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The
Pharaoh Who Made Peace With His Enemies
And The
First Peace Treaty In History
By: Sameh
M. Arab. MD.
| “Ramses II”, who reigned for 67 years during the 19th
dynasty of the 12th century BC, was known as “Ramses the Great”. His
glories surpassed all other Pharaohs, and Egypt has reached an
overwhelming state of prosperity during his reign. He is known in history
as the builder of so many magnificent temples allover Egypt, and not only
as a great warrior but also as a peacemaker. He was the first king in
history to sign a peace treaty with his enemies - the Hittites - ending
long years of wars and hostility. The treaty can still be considered a
conclusive model, even when applying today’s standards. |
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Who are the Hittites?
Their rise and hostility with Egypt:
The Hittites were a minor
nation in Anatolia, who started to penetrate peacefully east and west
through monopolizing political power in the Near East. By the second
millennium BC, they became a great power that finally replaced the
Babylonian state around 1530 BC. They started challenging the Egyptian
Empire during its decline under the reign of Akhen-Aton (18th dynasty).
International correspondence from the Asian princes in Palestine and Syria
(known as the Amarna Letters) were sent to Akhen-Aton and his court
beseeching and warnings from the Hittites growing influence. The pharaoh
neglected them and never replied, until Egypt lost control over much
territory in Syria when aggressors, aided by the Hittites, captured many
territories from the Egyptian army. After the revolution against
Akhen-Aton, and after the murder (or death) of his successor
Tut-Ankh-Amon, his wife (and Akhen-Aton’s daughter),
“Ankh-Esenpa-Aton”, attempted a diplomatic coup with the Hittites. In
order to secure her position, she sent a secret letter to their king
asking him for a son whom she could marry and make him pharaoh. As this
offer was astounding, the king suspected treachery and sent an ambassador
to test the queen’s true intentions. In response to her assurance, the
king sent his son who was captured and murdered by the Egyptian commander
of the army, Horemheb (who later became pharaoh). Hostility between Egypt
and the Hittites was further augmented.
The war between Egypt and
Hatti:
With the rise of the 19th
dynasty in Egypt, “Seti I” started regaining Egypt’s power in the
Near East. Within the first 2 years of his reign, he was able to restore
all Palestine, and the city of Kadesh became the border between him and
the Hittites. A truce was signed between the two empires, but this did not
last long.
During the reign of his
son “Ramses II”, the latter started a campaign to Syria and reached
Kadesh, where the most famous battle between the two empires took place.
The battle lasted four days, and initially Ramses was defeated, but fought
bravely until enforcements to his army arrived, turning the defeat into
victory. The Hittites asked for cease-fire, and Ramses’ officers advised
him to make peace, saying,
"There
is no reproach in reconciliation when you make it."
After the death of the
Hittite king, “Hattusili III” usurped the throne from the legitimate
prince who fled to Egypt and was granted political asylum by “Ramses
II”. Hittite documents record Hattusili’s complaint:
“When
I wrote to him: send me my enemy, he didn't extradite him. Therefore
there was anger between me and the King of Egypt.”
A further round of war
was about to initiate. However, with the Hittites facing the re-emerging
Assyria in Mesopotamia, as well as Egypt facing a threat from the Libyans
in the west, both empires became under pressure. Diplomatic negotiations
took place for two years until a peace treaty was concluded in the 21st
regal year of Ramses’ reign with “Hattusilis III” at 1280 BC.
The peace treaty:
Egypt’s acceptance of a
peace treaty that would end the war in Syria simply meant that there will
be no chance to restore Kadesh and Amuru, and that not more glorious
military victories could be achieved in the future. However in return of
this sacrifice, the dispute between the two countries would end, with a
clear line of demarcation between the Egyptian territories and the Syrian.
Moreover, Egypt guaranteed its rights in Phenecian harbors, but most
important was the Hittites’ agreement that Egyptian missionaries could
pass freely to the north as far as Ugarit without any interference, a
privilege lost for more than a century since “Amon-Hotep III”.
Two copies of the treaty
were recorded, one in hieroglyph and the other Akaddian, and both still
survive. Both copies are identical except for the overture, in which the
Egyptian version stated that it was the Hittite king who demanded peace,
whereas in the Hittite version, it was Ramses who sent them emissaries.
The Egyptian version was recorded on a silver plaque presented by
Hattusili to Ramses, then copied on stone ones at Karnak and Ramesseum
temples.
The treaty was composed
of 18 articles. After a long introduction enlisting the kings’ titles
and referring to establishment of good fraternity
and good peace, one article was included to nullify any further
attacks on the other country’s territories:
“Reamasesa, the
great king, the king of the country of Egypt, shall never attack the
country of Hatti to take possession of a part (of this country). And
Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of Hatti, shall
never attack the country of Egypt to take possession of a part (of
that country). “
Two articles follow that
established the mutual alliance against any foreign attack on either
country:
“If a foreign enemy
marches against the country of Hatti and if Hattusili, the king of the
country of Hatti, sends me this message: "Come to my help against
him", Reamasesa, the great king, the king of the Egyptian
country, has to send his troops and his chariots to kill this enemy
and to give satisfaction to the country of Hatti.”
