The way Ramsesses organized his army reminds me of Napoleon and his Corps system. Each corps was a self sufficient and independent mini army, capable of operating on its own. Very flexible and mobile, but needs good leadership and coordination with the other corps. Interesting how old ideas are being forgotten and then reinvented and praised as something revolutionary new. :D
That's because most of the Historians that wrote about this battle, specifically before the 20th century, loved to draw parallels, no matter if they made sense or not, and they would even change things so that it would fit better with their vision. Most of what's here isn't quite right... Don't forget, most of what we know about this battle is told from a Egyptian perspective, therefore being pure propaganda (with important nuggets of truth). Even nowadays, egyptologist don't care much about cross referencing their shit with Hitite knowledge, plus the only thing most of them care about is excavating the Valley of Kings & Queens. There's a shit ton more they could be doing but they just don't care. I'm studying Military History, you wouldn't image how much of these documentaries are simplified bs. Too many people take what's written as fact instead of looking at something critically and cynically. A good Historian is like a Criminal Detective. You need to find proof and check everything you can to confirm your assumptions, not just read some ancient propaganda piece and take it all as fact.
Impressive that Ramesses allowed criticism of his performance, as well as him giving credit to Ne'Arin for saving his forces. The battle may have been a strategic defeat but it certainly showed Ramesses' leadership.
The narrative is probably mostly propaganda, it shows a tactical victory, but if the Pharaoh had the advantage that the narrative talk about he would not accept an unfavorable peace. The Hittites were much stronger than the Egyptians at the end of the battle, it could be that the narrative is mostly true, but the detachment of the Hittites was very small compared to the total forces mustered by Hatti and caused massive damage to the Egyptians, or it could be that the entire narrative was made up.
@@yaz2928 there is nothing inconclusive about the results, Egypt just failed at everything, not only the Hittites kept the land that was the sole objective of the campaign, but the Egyptians retreated in such a sorry state that it even emboldened the Canaanites to rebel. The peace that followed was an Hittite peace and the Egyptian prestige was shattered again in Canaan.
@@diegonatan6301 I'm not an expert on this and am willing to hear other arguments but it doesn't look like the Hittites followed up their "win" with any demonstration of force or followed up any advantage they gained which they surely would have done had the battle gone better. It looks to me as if this was a case of a very conservative and cautious withdrawal by both sides. A score draw in sports terms.
I think he only divided them in order to make it easier to travel. As with basically every pre-gunpowder battle that wasn't some sort of ambush, it's better to have your army all together and organized as one than split up. The idea was to travel up and form the army up at some point, but obviously Ramesses was misled about enemy dispositions.
rameses allowed what?? lol the man was an egotistical maniac,the only reason we know abt how this battle went was coz of the Hittite scribes who accurately depicted it's aftermath. egypt collapsed a generation after his rule. he ran it to the ground
The Bronze Age really is fascinating. Can't wait to see more. Maybe a video on navies of the time period, and the first recorded naval battle, where the Hittites defeated Alashiya?
History with Cy has the most extensive Bronze Age podcasts. A bunch of great episodes from that era on subjects you didn't even know you need you hear about.
@@naiad5043 I never said he captured kadesk. All I said is that Ramses led his army into the trap and that he led them out of it, so mad respect for leading his men out of said trap.
@@shakalalalalkh1098 actually no one knows 100% you’re just stating an opinion. It’s very possible if the Hittites pulled back the city did get occupied only to flip the door back open to the other side as soon as the Egyptians pulled back. Lots of accounts like that in history.
Muwatalli to his Chariots: ''Just scout the area and come back '' Muwatalli's Chariots when eyeing the Ra Division: '' I'm about to do what's called a pro gamer move. ''
Ramses III and Thutmoses III were be far the warlords of the new kingdom era in ancient Egypt, both had extensive records of their campaigns. Can't wait to see videos on them by this unique channel.
Ramesses just barely avoided being killed or captured himself. His forces were divided significantly and the Hittites could have swept over him if they fought togther.
Sinuhe the Egyptian is a historical novel by Mika Watari that takes place around this time and describes the kingdoms of Egypt , mittani , the Hittites and the Babylonians.
I thoroughly enjoyed Waltari's "The Egyptian"! You might also want to have a look at Norman Mailer's book "Ancient Evenings" (if you haven't already). It's a work of fiction, but it includes an excellent account (IMHO) of the Battle Of Kadesh which closely follows the Egyptian inscriptions.
Splendid video as usual ! Egyptian military history is a very good topic and so little highlighted in documentaries ! I hope you keep going on videos about ancient Egyptian warfare :) Your channel is a treasure, many thanks !
Fascinating! Recently I was in Hattusa in Turkey, I will be in Abu Simbel in a month, also this topic interests me VERY much. Thank you for describing this battle in such detail, it will be useful in my work, greetings! 💗💗💗
The Bronze Age collapse seems more improbable after seeing the expanse and power of these civilisations. One of the great mysteries of history the Bronze Age collapse is. I need to learn more about this time. Great video as always KG, Y'all are the best!
Consider that humans have existed for about 200K years then consider that this battle was only 3000 years ago. Not a lot gets recorded when a populace is just scraping by living off the land.
@@ChristianF15cher wouldn't it be amazing if recorded history was actually recorded? Sites are being discovered over 11,000 years old in Turkey, It's an exciting time for archeology. New Dead Sea scrolls found. Will our civilisation be here in 2000 years? What will we leave behind that will stand the test of time?
@@FreeFallingAir He who controls the present controls the past and he who controls the past controls the future. I predict that in the future the question will be “who controls Bartertown?”.
Yeah, or the french division, both of which are universally used in modern armies ^^ It's just that supplies had always been crucial in warfare, and dividing your force to divide the supplies needed is an excellent solution... if you can coordinate them ^^
@@harizotoh7 His real name was Ramessou (or rather Ra-ms(w) as hieroglyphs are a semitic writing without vowels ^^), Manethon transcribed his name in greek as Ῥαμέσσης in greek, and we romanized it as either Ramses, Ramesses, or Rameses, and it could even be romanized as Rhameses. So, no, Ramesses is not the only valid spelling, in french the most common is Ramsès, and that pronounciation appeared several centuries after the death of Ramessou and the fall of his dynasty ^^
The bronze age to me is the most fascinating time period in human history for me personally, even though it was 3000-4000 years ago the parallels and similarities to our modern day is striking.
