ARCH 0412
From Gilgamesh to Hektor:
Heroes of the Bronze Age
April 6, 2016:
Heroes and War, Heroes in War II:
Anatolia and Egypt
‘Warrior Vase’ Krater
Mycenae
13th century BCE
Battle of Kadesh
Hittite forces
led by Muwatalli II
vs
Egyptian forces led by
Ramesses II
Images of the
Hittite Warrior
Relief of Suppiluliuma at Sudburg,
Hattusa
13th century BCE
‘King’s Gate’, Hattusa
13th century BCE
Muwatalli II (r. 1295-1272 BCE)
‘My Lady, the Sun
Goddess of Arinna, and
My Lord, the Mighty
Storm God, and Mezzulla
and all the gods ran
before me’
(Annals of Mursili)
Muwatali II’s relief at Sirkeli,
southern Turkey
c. 13th century BCE
Royal seals of Muwatalli II
c. 13th century BCE
Ramesses II (r. 1279-1213 BCE)
KV7
Tomb of
Ramesses
II
Ramesses II @ Paris
The King’s Body:
Mummy of Ramesses II
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1.70 m tall (5’ 7’’)
Had arthritis in the last years of his life
Abscessed tooth
Originally red-haired
Had battle wounds
The King’s Body and the Warrior Hero
The Narmer Palette, c. 3000 BCE
Hierakonpolis
Ramesses II smiting an enemy
Abu Simbel, c. 1265 BCE
Heb Sed:
The Festival of
Rejuvenation
• A ‘jubilee’ celebrated after 30 years of
rule and every 3-4 years after that
• Rituals and processions
• King shown as the ruler of Upper and
Lower Egypt
• Rituals including symbols of manhood
and strength
• Ritual race/running in the ‘field’
designated by boundary stones
• Ramesses II celebrated 13-14 Heb Seds
Ebony label depicting pharaoh Den (1 st dynasty)
celebrating Heb Sed , c. 3000 BCE, Abydos
The Narmer Macehead, c. 3100 BCE, Hierakonpolis
Heb Sed:
The Festival of Rejuvenation
Step pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, 3rd dynasty (c. 2650 BCE)
The Battle of Kadesh
Weapons, Armies, Tactics
Battle of Kadesh, 1274 BCE
•
Pi-Ramesses
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Seti I had captured Kadesh, recaptured by
Hittites when he returned to Egypt
Conflict arose again during the 5th regnal
year of Ramesses II and 23rd regnal year of
Muwatalli II
Fought with foot soldiers and chariots
Earliest battle that we know tactics from
Battle of Kadesh, 1274 BCE:
Army Formations
• Mercenaries involved in both sides
• (Speculated) numbers:
• Egyptian forces: 5000x4 infantry and 500x4 chariots
• Hittite forces: 50,000 infantry and 3,100 chariots
Chariots
Hittite chariot
Abydos reliefs
Egyptian chariot
Abydos reliefs
Standard of Ur, c. 2600 BCE | from the Royal Tombs of Ur
Reverse Side : ‘War’
The Battle: Initial Engagement
‘When they had been brought before Pharaoh, His
Majesty asked, 'Who are you?' They replied 'We belong to
the king of Hatti. He has sent us to spy on you.' Then His
Majesty said to them, 'Where is he, the enemy from Hatti?
I had heard that he was in the land of Khaleb, north of .'
They of Tunip replied to His Majesty, 'Lo, the king of Hatti
has already arrived, together with the many countries
who are supporting him... They are armed with their
infantry and their chariots. They have their weapons of
war at the ready. They are more numerous than the grains
of sand on the beach. Behold, they stand equipped and
ready for battle behind the old city of Kadesh’
(From the poem of Pentaur)
The Battle: Assault &
Retreat on Both Sides
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Hittites believed they were winning
Ptah made it to the battlefield
Hittite forces surrounded
Muwatalli dispatched auxiliary forces
The Battle: Final Stage
• Remaining Egyptian divisions make it to
the battlefield, surprising Hittites
• Both sides suffer heavy losses
Orontes north of Kadesh
The Battle of Kadesh: Documentation
Ramesseum, Thebes
(Mortuary Temple of Ramesses II)
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Original name ‘the House of millions of
years of Usermaatra-setepenra that unites
with Thebes-the-city in the domain of
Amon’
The gates and outer walls decorated with
scenes of military victory and divine
engagement
The Battle of Kadesh: The Aftermath
• Muwatalli died in 1272 BCE – soon after the battle
• Muwatalli II’s son Mursili III (Urhi-Tesub) ascended to kingship
• Hattusili III usurped and seized the Hittite throne in c. 1265 BCE. Ruled until
1235 BCE
Hattusili III and Queen Puduhepa libating to the gods
Rock relief at Fraktin, 13th century BCE
The Battle of Kadesh: The Aftermath
‘Thus speaks Puduhepa, Great
Queen, Queen of the Land of Hatti:
Say to Reamasesa, Great King, King
of the Land of Egypt, my brother:
Concerning the fact that you, my
brother, wrote to me as follows:
“My sister wrote to me: ‘I will give
a daughter to you.’ But you have
withheld her from me. And now
you are even angry with me! Why
have you not given her to me?”
I will give you both my daughter
and the dowry. And you will not
disapprove of it (i.e. the dowry),
you will approve of it.’
(KUB 21.38 Letter from Queen
Puduhepa to Ramesses II of Egypt,
translation from Hoffner 2009, p.282)
The Peace Treaty between Ramesses II and
Hattusili III, c. 1258 BCE
Friday
Alternative to the Male Warrior: Medea
(Guest Lecture by Kathryn McBride)