Page Content (OCR)
The biblical language is almost identical to the words of a later Pharaoh, Ramses II, used by him to describe the miraculous ap- pearance of" Amon-Ra at his side during a decisive battle fought with the Hittites in 1286 B.C. Taking place at the fortress of Kadesh in Lebanon, the battle pit- ted four divisions of the Pharaoh Ramses II against forces mobi- lized by the Hittite king Muwatallis from all parts of his empire. It ended with an Egyptian retreat, cutting short Egypt's northward thrust toward Syria and Mesopotamia. It also drained Hittite re- sources and left them weakened and exposed. The Hittite victory might have been more decisive, for they had almost captured the Pharaoh himself. Only partial Hittite inscrip- tions dealing with the battle have been found; but Ramses, on his return to Egypt, saw fit to describe in detail the miracle of his es- cape. His inscriptions on temple walls, accompanied by detailed illus- trations (Fig. 2), relate how the Egyptian armies had reached Ka- desh and encamped south of it. readying themselves for the battle. Surprisingly the Hittite enemy did not step forward to do battle. Ramses then ordered two of his divisions to advance toward the fortress. It was then that the Hittite chariots appeared as if from no- where, attacking the advancing divisions from behind and causing havoc in the encampments of the two others. As the Egyptian troops began to flee in panic. Ramses suddenly realized that "His Majesty was all alone with his bodyguard": and "when the king looked behind him, he saw that he was blocked off by 2,500 chariots"—not his own but of the Hittites. Abandoned by THE WARS OF GODS AND MEN