I was recently watching your original video on the battle of Kadesh. It’s amazing how much your channel has improved throughout the years. Keep up the good work!
Long time viewer here. Your channel has turned me into a hobby historian and I love it. Going to become a member for your channel soon. I really appreciate the research you all put in and opinions given throughout. Credit to the smooth animators as well. Great content. I don't comment on every video but money always helps hahaha I encourage anyone else reading this to consider supporting educational channels like these.
The Battle of Megiddo The Battle of Megiddo (fought 15th century BC) was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Pharaoh Thutmose III and a large rebellious coalition of Canaanite vassal states led by the king of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
I always figured that "Hollywood" portrayed The Jewish Mythology narrative that Ramsese 2 was the guy in The Exodus while their timeline actually dates to Tutmose1, becuz they dont want people to realize Moses is an Egyptian name. But I am just guessing.
Is it really a strategic loss? Ramesses II was young. Even if he was practically a god-king, there should be still doubts over him from the nobilities who were more logical and power-hungry (at the time). Yeah he lost some territory and prestige at his foreign dominion, but inside his own domestic dominion he got one hell of an advertising material to assure his own people that he was indeed the chosen one. That allowed him to assert loyalty from his vassals, and lead to the subsequent future glory he would later get.
The goal was to recapture the areas, which they failed to do. Both sides faced heavy losses and it was an inconclusive batter which forced a peace treaty. Egypt failed to achieve it's strategic goals.
@@Bramble451 exactly, the Egyptians were completely beaten back and the only reason that the battle is narrated like that is because Egyptian propaganda was the only surviving narrative, to take it at face value is the same as taking by face value those pharaohs that ordered to wipe out the names of their predecessors from buildings and scribe their own names in their place.
I'm Egyptian And Ramses II is still considered here one the greatest rulers of Egypt & many Egyptians are named Ramses to this day , there a square named after him which is in the center of Cairo, his large statue stands tall in the entrance of the grand Egyptian museum which is the largest museum in the world for a single civilization that will be opened this year ( p.s stay tuned for the ceremony it will be like the mummy royal parade & the rams road reopening) and his temple at Abu simple is magnificent where the sun illuminates a statue of him at a right angle twice a year ( speculated to be his birthday & day of his coronation)
@@Archer89201 He is one the most successful military leaders in our history he led a 17 campaigns and remained undefeated . So he is a figure of national pride for us
@@R3LAX94 I'm a Coptic orthodox Christian and my name is mena was one of the title of king narmer the founder of the Egyptian kingdom who Unifed upper & lower Egypt So who are u to say that my history isn't mine ?
@@R3LAX94 Not all of us are Arabs in Egypt, many are of European and Asian descent, we may not be direct descendants of the old Egyptians but we must honor the history of the land we occupy.
I love it when you guys cover the Bronze Age. My focus is ancient Mesopotamia so sharing your videos really helps to explain things to my friends in an interesting and digestible way. the Bronze Age can be very convoluted and messy to explain in just words.
There are two copies of it: the one which was the copy for Hittites is in the Istanbul archeology museum and the other should be in Egypt. Interestingly these copies tell different stories. The Hittites's copy says they won the war, but Egyptian copy says they are the one who won the war 😸
@@Bramble451 It's the oldest for which there are still copies of it existing. Interestingly enough. It also talks about "mutual aid against the Sea Peoples".
I'd love to know more about chariot warfare. It's a mystery to me how they were able to maneuver off-road effectively without their thin wooden wheels constantly getting stuck or broken on rocks, roots, logs, sand, natural crevasses, ditches etc. If you've ever tried to cycle off-track on a normal non MTB bike, you'll know what I'm talking about (even with a MTB it can be hard). Also, how did the Egyptians not think to dig just a small trench? Doesn't have to be more than a foot deep, just get every soldier to take a couple of shovels out of the earth around the camp and you're immune to chariot attacks, right? To be fair, I never even understood how you can get horses to smash into shield walls and pointy sticks without them hurting themselves and going wild.
@@Bramble451 Are there any examples of Chariots in history that were used in shock attacks? It seems to me that mere horse psychology alone prevents this... But yet heavy cavalry is definitely a thing so.... I dunno.
@@Baseballnfj Later chariots in China in the Warring States period may have potentially been used as shock weapons, given that they were fitted with scythed axles as well as formed up with infantry in combined arms formations, with the infantryman following up the chariot attack disrupted the enemy formation as well as protecting charioteers in close quarter combat. Then again, this has not been proven by experimental archaeology, who have found that the charioteers were likely not used in direct shock attacks due to poor ergonomics with three men fighting together in a single chariot with bows and polearms, even if the chariots were relatively large.
@@Baseballnfj I think the video we just watched is an example of chariots being used as a shock attack. But yeah I've never understood how horse can work in melee combat without the troops just brutally attacking the horses.
When I studied history in University our professor told us that this wasn't the oldest known battle in history, but the oldest battle in history where we have the peace terms from both sides. If you're reading this K&G what is your take on that statement? Best regards, a Nurrik and Phoenix fan!
One thing I never get is why the media always portrayed Moses as someone who has something to do with Rameses II, who is considered as the greatest of all Pharaohs that Egypt ever has? Even more, Canaan was part of Egypt at the time. So the idea of Moses led the Hebrews to "leave Egypt for another part of Egypt" makes no sense at all.
Because Moses never existed and the Exodus is a myth :p But yeah, everyone makes the unnamed Pharaoh of the Bible Ramses, while.... it's probably the least plausible ^^'
It's all speculations but name of ramses wasn't mentioned in the bible And he didn't mention moses or the exodus And Hollywood isn't a reliable source for history because they change many events to add a dramatic effect
I remember listening to a great course lecture about Bronze Age empires say that the destruction of the Hurrian Kingdom of Mitanni was a strange occurrence for the time. The major powers of the period apparently engaged in a complex system of diplomacy and ritual relations, known colloquially now as the “Club of the Great Powers”, akin to the 19th century’s Concert of Europe. The idea of one of these kingdoms entirely destroying another one was shocking, and led to quite a few problems in the region, and consequences for the surrounding powers. Arguably the most important of these was the release of Assyria from Mitannian vassalage, leading to its eventual rise to dominance.
