- Kadesh
"This article is about Kadesh in Syria, see also
Kadesh (South of Israel) orKedesh "Kadesh (also Qadesh) was an ancient city of the
Levant , located on or near theOrontes River , and is today thought to be identical to the ruins at Tell Nebi Mend, [Kitchen, K.A, "Ramesside Inscriptions", Volume 2, Blackwell Publishing Limited, 1996, pp.16-17] about km to mi|24 southwest ofHoms (ca. coord|34|35|N|36|31|E|) near Al Qusayr in what is now westernSyria . noprint|See aereal view of the ruins of the ancient city plainlinks| [http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/research/Excavation/Kedesh/Kedesh%20Images/image5.gifhere] . Kadesh was once controlled by Egypt and one of many outlying possessions lost due to southernly encroachments of the Hittite Empire during the 13th century BC in the reign of the father ofRamesses II , Seti to the Hittites. In the fifth year of Ramesses' reign, he lead a large force ofchariot s and infantry mi to km|1000 to retake the walled city. In ameeting engagement , theBattle of Kadesh , the two forces clashed in what is widely regarded as the largest chariot vs. chariot battle (5,000—6,000 between both sides) in history on the plain south of the city and west of the Orontes River.History
It was first occupied during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Kadesh is first noted as one of two
Canaan ite cities (the other being Megiddo) that led a coalition ofcity-state s opposing the conquest of theLevant byThutmose III . In mounting this opposition, Kadesh (known as Qidshu in theAkkadian language Amarna letters ) was probably guided by the ruler ofMittani , Egypt's primary foreign rival in control of theLevant . Defeat in the subsequent Battle of Megiddo ultimately led to the extension of Egyptian hegemony over the city, as well as the rest of southern Syria. Correspondence between the ruler of Kadesh and the pharaohAkhenaten is preserved amongst the Amarna letters. The names of three kings of Kadesh survive from contemporary sources:Suttarna (fl. c. 1350 BC);Etakkama (c. 1340s) andAri-Teshub (fl. c. 1330-1325).The city was captured by the great pharaoh
Seti I during his campaign to Syria. Kadesh had been lost toEgypt since the time ofAkhenaten .Tutankhamun andHoremheb had both failed to recapture the city from theHittites . Seti I was successful here and defeated a Hittite army that tried to defend it. He triumphally entered the city together with his sonRamesses II and erected a victory stela at the site. His success was only temporary. As soon asSeti I returned to Egypt, the Hittite king,Mursilis II , marched south to take the town of Kadesh on the Orontes River. Once taken, Kadesh became the stronghold of the Hittite defenses inSyria , although the Hittites ruled through a viceroy inCarchemish .Battle of Kadesh
The city is best known as the location of one of the best documented battles of the ancient world, the
Battle of Kadesh , staged between the superpowers of the13th century BC : the Egyptian and the Hittite Empires. An Egyptian vassal for approximately 150 years, Kadesh eventually defected to Hittitesuzerainty , thereby placing the city on the contested frontier between the two rival empires. In response to this Hittite ascendancy and expansion southwards, the Egyptian pharaohRamesses II prepared an aggressive military response and captured the coastal state ofAmurru . The next year, the Hittites moved south to recover Amurru, while the Egyptians moved north to continue their expansion into Syria. The inhabitants of the city of Kadesh had cut a channel from the river to a stream south of town, which had turned the town into a virtual island. The subsequent battle, fought at Kadesh, very nearly witnessed an Egyptian military disaster. After Hittite spies convinced the Egyptians that the Hittites were further away than they were, the Hittites surprised the Egyptians in their own camp. The Egyptian army was only saved by the arrival of a supporting force from coastalAmurru . Ramesses II was able to recover the initiative, and the two armies withdrew in stalemate, both claiming victory. [ [http://www.sarissa.org/war/qadesh.php Battle of Qadesh ] ] Kadesh, however, remained under Hittite overlordship, Amurru returned to the Hittite fold, and the Hittite army continued its conquests southward as far as Upi, the territory around Damascus.The subsequent impasse between Egypt and Hatti ultimately led to what is now recognised as one of the earliest surviving international peace treaties, concluded several decades later between Ramesses II and his Hittite counterpart,
Hattusili III .The End of Kadesh
Kadesh vanishes from history after it was destroyed by the invading
Sea Peoples in around 1178 BC.References
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