On Ancient Sources
 
Such was the report of a glorious victory in the Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274) against the Hittites inscribed on the walls of his temple at Abu Simbel by Ramses II. Archaeologists discovered the massive inscription in the late 1800s and assumed that Ramses and his Egyptian host had scored a decisive victory over the Hittites. Subsequent archaeological and historical evidence that was found, however, convinced most historians that the battle of Kadesh had not been a great victory for Ramses. At best the battle was a draw. At worst it was a marginal victory for the Hittites who continued to chip away at Egyptian holdings in the Eastern Mediterranean for several decades after the battle. Ramses’ glorious victory declaration represents an excellent illustration of the perilous risk one takes when one places trust in ancient primary evidence. We will discuss and employ various kinds of ancient sources in this course. Ancient sources include inscriptions, administrative records, various kinds of literature, and archaeological evidence. Each of these kinds of evidence varies in purpose, usefulness and trustworthiness.
Ramses II at Kadesh
I was like Set in his time before them. I found the 2,500 spans of chariotry, in whose midst I was, becoming heaps of corpses before my horses... their hearts quailed in their bodies from terror of me, and all their arms were powerless, [so that] they could not shoot nor find their courage to seize their javelins. I made them plunge into the water as crocodiles plunge, for they were falling upon their faces, one on another, as I slew among them whom I desired... My Majesty prevailed over them, for I was slaughtering among them, and I did not leave [any] over, for they were heaps of corpses before my horses, lying stretched out together in their own blood.