The very first recorded battle in history, and one side blew it by stopping to raid the enemy camp prematurely. Well, at least now that it's been written down, I'm sure no other commander in would ever allow that to happen again afterwards. /S
Now we have modern armchair generals who laugh at the greedy primitives while compulsively looting every dead body they find in their video games before the fighting has even ended.
Tolerance was almost default at the time. All these kingdoms and empires followed polytheistic religions, so they didn't care if their neighbours worshipped different gods. The Greeks and Romans for example thought that the gods were the same everywhere, and only their names changed according to the country. Relogious intolerance came later with monotheism.
@@alessandrodelogu7931 No. The Assyrians of that time is world famous for their superior gods (in their own eyes). When they conquered peoples they always attribiuted that to their Gods being superior to others God/Gods (Either it being Babylonian, Mitanni, Elamite, Cannanite or Isrealite.
@@RandomNorwegianGuy. But Assyrians stole the statues of other people’s Gods because they believed they existed and had power, which they wanted for themselves.
I like how you put little stuff on the side explaining what something is when you say it, its really helpful, whenever i hear stuff in history videos i dont know yet, i have to google it and it’s annoying. ur one of the only channels i know that actually explains.
And people think that the ancient world was backward. - Economy - Diplomacy - Culture - Warfare with divisions, light and heavy and cavalry - Peace treaties Considering the technological advancement of the age, people were extremely smart.
One inaccuracy though. The horses during the Bronze Ages were quite small compared to medieval and modern ones. Humanity has NOT YET COMPLETELY ARTIFICIALLY SELECTED big horses to be the norm.
Which is one of the reasons why they used Chariots instead of riding on Horseback. Their backs were to weak to carry a man, or at least carry one for an extended period.
@@boomerix That doesn't really make sense considering horseback riding was developed in the same period. It was technology holding them back, not the size of horse.
The battle of Kadesh was not the oldest recorded battle . This was the battle of Megiddo fought between Thutmosis 3rd. and Canaanite princes around 1450 BCE . It would be great if you could give an account of that battle as well.
@@Bramble451 That's why I said "if we want be be really technical." Because I am aware Kadesh is the first battle that actually has details about what unfolded during it. I'm just saying if you want to apply "first battle in history" to something there all mentions of conquests before this that most likely had battles so they're battles that are mentioned earlier in history. Just not mentioned in any detail.
Yessssssss!! I was just about to say yesterday that I was craving me some more bronze combat after I saw what you did on your most recent yt short with crescent formation I wanted more Bronze Age warfare Please do a video about the Sherdan or Sardinian Culture of the Iolei are amazing genuinely! From what I see they seem to be the raiders that raided Egypt in the Bronze Age collapse
Your first video on the battle was thr reason I started following your page (plus your reply to my comment was nice too). This one is so much more comprehensive, good job.
Amazing! Event though it lacked telling the later campaigns of Ramesses in the area after Kadesh. He even managed to go further north of Kadesh twice, into Dapur and Turnip. Everything else was amazing. What Total War model was used for the cinematic models?
It's insane that this is a bronze age battle, but it's within our grasp enough to make maps and discuss and analyze it as a historical event. This is almost contemporary with the Trojan War.
Can you do a series on the Qins wars of reunification during which the state of qin would conquer the Chinese states of Han,Zhao,Yan,Wei, Chu and Qi and the forces of the qin were led by their emperor Qin Shi Huang who is famous for the Terra-cotta army which guarded his tomb and the terra-cotta army was made up of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses.
Actually the battle of Megiddo happened a couple of centuries before this did. This battle was also the first recorded use of the composite bow as well as the first body count. It happened between the Egyptians led by Thutmose III and a Canaanite coalition.
I'm truly baffled by a curious phenomenon... This channel is subscribed and regularly watched by only history buffs... Every videos in this channel are thoroughly researched and beautifully pictured... Everybody who watches the videos should be enjoying it and I, rewatches them for number times I can't count !!!! As a matter of fact, there needs to be as much likes for the video as the number of views it garners... But, in truth, it usually doesn't... Why ????
You should surely cover more of the bronze Age since it's shrouded in mystery. Maybe a detailed video about the factors which caused entire civilization ( across esatern Mediterranean to China) to collapse
Actually the collapse only directly affected the Mediterranean to the Western edge of the Iranian Plateau. It had some effect on other places that directly traded with those regions, but not places like India or China.
@@Liquidsback Got replaced by the Zhou immediately after, unlike in the middle east, where society either collapsed, or severely weakened like in Egypt. China's society remained.
This video shows some of the shortcomming of the Rome 2 engine, as the chariots can only have 1 soldier, compared to Rome 1 or Rome Remastered where you can have 2, 3 and possibly more soldiers on a chariot, more accuratly recreatiing chariot warfare of that era.
Great video as always! A shame that there isn't that much information about the battlefield at Tollense, as it could give Kadesh a run for it's money as oldest battle ;) (the remains are dated between 1300-1250 bc, so around the same time)
the main problem with Tollense is that we don't even know exactly who fought and why. The civilisations of ancient europe are shrouded by mystery, we have some physical evidence that allows us to figure out some stuff, but it's nowhere near the vast amount of information we have about the fertile crescent.
@@thomac true, I think part of the reason for this may be the climate. The relatively humid climate is in most cases really bad when it comes to preserving stuff, unlike the eastern mediterranean with hot and dry climate. Also no writing and monumental buildings.
While this is the first well-documented battle, it's a shame we don't have a record of earlier battles. I read that archaeologists found physical evidence of another major Bronze Age battle in the Tollense Valley in Germany but there's no written record of it. And it would be fascinating to find out what really happened at Troy, or even earlier battles.
The battle of Tollense happened most probably about 25 years after this one. Also the Trojan war probably happened later (just before the late bronze age collapse). There are Egyptian accounts of earlier battles but they are very propagandistic in nature. That of Kadesh is extraordinary because its the first one for which we have accounts coming from both parts.
