The Decisive Battles of World History

Lecture 2: 1274 B.C. Kadesh—Greatest Chariot Battle

o It carried three crewmen: the driver, a warrior with a large shield

and spear, and one wielding a long thrusting spear or a bow.

x In battle, the Hittites favored a single mass charge by the heavy

chariots, intended to break the enemy’s ranks and then run them

down by using the spears or shooting arrows.

The Battle

x As Ramesses and the Egyptian army approached Kadesh, they

were unaware that the Hittite army was nearby; thus, for ease of

marching, the four divisions were spaced at intervals of roughly

a half day’s march. Ramesses accompanied the lead division,

Ammon. Behind them came the Ra, the P’tah, and the Set divisions.

x When Ammon crossed the Orontes, two men who appeared to be

Bedouin locals but were actually Hittite agents told Ramesses that

Muwatalli had been frightened at the Egyptians’ approach and had

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x The camp guards then caught two Hittite spies lurking nearby who,

after being subjected to a thorough beating, divulged that Muwatalli

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Kadesh and that his army was ready for battle.

x Ramesses immediately dispatched messengers with orders for all

the elements of his scattered forces to converge on his location at

maximum speed.

x Muwatalli sent forward a strong contingent of his chariots to

intercept the Ra division as it attempted to march to the rescue,

catching the Egyptians strung out in marching formation. The

heavy Hittite chariots swept through the protective screen of lighter

Egyptian chariots, slammed into the lines of marching infantry, and

carved a path through the center of the Egyptian formation. The

surviving troops panicked, broke formation, and ran.