Kadesh: The 200 Year Enemy with Prof. Peter Brand

The History of Egypt Podcast

Dominic Perry

Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:33.6	Towards the end of his fifth regnal year, around June of 1287 BCE, the Egyptian pharaoh
0:41.2	Rameses II, decided to launch an attack on the city of Kadesh. This was a fortified town
0:48.7	in what is now Syria, and it occupied a space roughly halfway between the Hittite Empire in Anatolia and
0:56.8	the Egyptian kingdom in the Nile Valley.
1:00.0	Kadesh had been a perennial thorn in the side of the New Kingdom pharaohs.
1:05.2	Dating all the way back to Tudmos III, rulers of Kadesh had orchestrated rebellions and wars against the Egyptian
1:12.9	army. Now it was Ramesses' turn to face this troublesome city. But why? What was so important
1:21.5	about Kadesh? Why would Rameses launch himself hundreds of miles from home in order to take a distant, troublesome
1:29.3	town? This question, and others related to it, are ones that my guest today has spent a great
1:35.8	deal of time researching and considering. Please welcome back to the show, Professor Peter
1:42.0	Brand. Peter Brand is professor at the University of Memphis
1:46.3	in the United States. He leads an archaeological project at Karnak Temple, surveying and documenting
1:53.2	the great Hypo-style Hall, erected by King Setti I, and decorated by Setti and his son,
2:00.2	Ramesses. Peter has joined us several times on the podcast
2:03.8	to discuss the reins and deeds of these rulers, which he lays out in his recent book,
	...

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