Good video. Now you definitely have to make a video on the Bronze Age collapse and the Sea Peoples. Among those peoples there were the Sherden, who came from Sardinia. The Nuragic civilization of Sardinia could also make an interesting video.
@@alissa6 Sardinians and Sicilians went to the Middle East to work as mercenaries. The pillaging came later, and it was only a part of the Bronze Age collapse.
@@adolphbismark4331 I know. In Sicily there were three different ethnicities, plus the Greek and Phoenician settlers who came later. In Sardinia there were many tribes and peoples, probably of different origins and languages, and some Phoenician colonies. Nonetheless these peoples are the ancestors of the modern Sardinians and Sicilians.
It would be an interesting topic, but it's a recent war and it would be too controversial. Maybe the first Karabakh war in the 1990s would be a better topic.
Qaf 50:36 وَكَمۡ أَهۡلَكۡنَا قَبۡلَهُم مِّن قَرۡنٍ هُمۡ أَشَدُّ مِنۡهُم بَطۡشًا فَنَقَّبُواْ فِى ٱلۡبِلَٰدِ هَلۡ مِن مَّحِيصٍ English - Sahih International And how many a generation before them did We destroy who were greater than them in [striking] power and had explored throughout the lands. Is there any place of escape? Qaf 50:37 إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكۡرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُۥ قَلۡبٌ أَوۡ أَلۡقَى ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ English - Sahih International Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind].
Head to keeps.com/kings to get 50% off your first order of hair loss treatment! Also, Star Wars: ruclips.net/video/EGNvYbmRgrM/видео.html
sir, what about the Battle of 10 kings which were in Rigveda of India.
@@LakshmiPraveenDiaries no artifact were found of that
@@gursimarsingh5505 for now. The Trojan war too was just a legend, until Schliemann found the city.
@@alessandrodelogu7931 still. These people won't make it. We have to do it ourselves.
Thank you kings and generals more on bronze age please .You gave me my Christmas wish
The way Ramsesses organized his army reminds me of Napoleon and his Corps system. Each corps was a self sufficient and independent mini army, capable of operating on its own. Very flexible and mobile, but needs good leadership and coordination with the other corps. Interesting how old ideas are being forgotten and then reinvented and praised as something revolutionary new. :D
My thoughts, exact! Truly ahead of his time.
Similar to the roman legion system
@Cowboy Bob not really; he was ambushed, so it was not a full-on pitched battle. But I may be wrong.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
That's because most of the Historians that wrote about this battle, specifically before the 20th century, loved to draw parallels, no matter if they made sense or not, and they would even change things so that it would fit better with their vision.
Most of what's here isn't quite right... Don't forget, most of what we know about this battle is told from a Egyptian perspective, therefore being pure propaganda (with important nuggets of truth). Even nowadays, egyptologist don't care much about cross referencing their shit with Hitite knowledge, plus the only thing most of them care about is excavating the Valley of Kings & Queens. There's a shit ton more they could be doing but they just don't care.
I'm studying Military History, you wouldn't image how much of these documentaries are simplified bs. Too many people take what's written as fact instead of looking at something critically and cynically.
A good Historian is like a Criminal Detective. You need to find proof and check everything you can to confirm your assumptions, not just read some ancient propaganda piece and take it all as fact.
@@Omnifarious42 then how do you find out the truth? Because then you have nothing but speculation
Impressive that Ramesses allowed criticism of his performance, as well as him giving credit to Ne'Arin for saving his forces. The battle may have been a strategic defeat but it certainly showed Ramesses' leadership.
The narrative is probably mostly propaganda, it shows a tactical victory, but if the Pharaoh had the advantage that the narrative talk about he would not accept an unfavorable peace. The Hittites were much stronger than the Egyptians at the end of the battle, it could be that the narrative is mostly true, but the detachment of the Hittites was very small compared to the total forces mustered by Hatti and caused massive damage to the Egyptians, or it could be that the entire narrative was made up.
@@yaz2928 there is nothing inconclusive about the results, Egypt just failed at everything, not only the Hittites kept the land that was the sole objective of the campaign, but the Egyptians retreated in such a sorry state that it even emboldened the Canaanites to rebel. The peace that followed was an Hittite peace and the Egyptian prestige was shattered again in Canaan.
@@diegonatan6301 I'm not an expert on this and am willing to hear other arguments but it doesn't look like the Hittites followed up their "win" with any demonstration of force or followed up any advantage they gained which they surely would have done had the battle gone better. It looks to me as if this was a case of a very conservative and cautious withdrawal by both sides. A score draw in sports terms.
I think he only divided them in order to make it easier to travel. As with basically every pre-gunpowder battle that wasn't some sort of ambush, it's better to have your army all together and organized as one than split up. The idea was to travel up and form the army up at some point, but obviously Ramesses was misled about enemy dispositions.
rameses allowed what?? lol the man was an egotistical maniac,the only reason we know abt how this battle went was coz of the Hittite scribes who accurately depicted it's aftermath. egypt collapsed a generation after his rule. he ran it to the ground
The Bronze Age really is fascinating. Can't wait to see more. Maybe a video on navies of the time period, and the first recorded naval battle, where the Hittites defeated Alashiya?
History with Cy has the most extensive Bronze Age podcasts. A bunch of great episodes from that era on subjects you didn't even know you need you hear about.
Pretty incredible to learn the peace treaty remained, unbroken until the bronze age collapse..
@Leo the British-Filipino loved his bronze age collapse one
Even copper age and and neolithic age is cool
Learning about the collapse was fascinating
Bronze age history is beautiful.
Truly
Those were the Mythical times
Facts
Then I suggest you to subscribe to Epimetheus if you haven't done it already. He's the best for bronze age
@@giorgiociaravolol1998 just subscribed myself, thanks for the tip.
As much as Ramses was at fault in leading his army into an ambush, you can't help but respect him for leading his men out of it.
u really believe he did that? These stories are from Egyptian accounts. He did not capture Kadesh like shown in this video
@@naiad5043 I never said he captured kadesk. All I said is that Ramses led his army into the trap and that he led them out of it, so mad respect for leading his men out of said trap.
