Introduction to the Battle of Qadesh – 1300 BC

Into year 5 of Pharaoh Ramses the Second’s governance, the armies of Ramses and that of his opponent, the Hittite king Muwatallish, clashed at the Orontes, creating the largest chariot battle in history. This battle characterized the style of warfare used by the nations of the Late Bronze Age in the Middle East. Both the Egyptian and Hittite empires were known to widely employ the use of chariots in battle and had perfected it. The chariot warfare tactics used by both sides had been refined over hundreds of years prior to this battle, and were extensively used to obstinate domination over each other on the battlefield at every turn.

A relief from the Pharaoh’s funerary temple at Thebes, the Ramesseum, boasts a visualization of this concept at work. The Egyptians typically employed a light chariot operated by two men while the Hittites deployed a heavier variant operated by three men. The Egyptians used rally tactics in combination with bows and arrows to outpace and outmaneuver the much heavier Hittite chariots.