History: The Warrior Pharaoh: Rameses Ii And The Battle Of Qadesh

Perhaps history's first great battle, Qadesh pitted two great warriors of the age against each other, Muwatallish of Hatti and the great warrior-Pharaoh Rameses II. With the fortunes of war swinging first one way then the other, the dramatic events of this key engagement make for a truly absorbing read. "Perhaps history's first great battle, Qadesh pitted the two great warriors of the age against each other, Muwatallish of Hatti and the great Warrior-Pharaoh Rameses II. Egypt's revival under the New Kingdom pharaohs was bound to bring her into conflict with her neighbour and in the event this key battle could have gone either way. With the Hittites gaining the initial advantage by surprising the Egyptians, all seemed lost until Rameses himself led his personal followers into the fray, throwing back the Hittite chariots. In spite of the appearance of Egyptian reinforcements, the bravery of the pharaoh and the tactically superior showing of the Egyptian chariots, the dislocation of his army dashed Rameses's wider strategic aspirations. Book jacket."--Jacket An account of the earliest battle in history whose course can be reconstructed in detail. The book describes the clash between Pharaoh Ramases II and the Hittite King Muwatallish, and uses photographs of inscriptions, pictorial reliefs on temple walls and battle field photographs. It is a measure of the fascination exerted by the Battle of Qadesh that nearly three and a quarter millennia after the event it still excites the interest of scholar and layman alike.