@@shakalalalalkh1098 well then why does the video show it
@@shakalalalalkh1098 actually no one knows 100% you’re just stating an opinion. It’s very possible if the Hittites pulled back the city did get occupied only to flip the door back open to the other side as soon as the Egyptians pulled back. Lots of accounts like that in history.
@@naiad5043 this is one of the silliest arguments to make in a historical video considering you can say this about almost everything
Muwatalli to his Chariots: ''Just scout the area and come back ''
Muwatalli's Chariots when eyeing the Ra Division: '' I'm about to do what's called a pro gamer move. ''
Ramses III and Thutmoses III were be far the warlords of the new kingdom era in ancient Egypt, both had extensive records of their campaigns. Can't wait to see videos on them by this unique channel.
I'm surprised Rameses was criticized for dividing his army in such a way. Did Napoleon not do the same with his Corp Armee system?
Napolean was not ambushed like him. If the Hittaties had a little better spy network their heavt chariots would have swept the Egyptians to dust
@@cowboybob5301 Oh I do agree, his troops did end up isolated so it was a failure in practice, not in planning
Ramesses just barely avoided being killed or captured himself. His forces were divided significantly and the Hittites could have swept over him if they fought togther.
@@cowboybob5301 far more than 2000 years ago ramsses was centuries before the birth of Christianity
@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl Yip.... Jewish times. Ramses the 2nd i believe was Pharaoh at the time of Moses
Sinuhe the Egyptian is a historical novel by Mika Watari that takes place around this time and describes the kingdoms of Egypt , mittani , the Hittites and the Babylonians.
I'm re-reading it right now! It's a great book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Waltari's "The Egyptian"! You might also want to have a look at Norman Mailer's book "Ancient Evenings" (if you haven't already). It's a work of fiction, but it includes an excellent account (IMHO) of the Battle Of Kadesh which closely follows the Egyptian inscriptions.
I thought of that novel too when I first saw the video. It's really a great book.
I just finished that, great book💯. The movie is good also
No historical. All is fake! The actual story happens centuries before
Splendid video as usual ! Egyptian military history is a very good topic and so little highlighted in documentaries ! I hope you keep going on videos about ancient Egyptian warfare :) Your channel is a treasure, many thanks !
6 hours ago wtf
The video is 14 mins ago
@@alman29812 i think that is a bot or a YT bug
patreon?
@@TheColombiano89 copts are decentdend from hellenistic Egypt not Pharaohic one
Fascinating! Recently I was in Hattusa in Turkey, I will be in Abu Simbel in a month, also this topic interests me VERY much. Thank you for describing this battle in such detail, it will be useful in my work, greetings! 💗💗💗
waiting for a video from Abu Simbel!
Nice
@marc marc soon✌️
I envy you so much😍
You should have seen the clay tablet of Kadesh treaty at the Istanbul Archeology Museum.
The Bronze Age collapse seems more improbable after seeing the expanse and power of these civilisations. One of the great mysteries of history the Bronze Age collapse is. I need to learn more about this time. Great video as always KG, Y'all are the best!
@@viniciusdomenighi6439 that's well recorded, bronze age collapse not so much. I guess nothing lasts forever;)
Consider that humans have existed for about 200K years then consider that this battle was only 3000 years ago. Not a lot gets recorded when a populace is just scraping by living off the land.
@@ChristianF15cher wouldn't it be amazing if recorded history was actually recorded? Sites are being discovered over 11,000 years old in Turkey, It's an exciting time for archeology. New Dead Sea scrolls found. Will our civilisation be here in 2000 years? What will we leave behind that will stand the test of time?
@@SimuLord I often think of how we will save information for future generations. Great comment
@@FreeFallingAir He who controls the present controls the past and he who controls the past controls the future. I predict that in the future the question will be “who controls Bartertown?”.
Yes! Yes! Yes! More Bronze Age History!
So Ramesses basicaly used a system similar to Napoleon's Corps system. Which is very interesting as they lived 3000 years apart!
Yeah, or the french division, both of which are universally used in modern armies ^^
It's just that supplies had always been crucial in warfare, and dividing your force to divide the supplies needed is an excellent solution... if you can coordinate them ^^
Ramesses not Ramses.
@@harizotoh7 sorry,fixed!
@@harizotoh7 His real name was Ramessou (or rather Ra-ms(w) as hieroglyphs are a semitic writing without vowels ^^), Manethon transcribed his name in greek as Ῥαμέσσης in greek, and we romanized it as either Ramses, Ramesses, or Rameses, and it could even be romanized as Rhameses.
So, no, Ramesses is not the only valid spelling, in french the most common is Ramsès, and that pronounciation appeared several centuries after the death of Ramessou and the fall of his dynasty ^^
@@yaz2928 Yeah, I explained it badly, what I meant is taht ancient egyptian is transcribed without any vowels, like semitic languages ^^
The bronze age to me is the most fascinating time period in human history for me personally, even though it was 3000-4000 years ago the parallels and similarities to our modern day is striking.
I’ve been waiting for this remake for eternity. Great video.
It was Ancient Egypt and the Bronze age that really started off my interest in history when i was a kid. Great video Kings and Generals.
Star Wars video over here ^
I was recently watching your original video on the battle of Kadesh. It’s amazing how much your channel has improved throughout the years. Keep up the good work!
I was waiting for this. Please cover more battles from Ancient Egypt like Megiddo etc.
Thanks
Long time viewer here. Your channel has turned me into a hobby historian and I love it. Going to become a member for your channel soon. I really appreciate the research you all put in and opinions given throughout. Credit to the smooth animators as well. Great content. I don't comment on every video but money always helps hahaha I encourage anyone else reading this to consider supporting educational channels like these.
The Battle of Megiddo
The Battle of Megiddo (fought 15th century BC) was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Pharaoh Thutmose III and a large rebellious coalition of Canaanite vassal states led by the king of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
I always figured that "Hollywood" portrayed The Jewish Mythology narrative that Ramsese 2 was the guy in The Exodus while their timeline actually dates to Tutmose1, becuz they dont want people to realize Moses is an Egyptian name. But I am just guessing.
Please give us more Bronze Age content. Military, cultural, exonomic, trade, class divisions. The bronze age is so underrated
Thanks!
Their division system reminds me of my own corps system.