“If a foreigner
marches against the country of Egypt and if Reamasesa, the great king,
the king of the country of Egypt, your brother, sends to Hattusili,
the king of the country of Hatti, his brother, the following message:
"Come to my help against him", then Hattusili, king of the
country of Hatti, shall send his troops and his chariots and kill my
enemy. “
The treaty then included
three articles establishing mutual collaboration against any internal
mutiny or coups in either country:
“If Hattusili, the
great king, the king of the country of Hatti, rises in anger against
his citizens after they have committed a crime against him and if, for
this reason, you send to Reamasesa the great king, the king of the
country of Egypt, then Reamasesa has to send his troops and his
chariots and these should exterminate all those that he has risen in
anger against. “
“If Reamasesa, king
of the country of Egypt, rises in anger against his citizens after
they have committed a wrong against him and by reason of this he sends
(a message) to Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of
Hatti, my brother, has to send his troops and his chariots and they
have to exterminate all those against whom I have risen in anger. “
“Look, the son of
Hattusili, king of the country of Hatti, has to assure his sovereignty
of the country of Hatti instead of Hattusili, his father, after the
numerous years of Hattusili, king of the country of Hatti. If the
children of the country of Hatti transgress against him, then
Reamasesa has to send to his help troops and chariots and to give him
support.”
To avoid any further
dispute if a refugee flees to the other country, ten articles were
dedicated to the extradition of rebels, fugitives and political refugees.
This was the first extradition agreement in history between two nations.
The treaty did not exclude any person, and addressed those refugees as
whether they were “great men”, nobles or “unknown persons”:
"If a great
person flees from the country of Hatti and if he comes to Reamasesa,
the great king, king of the country of Egypt, then Reamasesa, the
great king, the king of the country of Egypt, has to take hold of him
and deliver him into hands of Hattusili, the great king, the king of
the country of Hatti. “
“If a great person
flees from the country of Egypt and he escapes to the country of
Amurru or a city and he comes to the king of Amurru, then Benteshina,
king of the country of Amurru, has to take hold of him and take him to
the king of the country of Hatti; and Hattusili, the great king, the
king of the country of Hatti, shall have him to be taken to Reamasesa,
the great king, the king of the country of Egypt.”
“If a nobleman
flees from the country of Hatti, or two men, and if they don't want to
serve the king of Hatti, and if they flee from the Great King's
country, the king of the land of Hatti, in order not to serve him,
then Reamasesa has to take hold of them and order them be taken to
Hattusili, the Great King, king of the land of Hatti, his brother, and
he shall not allow them to reside in the country of Egypt.”
“If a nobleman or
two flee from the country of Egypt and if they leave for the Land of
Hatti, then Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of
Hatti, has to take hold of them and make them be taken to Reamasesa,
the Great King, the king of the country of Egypt, his brother. “
“If a man or two
men who are unknown flee, and if they come to Reamasesa, to serve him,
then Reamasesa has to take hold of them and deliver them into the
hands of Hattusili, king of the country of Hatti.”
“If a man or two
men who are unknown flee, and if they escape from the country of Egypt
and if they don't want to serve him, then Hattusili, the great king,
the king of the country of Hatti, has to deliver them into his
brother's hands and he shall not allow them to inhabit the country of
Hatti.”
“If a man flees
from the country of Hatti, or two people, and if they flee from the
country of Hatti, and if they come to the country of Egypt, and if a
nobleman flees from the country of Hatti or of a city and they flee
from the country of Hatti to go to the country of Egypt, then
Reamasesa has to order them to be taken to his brother. Look, the sons
of the country of Hatti and the children of the country of Egypt are
at peace.”
“If some people
flee from the country of Egypt to go to the country of Hatti, then
Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of Hatti, has to
order them to be taken to his brother. Look, Hattusili the great king,
the king of the country of Hatti, and Reamasesa, the great king, the
king of the country of Egypt, your brother, are at peace.“
Fugitives were to be
returned without being imputed or punished, but to be treated properly and
with dignity:
“If a man flees
from the country of Hatti, or two men, or three men, and if they come
to Reamasesa, the Great King, the king of the country of Egypt, his
brother, then Reamasesa, the Great King, the king of the country of
Egypt, has to take hold of them and to order them to be taken to
Hattusili, his brother, since they are brothers. As for their crime,
it should not be imputed; their language and their eyes are not to be
pulled out; their ears and their feet are not to be cut off; their
houses with their wives and their children are not to be destroyed.
