Ramesses, Muwattalli, and the Trojans(?). In June of 1287 BCE, the Great Kings of Hatti and Egypt were on the verge of a major confrontation. Ramesses, marching across Sinai and into Canaan, made careful preparations for his assault on Kadesh. Alas, even the best-planned campaign could not be hidden from a watchful enemy. In Hatti, Muwattalli II sent calls to his vassals, summoning them to fight. The Hittite army, and its allies, is a remarkably well-documented force...
For the Kikkuli Text of horse training, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikkuli
and https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/orbis:9782188.
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212: Ramesses II The Arsenal of Pharaohcracy
Preparing for Kadesh. In 1287 BCE (late in his fifth regnal year) King Ramesses II departed Egypt on campaign. His target? The city of Kadesh / Qidsha in southern Syria. The Kadesh campaign is famous, as one of history’s “great battles.” Today, we “set the scene,” and explore the preparations for this war. We have a surprisingly detailed picture of this, thanks to inscriptions, art, and excavations. From a new royal city, Pi-Ramesses, to the enormous scale of the army, to the diplomatic manouevres (and espionage) that would accompany this campaign… the preparations for Kadesh are almost as elaborate as the battle itself.
Learn more at the Qantir-Piramesse archaeological project: https://qantir-piramesse.de/home/ort/
Digital reconstruction of Pi-Ramesses, incl. its stables, at Artefacts Berlin: https://www.artefacts-berlin.de/portfolio-item/the-reconstruction-of-pi-ramesse/
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Kadesh: The 200 Year Enemy with Prof. Peter Brand
Leading up to the Battle of Kadesh (c.1287 BCE) betwen Ramesses II of Egypt and Muwatalli II of Hatti, we need to understand the background. Why was this city the epicentre of such a major conflict? How did the rulers of Kadesh (Kadeshians?) persistently frustrate pharaohs dating back two centuries to Thutmose III (c.1480 BCE). Today, Prof. Peter Brand (University of Memphis) gives us the details...
Learn more about Ramesses and Kadesh in Peter Brand's book Ramesses II: Egypt's Ultimate Pharaoh (Lockwood Press).
Prof. Peter Brand at Academia.edu.
Interview recorded: May 2025.
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Ancient Egyptian Curse / Swear Words
We learn how to insult someone in ancient Egyptian, based on the surviving texts...
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Ramesses' Wild West with Prof. Steven Snape
Heart of Darkness at Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham. Far from the Nile Valley, on Egypt’s northern coastline, Ramessid soldiers and civilians constructed a significant fortress to control the maritime roads. This remote garrison faced off against Libyan tribes coming from the far west (e.g. the Meshwesh of Cyrenaica), traded with Mediterranean merchants, possibly dealt with marauding pirates and Sea Peoples, and built a life for themselves on the western frontier. Alas, it wasn’t all beaches and bonhomie, as soldiers like Nebra, the commander, would learn…
Prof. Steven Snape is the author of many books and articles including The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt (2014); Ancient Egyptian Tombs: The Culture of Life and Death (2011); Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham I: The Temple and the Chapels (with Penny Wilson, 2007); Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham II: The Monuments of Neb-Re (with Glenn Godenho, forthcoming).
Learn more about excavations and discoveries at this site in a free lecture, “ Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham and the Ramesside Defence System on the Maryut Coast,” on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ1QelBxYiU&
Steven Snape papers and publications at Academia.edu https://liverpool.academia.edu/StevenSnape
Steven Snape at The University of Liverpool: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/steven-snape; Research Profile https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/steven-snape/research
Prof. Snape is currently reading The Arabian Nightmare by Robert Irwin (1983). Wikipedia
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Ancient Egypt, from Creation to Cleopatra. This podcast tells the story of pharaonic Egypt "in their own words." Using archaeology, ancient texts, and up-to-date scholarship, we uncover the world of the Nile Valley and its people. Hosted on the Airwave Media Network.
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