Love the history and mystery around the Bronze Age. Definitely need a series about the Bronze Age and the subsequent collapse.
Thank you for uploading a video on the Battle of Kadesh! The ancient civilizations such as the Hittites and Egyptians have always fascinated me. 😎
Is it really a strategic loss? Ramesses II was young. Even if he was practically a god-king, there should be still doubts over him from the nobilities who were more logical and power-hungry (at the time).
Yeah he lost some territory and prestige at his foreign dominion, but inside his own domestic dominion he got one hell of an advertising material to assure his own people that he was indeed the chosen one. That allowed him to assert loyalty from his vassals, and lead to the subsequent future glory he would later get.
The goal was to recapture the areas, which they failed to do. Both sides faced heavy losses and it was an inconclusive batter which forced a peace treaty. Egypt failed to achieve it's strategic goals.
@@Bramble451 exactly, the Egyptians were completely beaten back and the only reason that the battle is narrated like that is because Egyptian propaganda was the only surviving narrative, to take it at face value is the same as taking by face value those pharaohs that ordered to wipe out the names of their predecessors from buildings and scribe their own names in their place.
@@diegonatan6301 whenever I try to tear down some guys name off a law firm building and put mine in its place I get arrested.... :-(
Is he the same Rameses ll from moses?
I'm Egyptian
And Ramses II is still considered here one the greatest rulers of Egypt & many Egyptians are named Ramses to this day , there a square named after him which is in the center of Cairo, his large statue stands tall in the entrance of the grand Egyptian museum which is the largest museum in the world for a single civilization that will be opened this year ( p.s stay tuned for the ceremony it will be like the mummy royal parade & the rams road reopening) and his temple at Abu simple is magnificent where the sun illuminates a statue of him at a right angle twice a year ( speculated to be his birthday & day of his coronation)
@@Archer89201
He is one the most successful military leaders in our history he led a 17 campaigns and remained undefeated . So he is a figure of national pride for us
@@R3LAX94
I'm a Coptic orthodox Christian and my name is mena was one of the title of king narmer the founder of the Egyptian kingdom who Unifed upper & lower Egypt
So who are u to say that my history isn't mine ?
@@R3LAX94 Not all of us are Arabs in Egypt, many are of European and Asian descent, we may not be direct descendants of the old Egyptians but we must honor the history of the land we occupy.
Lmao.. this is like italians declare ceaser as national hero.
@@sktt1488 hey Bro, every country has its own culture, they're like fingerprints, no country can be a perfect replica of the other.
One of the best history channels on youtube!
I love it when you guys cover the Bronze Age. My focus is ancient Mesopotamia so sharing your videos really helps to explain things to my friends in an interesting and digestible way. the Bronze Age can be very convoluted and messy to explain in just words.
The storytelling in this ancient history documentary is next level! Totally immersed in the ancient world!
This battle also led to the oldest written peace agreement in history.
There are two copies of it: the one which was the copy for Hittites is in the Istanbul archeology museum and the other should be in Egypt. Interestingly these copies tell different stories. The Hittites's copy says they won the war, but Egyptian copy says they are the one who won the war 😸
@@Bramble451 It's the oldest for which there are still copies of it existing. Interestingly enough. It also talks about "mutual aid against the Sea Peoples".
@@georgecostanza5749 Which is why most historians call it a Draw.
@@Bramble451 That was a vassal kingdom of the Hittites. Not an international treaty between the two leading powers of the day.
I always thought this was the oldest recorded battle in history until you guys uploaded the battle of megiddo.
Still the greatest channel on youtube. Haven't watched one for a while but seeing this was entirely satisfying.
I'd love to know more about chariot warfare. It's a mystery to me how they were able to maneuver off-road effectively without their thin wooden wheels constantly getting stuck or broken on rocks, roots, logs, sand, natural crevasses, ditches etc. If you've ever tried to cycle off-track on a normal non MTB bike, you'll know what I'm talking about (even with a MTB it can be hard).
Also, how did the Egyptians not think to dig just a small trench? Doesn't have to be more than a foot deep, just get every soldier to take a couple of shovels out of the earth around the camp and you're immune to chariot attacks, right? To be fair, I never even understood how you can get horses to smash into shield walls and pointy sticks without them hurting themselves and going wild.
guess the egyptians weren't romans
@@Bramble451 Are there any examples of Chariots in history that were used in shock attacks? It seems to me that mere horse psychology alone prevents this...
But yet heavy cavalry is definitely a thing so.... I dunno.
@@Baseballnfj Later chariots in China in the Warring States period may have potentially been used as shock weapons, given that they were fitted with scythed axles as well as formed up with infantry in combined arms formations, with the infantryman following up the chariot attack disrupted the enemy formation as well as protecting charioteers in close quarter combat. Then again, this has not been proven by experimental archaeology, who have found that the charioteers were likely not used in direct shock attacks due to poor ergonomics with three men fighting together in a single chariot with bows and polearms, even if the chariots were relatively large.
@@Baseballnfj I think the video we just watched is an example of chariots being used as a shock attack. But yeah I've never understood how horse can work in melee combat without the troops just brutally attacking the horses.
@@tomy3116 who cares about China, china always fought itself
Ramses was both a fool and a badass in this battle at the same time.
Who's to say that those two words do not mean the same thing?
Yep, you are right, while Bramble451 is not.
An interesting period indeed!!
So glad to see this, Kadesh was one of the things that sparked my interest in history as a kid.
I remember first hearing of this on the history channels Decisive Battles. Tremendous work as always!
Glad to see you guys are remastering the original videos!
Was in Karnak Temple just 2 days ago where this battle is illustrated on the walls. Nice to see a video on it!
Fine display Kings and Generals
Wish you all the best in the New Year 🇨🇦
When I studied history in University our professor told us that this wasn't the oldest known battle in history, but the oldest battle in history where we have the peace terms from both sides. If you're reading this K&G what is your take on that statement? Best regards, a Nurrik and Phoenix fan!
Of course this isn't the oldest battle. Chinese Hindu sources talk of battles much earlier. Few things years older than Kadesh war
Awesome to see how thorough your channel is. Remaking a video on the Battle of Kadesh. This is awesome to see and amazing content! Love you guys!