“
“If a (man flees
from the country of Reamasesa, the Great King, king of the country of
Egypt), or two men, or three men, and if they come (to Hattusili, the
Great King), the king of the country of Hatti, my brother, then
Hattusili, the Great King, king of the country of Hatti, my brother,
has to take hold of them and to order them to be taken to Reamasesa,
the Great King, the king of the country of Egypt, because Reamasesa,
the Great King, king of the country of Egypt, and Hattusili are
brothers. As for their crime, it should not be imputed; their language
and their eyes are not to be pulled out; their ears and their feet are
not to cut off; their houses with their wives and their children are
not to be destroyed. “
The 1000 gods of either
land were invoked as witnesses and guarantors of this peace in the
remaining two articles. Only some of them were named, particularly Ra of
Egypt and Teshub of Hatti:
“If Reamasesa and
the children of the country of Egypt don't observe this treaty, then
the gods and the goddesses of the country of Egypt and the gods and
goddesses of the country of Hatti shall exterminate the descendants of
Reamasesa, the Great King, the king of the country of Egypt.”
“If Reamasesa and
the children of the country of Egypt observe this treaty, then the
gods of the oath shall protect them and their ….”
“They who observe
the words that are in the silver tablet the great gods of the country
of Egypt and the great gods of the country of Hatti shall allow them
to live and prosper in their houses, their country and with their
servants.
They who do not
observe the words that are in this silver tablet, the great gods of
the country of Egypt as well as the great gods of the country of Hatti
will exterminate their houses, their country and their servants. “
The frontiers between the
two countries were not laid down in this treaty but in other documents. A
papyrus enumerates the Phoenician coastal towns under Egyptian control,
with the harbor town of Sumur being the northern-most town belonging to
Egypt.
As soon as the treaty
came to effectiveness, greetings were exchanged between the two courts,
particularly form the two queens, Nefertari of Egypt and the Hittite
“Budu-Khebi”. Nefertari wrote:
“I hear, my sister,
that you have written to ask after my peace and the relations of good
peace and fraternity that exist between the Great King of Egypt and
the Great King of Hatti, his brother. Ra and Teshub will deal with
this so you can raise your look, may Ra assure the peace and
strengthen the good fraternity between the Great King of Egypt and the
Great King of Hatti, his brother, for ever.”
The tension after the
treaty:
Despite the readiness of
both courts to abide by the treaty, some tension persisted owing to the
presence of the deposed formed Hittite prince who remained in political
asylum in Egypt for 10 years after the treaty. Though Hattusili
requested his surrender, Ramses refused to apply the treaty in retrospect.
Probably this was due to the Hittites’ refusal to re-adjustment of the
borders between Egypt and Syria. This, together with the bitterness
Hattusili felt due to the arrogant tone in Ramses’ messages, remained to
maintain some tension between the two courts at the beginning. Ramses
wrote back to him negating any inequality, and reminding him of the fraternity
between them. In reproach, Ramses reminded Hattusili
that he has not sent any gifts except one handicapped slave, despite Egypt
did send numerous physicians who were highly demanded in Syria and
worldwide, with a substantial amount of herbs.
As Babel started to
enforce its diplomatic relations with Egypt, Ramses accepted a Babylonian
princess among his harem. In jealousy of this affection between the two
kingdoms, and for fear of tighter relationships growing, Hattusili
cemented the treaty 13 years later by offering his daughter to Ramses. The
royal wedding was depicted on the temples of Karnak, Elephantine and
Abu-Simbel.
Tension started to fade
gradually after the marriage, and later diplomatic missions came to
include more elite personnel. A visit by the Hittite crown prince was
arranged to Egypt, and upon his return with gifts, Hattusili himself
accepted Ramses’ invitation. Ramses greeted him at Canaan and escorted
him to Pi-Ramses, where a summit meeting took place maybe for the first
time in history. Later, another princess was also sent to the Egyptian
court.
During the next 46 regal
years of Ramses II, peace supervened and the treaty remained to be
respected until the fall of the Hittite Empire. When the king of Mira in
Asia Minor attempted to form a coalition with Egypt against the Hittites,
Ramses refused saying:
“Today there is
fraternity between the Great King of Egypt and the king of Hatti,
between Ra and Teshub.”
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Dr.
Sameh M. Arab
Associate Professor of Cardiology -
Alexandria University - Egypt
Dr. Sameh is a 41 year old Egyptian, married and has 3 children.
He has Academic and clinical interst in Pediatric Cardiolgy, particularly congenital heart
disease.
He has several publications in the field of diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart
diseases in children and newborns, paticularly by catheter (non-surgical) interventions.
He is a member of several scientific societies, both national and international, of which
are: Egyptian Society of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology.
He is also a Founder member and Member of Board of Directors of the Egyptian Society of
Pediatric Cardiology and Founder of the Congenital Heart Division of the Alexandria
Patients' Welfare Association for financing charity treatment for children with congenital
heart diseases.
As can be gathered from his writing here, Dr.Sameh has taken up an immense interest in the
History of Ancient Egypt.
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