Egypt vs Hittites: Who Really Won the Battle of Kadesh?

Who really won the Battle of Kadesh? Around 1274 BC, Ramesses II of Egypt (Ramses II) marched into Syria against the Hittite king Muwatalli II, and walked into a trap. In this Battle of Kadesh documentary: Egypt vs the Hittites, possibly the biggest chariot battle ever fought, told step by step from the ancient sources, and why both sides claimed they won. Two nomads told Pharaoh the Hittite army was far away in Aleppo. They were lying. Ramesses raced ahead of his own army and made camp at Kadesh, on the Orontes, until captured Hittite spies confessed that the enemy was hiding behind the city. Then the Hittite chariots struck: they smashed through the Ra division on the march and burst into Pharaoh's camp. Ramesses claimed he fought almost alone against 2,500 chariots. We look at what really saved him: the plunder in his camp, the Ne'arin, and the Ptah division. Then the Hittite reserve that never moved, the message "Peace is better than fighting", and the retreat, as the Hittites followed Ramesses south to Damascus and took back Amurru. Both sides claimed victory. Ramesses carved his version on the walls of temples from Abydos to Abu Simbel; later Hittite texts say Muwatalli "defeated the king of Egypt". Then came the twists: Muwatalli died, his brother Hattusili III seized the throne, and the deposed king fled to Ramesses. About fifteen years after Kadesh, the old enemies signed the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the "Treaty of Kadesh", often called the oldest peace treaty in the world. A copper copy is on display at the United Nations in New York. And Ramesses II married a Hittite princess. Then the what-if: what if Ramesses II had died at Kadesh? The "what if" section is speculation, clearly marked in the narration and built on what the ancient texts and modern historians actually say. Disputed points are flagged as such: the date of the battle, the size of the armies, whether there was a second day of fighting, and who won. Every scene in this film is an AI reconstruction based on the sources below, and the "what if" scenes are imagined. None of it is real footage. The narration and music are AI-generated. Chapters 0:00 Battle of Kadesh, 1274 BC: who really won? 0:37 Ramesses II, the two "deserters" and two mistakes 1:39 The trap: Hittite spies and the chariot charge 2:31 Surrounded: Ramesses II's own version 3:24 Three things that saved Pharaoh 4:28 Day two, a message, and the Hittites strike south 5:16 Egypt vs Hittites: both sides claim victory 6:12 The Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty (Treaty of Kadesh) 7:07 What if Ramesses II had died at Kadesh? 8:09 Who really won the Battle of Kadesh? Ancient sources (translations) The Kadesh Poem, the official record ("Bulletin") and the relief captions of Ramesses II (trans. J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, vol. III, 1906; A. H. Gardiner, as quoted by T. Bryce) The Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, Egyptian version (trans. J. H. Breasted, 1906; J. A. Wilson, in J. B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts, 1969) Ramesses II's Marriage Stela (trans. J. H. Breasted, 1906) Hittite texts of Hattusili III and Tudhaliya IV (as quoted by T. Bryce) Modern scholarship and references T. Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites, new edition (Oxford University Press, 2005) J. A. Wilson, "The Asiatic Campaigning of Ramses II", in Ancient Near Eastern Texts (Princeton University Press, 1969) United Nations, UN Gifts: "Replica of Peace Treaty between Hattusilis and Ramses II" (gift of Türkiye, 1970) Also consulted: Wikipedia, "Battle of Kadesh", "Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty", "Ramesses II", "Muwatalli II", "Hattusili III", "Abu Simbel" (and the scholarship they cite, including K. A. Kitchen and M. Healy) Made with: Google Veo 3.1 (video) and Nano Banana Pro (images), through Google Flow; ElevenLabs (narration and original music). Titles: Cinzel and Source Sans 3 (SIL Open Font License). THE ANCIENT FRONT makes cinematic documentaries about the ancient world: the battles, empires and turning points of Rome, Carthage, Persia and Egypt, plus "What if" alternate history built on what historians actually argue. Every film is checked against the ancient sources and modern scholarship. Subscribe for more ancient history documentaries:    / @theancientfront   #BattleOfKadesh #AncientEgypt #Hittites