Kadesh: What Was It Good For? with Prof. Peter Brand

The History of Egypt

Dominic Perry

Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 September 2025

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why is the Battle of Kadesh so famous, compared to other ancient conflicts? What can we take away from Ramesses' account in terms of "truth" vs "rhetoric." And what did it all up to, really? Prof. Peter Brand returns to discuss the battle in great detail, from the blow-by-blow moments to the larger strategic and political context. Along the way, we learn why Ramesses is like Rambo, and take a whimsical visit to medieval Bohemia... I'll be doing a livestream about the "Art of Kadesh" on Sun 07 September (UK time). See it at my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@ancientegypthist Prof. Peter Brand’s book Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ultimate Pharaoh is available now through Lockwood Press and all good retailers. Other articles and publications by Prof. Peter Brand at Academia.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Monopoly game at McDonald's is back.
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0:09.0	Go on, it's your go.
0:12.0	18 plus, UK ends 21st of October, selected menu items.
0:16.0	At may be required.
0:17.0	May depend on winning moment.
0:18.0	See victory rules.co.
0:20.0	UK. Following its occurrence in be required. May depend on winning moments. See victory rules.co..
0:21.6	Following its occurrence in Regnall Year 5, the Battle of Kadesh looms large over Ramesses
0:29.4	the 2nd's early reign.
0:31.7	The art and hieroglyphs that tell that story appear on many of his temples, and they're
0:37.4	an important part of his public
0:39.1	persona and communication. I have told my version of this tale, but I'm just one storyteller.
0:46.5	It is good to get additional perspectives. My guest today is Professor Peter Brand of the
0:51.9	University of Memphis in Tennessee, USA.
0:56.0	Peter has joined us several times on the show to discuss the early rulers of Dynasty 19.
1:02.0	In particular, Ramesses II, subject of his new book, Egypt's Ultimate Pharaoh.
1:08.0	Professor Brand sat down with me to discuss the finer details of Kadesh,
1:12.9	including some things that I hadn't considered or got around to in my own narrative,
1:18.0	and a surprising take on the larger context of the battle. It's a deep dive discussion as Professor
1:24.6	Brand does best. I hope you enjoy.
	...

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