One thing I never get is why the media always portrayed Moses as someone who has something to do with Rameses II, who is considered as the greatest of all Pharaohs that Egypt ever has? Even more, Canaan was part of Egypt at the time. So the idea of Moses led the Hebrews to "leave Egypt for another part of Egypt" makes no sense at all.
Because Hollywood movies are inspired from the Bible, that was written much later and from the point of view of the Jewish priesthood.
That was at exodus and they were vassals not under direct control Jacob and his sons came to Egypt before they took over canaan
It was part of the Egyptian empire, it technically wasn't "Egypt;" it is a distinct region with a distinct people, culture, and history.
Because Moses never existed and the Exodus is a myth :p
But yeah, everyone makes the unnamed Pharaoh of the Bible Ramses, while.... it's probably the least plausible ^^'
It's all speculations but name of ramses wasn't mentioned in the bible
And he didn't mention moses or the exodus
And Hollywood isn't a reliable source for history because they change many events to add a dramatic effect
Keep covering Egyptian history! Great job
I remember listening to a great course lecture about Bronze Age empires say that the destruction of the Hurrian Kingdom of Mitanni was a strange occurrence for the time. The major powers of the period apparently engaged in a complex system of diplomacy and ritual relations, known colloquially now as the “Club of the Great Powers”, akin to the 19th century’s Concert of Europe.
The idea of one of these kingdoms entirely destroying another one was shocking, and led to quite a few problems in the region, and consequences for the surrounding powers. Arguably the most important of these was the release of Assyria from Mitannian vassalage, leading to its eventual rise to dominance.
I love how you connect the topic with the commercial...the pharaons and bald spots... brilliant
The very first recorded battle in history, and one side blew it by stopping to raid the enemy camp prematurely. Well, at least now that it's been written down, I'm sure no other commander in would ever allow that to happen again afterwards.
/S
Now we have modern armchair generals who laugh at the greedy primitives while compulsively looting every dead body they find in their video games before the fighting has even ended.
Agincourt
Thanks for remaking this!
I love how you remake your old videos into a new video with deeper information and a new art style.
this dudes voice should be on all narrative historical films and docs! he captivates me
The Bonze Age is such an interesting time in history. This is quality content.
Thank you for the video, a pleasure to watch! Bronze age battles and campaigns deserve more of those.
I am fascinated by the Hittite empire. They were one of the first civilizations to practice religious tolerance and had contact with Troy.
Tolerance was almost default at the time. All these kingdoms and empires followed polytheistic religions, so they didn't care if their neighbours worshipped different gods. The Greeks and Romans for example thought that the gods were the same everywhere, and only their names changed according to the country. Relogious intolerance came later with monotheism.
@@alessandrodelogu7931 No. The Assyrians of that time is world famous for their superior gods (in their own eyes). When they conquered peoples they always attribiuted that to their Gods being superior to others God/Gods (Either it being Babylonian, Mitanni, Elamite, Cannanite or Isrealite.
@@RandomNorwegianGuy. yes, but the Assyrians never forced other peoples to worship their gods, or to stop worshipping their own.
@@RandomNorwegianGuy.
But Assyrians stole the statues of other people’s Gods because they believed they existed and had power, which they wanted for themselves.
@@RandomNorwegianGuy. he said "almost default". Don't twist his words.
I like how you put little stuff on the side explaining what something is when you say it, its really helpful, whenever i hear stuff in history videos i dont know yet, i have to google it and it’s annoying. ur one of the only channels i know that actually explains.
You made a mistake. The Treaty of Kadesh was between Ramses II and Hattusilli III, not Mursilli III
AWESOME! I wanted a video about this battle
This battle is so interesting! I love the Hittites and hope you do more videos on them!
not the first but one of them
Great video! Would love to see more on the Bronze Age!
And people think that the ancient world was backward.
- Economy
- Diplomacy
- Culture
- Warfare with divisions, light and heavy and cavalry
- Peace treaties
Considering the technological advancement of the age, people were extremely smart.
Wow! Well done! Great video!
One inaccuracy though. The horses during the Bronze Ages were quite small compared to medieval and modern ones. Humanity has NOT YET COMPLETELY ARTIFICIALLY SELECTED big horses to be the norm.
Which is one of the reasons why they used Chariots instead of riding on Horseback. Their backs were to weak to carry a man, or at least carry one for an extended period.
Humans themselves probably hadn’t evolved to be as big as depicted either.
@@boomerix consider that with things like genetic engineering we could all be riding dogs for combat purposes within a hundred years.
@@boomerix That doesn't really make sense considering horseback riding was developed in the same period. It was technology holding them back, not the size of horse.
@@memeteam2016 even mongol horses were just ponies 2000 years later
a battle I've come across in passing mention in studying the ancient near east very grateful for a video explaining such an ancient battle
The battle of Kadesh was not the oldest recorded battle . This was the battle of Megiddo fought between Thutmosis 3rd. and Canaanite princes around 1450 BCE . It would be great if you could give an account of that battle as well.
I hope this channel makes more videos about Ancient Egypt
Keep in mind this was the first ever recorded battle in history, not the first ever battle in human civilization
If we want to be really technical Narmer's conquest of Lower Egypt around 3150 BC probably had at least 1 battle take place.
@@Bramble451 That's why I said "if we want be be really technical." Because I am aware Kadesh is the first battle that actually has details about what unfolded during it. I'm just saying if you want to apply "first battle in history" to something there all mentions of conquests before this that most likely had battles so they're battles that are mentioned earlier in history. Just not mentioned in any detail.
Absolutely gorgeous!! Thank you so much guys! Happy New Year!!
Wasn't Megiddo the first battle we have first hand accounts of in history? Or is Kadesh the only one we have this much information on?
The one with full details. Megiddo had most the end result
Kings and Generals, thank you. I have been wanting this for ages and i seriously appreciate you making a video on it!
Nice, some love to the Bronze Age!
