs, there is a description of Xitai people crossing the river and abandoning their vehicles: "They swim faster than crocodiles."
The declared victory of Ramses II The history of Xitai recorded by Boghazkoy draws a completely different conclusion from a larger level, that is, Ramses was forced to withdraw his troops from Kadeshi after he was defeated. Modern historians generally believe that this battle is a draw and a great spiritual victory for the Egyptians. They developed more advanced technologies and regrouped to resist the year-long invasion of the West Taiwanese; for Muwata For Li II and the people of Xitai, it was a tactical victory. Although he lost a large number of tank troops, he successfully saved Kadeshi. Subsequent war King Mowatari II of West Taiwan continued to attack Egypt's Upi province in the south. He captured it and ordered his brother Hattusili to guard him, who would later become Hattusili III. Egypt's influence in Asia stopped at Canaan. Even this was once threatened by the rebels of the Levant, a subject of Egypt. Ramses was forced to conduct a series of battles in Canaan to maintain his authority before he could begin to attack the Western Empire.
Siege of Dapur In the eighth and ninth years of his reign, Ramses extended his military victory: this time, he successfully defeated the West Taiwanese army and captured Dapur and Tunip, and for the first time in Egypt 120 years after Thutmose III The army arrived here. His victory was short-lived, and the narrow territory between Amru and Kadeshi could not be occupied steadily. Within a year, they returned to the embrace of Xitai. The picture below shows the Dapur Siege Dapur Siege The constant border conflicts did not end in 1258 BC, 15 years after the Battle of Kadesh, by a peace agreement. The agreement was reached by Ramses II in the 21st year of his reign with Hattusili III, Xitai. Signed by the new king of man. The agreement was engraved on a silver stele, one of which was kept in Hattusa, the capital of Xitai, located in present-day Turkey, and kept in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
Kadeite Peace Agreement An enlarged copy of the Kadeite Agreement is hung on the wall of the United Nations Headquarters. The Egyptian version is written on papyrus. The picture above shows the Kadeite Peace Agreement, which is now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. This is the earliest written international agreement in the world. The impact of the battle of Kadeite As the last great pharaoh of ancient Egypt, Ramses II died at the age of 90. Before him, many of his queens and children had gone before him. Ramses II had to choose an heir to the throne many times, and finally, Merneptah inherited the throne.
Sarcophagus of Myrumputar However, the two powers of ancient Egypt and West Taiwan were fighting for hegemony in Canaan and Syria. The military battles between the two sides lasted for decades, which severely weakened the strength of both sides. After the Battle of Kadesh, ancient Egypt failed to achieve the goal of restoring Asian territories, and Ramses II’s successors increasingly faced difficulties both at home and abroad. Moreover, because of the use of coalition forces and mercenaries by both sides, bronze weapons and war technology have been further proliferated, and more surrounding ethnic groups have begun to rise. Ancient Egypt and Western Taiwan will both face the invasion storm of maritime ethnic groups. The migration wave of "sea peoples" that swept from Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea echoed the invasion of Libyan tribes, increasingly shaking the rule of the pharaohs, and the once-strength New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt was gradually falling into disintegration.
Sea peoples invaded Canaan For the Western Taiwan Empire, although occupying most of Syria, it once dominated West Asia. However, after the long war with ancient Egypt, the already unstable economic foundation was further shaken and soon began to decline. By the end of the 13th century BC, the "sea peoples" invaded West Taiwan from the Bosphorus Strait. The subordinate countries of Asia Minor and Syria rebelled one after another, and the West Taiwan country quickly collapsed. By the 8th century BC, Xitai was completely destroyed by Assyria.
The declared victory of Ramses II The history of Xitai recorded by Boghazkoy draws a completely different conclusion from a larger level, that is, Ramses was forced to withdraw his troops from Kadeshi after he was defeated. Modern historians generally believe that this battle is a draw and a great spiritual victory for the Egyptians. They developed more advanced technologies and regrouped to resist the year-long invasion of the West Taiwanese; for Muwata For Li II and the people of Xitai, it was a tactical victory. Although he lost a large number of tank troops, he successfully saved Kadeshi. Subsequent war King Mowatari II of West Taiwan continued to attack Egypt's Upi province in the south. He captured it and ordered his brother Hattusili to guard him, who would later become Hattusili III. Egypt's influence in Asia stopped at Canaan. Even this was once threatened by the rebels of the Levant, a subject of Egypt. Ramses was forced to conduct a series of battles in Canaan to maintain his authority before he could begin to attack the Western Empire.
Siege of Dapur In the eighth and ninth years of his reign, Ramses extended his military victory: this time, he successfully defeated the West Taiwanese army and captured Dapur and Tunip, and for the first time in Egypt 120 years after Thutmose III The army arrived here. His victory was short-lived, and the narrow territory between Amru and Kadeshi could not be occupied steadily. Within a year, they returned to the embrace of Xitai. The picture below shows the Dapur Siege Dapur Siege The constant border conflicts did not end in 1258 BC, 15 years after the Battle of Kadesh, by a peace agreement. The agreement was reached by Ramses II in the 21st year of his reign with Hattusili III, Xitai. Signed by the new king of man. The agreement was engraved on a silver stele, one of which was kept in Hattusa, the capital of Xitai, located in present-day Turkey, and kept in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
Kadeite Peace Agreement An enlarged copy of the Kadeite Agreement is hung on the wall of the United Nations Headquarters. The Egyptian version is written on papyrus. The picture above shows the Kadeite Peace Agreement, which is now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. This is the earliest written international agreement in the world. The impact of the battle of Kadeite As the last great pharaoh of ancient Egypt, Ramses II died at the age of 90. Before him, many of his queens and children had gone before him. Ramses II had to choose an heir to the throne many times, and finally, Merneptah inherited the throne.
Sarcophagus of Myrumputar However, the two powers of ancient Egypt and West Taiwan were fighting for hegemony in Canaan and Syria. The military battles between the two sides lasted for decades, which severely weakened the strength of both sides. After the Battle of Kadesh, ancient Egypt failed to achieve the goal of restoring Asian territories, and Ramses II’s successors increasingly faced difficulties both at home and abroad. Moreover, because of the use of coalition forces and mercenaries by both sides, bronze weapons and war technology have been further proliferated, and more surrounding ethnic groups have begun to rise. Ancient Egypt and Western Taiwan will both face the invasion storm of maritime ethnic groups. The migration wave of "sea peoples" that swept from Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea echoed the invasion of Libyan tribes, increasingly shaking the rule of the pharaohs, and the once-strength New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt was gradually falling into disintegration.
Sea peoples invaded Canaan For the Western Taiwan Empire, although occupying most of Syria, it once dominated West Asia. However, after the long war with ancient Egypt, the already unstable economic foundation was further shaken and soon began to decline. By the end of the 13th century BC, the "sea peoples" invaded West Taiwan from the Bosphorus Strait. The subordinate countries of Asia Minor and Syria rebelled one after another, and the West Taiwan country quickly collapsed. By the 8th century BC, Xitai was completely destroyed by Assyria.