That was awesome! At the conclusion of the battle I was like "YEAH! GO RAMESSES!" 👏🏼🧐
Yes, another gem...and a famous battle! Inspired use of maps as usual, a real pleasure to follow!👍👍
Your RUclips channel is the most TV i watch. Thanks for the great content
Yessssssss!! I was just about to say yesterday that I was craving me some more bronze combat after I saw what you did on your most recent yt short with crescent formation I wanted more Bronze Age warfare
Please do a video about the Sherdan or Sardinian Culture of the Iolei are amazing genuinely! From what I see they seem to be the raiders that raided Egypt in the Bronze Age collapse
Your first video on the battle was thr reason I started following your page (plus your reply to my comment was nice too). This one is so much more comprehensive, good job.
More about Hittites and other Anatolian Empires would be good
Thank you , K&G .
🐺
Amazing! Event though it lacked telling the later campaigns of Ramesses in the area after Kadesh. He even managed to go further north of Kadesh twice, into Dapur and Turnip. Everything else was amazing. What Total War model was used for the cinematic models?
It's insane that this is a bronze age battle, but it's within our grasp enough to make maps and discuss and analyze it as a historical event.
This is almost contemporary with the Trojan War.
Can you do a series on the Qins wars of reunification during which the state of qin would conquer the Chinese states of Han,Zhao,Yan,Wei, Chu and Qi and the forces of the qin were led by their emperor Qin Shi Huang who is famous for the Terra-cotta army which guarded his tomb and the terra-cotta army was made up of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses.
That's really an interesting topic but i guess the number of soldiers mentioned in historical chinese records is quite exaggerated
@@markwagdyel-magrisy6620 An iron age civilization could so muster a ten million strong army.
Well done on one oldest battles we know of.
Actually the battle of Megiddo happened a couple of centuries before this did. This battle was also the first recorded use of the composite bow as well as the first body count. It happened between the Egyptians led by Thutmose III and a Canaanite coalition.
I'm truly baffled by a curious phenomenon... This channel is subscribed and regularly watched by only history buffs... Every videos in this channel are thoroughly researched and beautifully pictured... Everybody who watches the videos should be enjoying it and I, rewatches them for number times I can't count !!!!
As a matter of fact, there needs to be as much likes for the video as the number of views it garners... But, in truth, it usually doesn't... Why ????
You should surely cover more of the bronze Age since it's shrouded in mystery. Maybe a detailed video about the factors which caused entire civilization ( across esatern Mediterranean to China) to collapse
Actually the collapse only directly affected the Mediterranean to the Western edge of the Iranian Plateau. It had some effect on other places that directly traded with those regions, but not places like India or China.
A detailed video about an event shrouded in mystery? Hmmmmm
Bronze Age collapse never reached China, too isolated.
@@sodadrinker89 Though the Shang did collapse in 1050 BCE, around the same time.
@@Liquidsback Got replaced by the Zhou immediately after, unlike in the middle east, where society either collapsed, or severely weakened like in Egypt. China's society remained.
Great to see videos on the Bronze Age!
This video shows some of the shortcomming of the Rome 2 engine, as the chariots can only have 1 soldier, compared to Rome 1 or Rome Remastered where you can have 2, 3 and possibly more soldiers on a chariot, more accuratly recreatiing chariot warfare of that era.
Superb. More on the Bronze Age, please.
Great video as always!
A shame that there isn't that much information about the battlefield at Tollense, as it could give Kadesh a run for it's money as oldest battle ;)
(the remains are dated between 1300-1250 bc, so around the same time)
the main problem with Tollense is that we don't even know exactly who fought and why. The civilisations of ancient europe are shrouded by mystery, we have some physical evidence that allows us to figure out some stuff, but it's nowhere near the vast amount of information we have about the fertile crescent.
@@thomac true, I think part of the reason for this may be the climate. The relatively humid climate is in most cases really bad when it comes to preserving stuff, unlike the eastern mediterranean with hot and dry climate.
Also no writing and monumental buildings.
Glad you covered this! Bronze age is soo much undiscovered and somehow forgotten, though it's actually very rich
While this is the first well-documented battle, it's a shame we don't have a record of earlier battles. I read that archaeologists found physical evidence of another major Bronze Age battle in the Tollense Valley in Germany but there's no written record of it. And it would be fascinating to find out what really happened at Troy, or even earlier battles.
The battle of Tollense happened most probably about 25 years after this one. Also the Trojan war probably happened later (just before the late bronze age collapse).
There are Egyptian accounts of earlier battles but they are very propagandistic in nature. That of Kadesh is extraordinary because its the first one for which we have accounts coming from both parts.
Great tactical explanation of difficult source material. Well done.
Good video. Now you definitely have to make a video on the Bronze Age collapse and the Sea Peoples. Among those peoples there were the Sherden, who came from Sardinia. The Nuragic civilization of Sardinia could also make an interesting video.
Sardinians and Sicilians bored in their islands, coming to the middle east to conquer and destroy.
@@alissa6 Sardinians and Sicilians went to the Middle East to work as mercenaries. The pillaging came later, and it was only a part of the Bronze Age collapse.
There were not such things as Sardinians and Sicilians back than.
And certainly nothing to do with todays Sicilians and Sardinians .
@@adolphbismark4331 I know. In Sicily there were three different ethnicities, plus the Greek and Phoenician settlers who came later. In Sardinia there were many tribes and peoples, probably of different origins and languages, and some Phoenician colonies. Nonetheless these peoples are the ancestors of the modern Sardinians and Sicilians.
I am one of the descendants of ancient Egyptians and welcome to Egypt 🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬
Next video : Most recent battle the 2nd Karabakh war (2020)
It would be an interesting topic, but it's a recent war and it would be too controversial. Maybe the first Karabakh war in the 1990s would be a better topic.
To be educated about a battle that took place three millenia ago is a marvelous thing.
Qaf 50:36
وَكَمۡ أَهۡلَكۡنَا قَبۡلَهُم مِّن قَرۡنٍ هُمۡ أَشَدُّ مِنۡهُم بَطۡشًا فَنَقَّبُواْ فِى ٱلۡبِلَٰدِ هَلۡ مِن مَّحِيصٍ
English - Sahih International
And how many a generation before them did We destroy who were greater than them in [striking] power and had explored throughout the lands. Is there any place of escape?
Qaf 50:37
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكۡرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُۥ قَلۡبٌ أَوۡ أَلۡقَى ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ
English - Sahih International
Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind].