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Pages in this article: [ THE
LIFE OF RAMESSESS THE GREAT ]
[ THE EARLY YEARS ] [ NEFETARI ] [ RAMESSESS THE WARRIOR ] [ BATTLE OF KADESH ] [ RAMESSES THE GOD ] [ RAMESSES THE BUILDER ] [ DEATH OF A GOD ]
Ramesses the warrior
During his youth, Ramesses would have seen his father quell
numerous uprisings and so reasserting Egypt's authority over the Near East.
Indeed, Seti set up inscriptions claiming to have attacked and defeated "the
vile Kheta" the Egyptian name for the Hittites,
boasting that he had even taken the strategic town of Kadesh in Syria. Hittite
records give some credence to this claim; suggesting that a treaty was agreed
upon between Seti and Mursilis II, resulting in a period of stability in
the region.
Egypt once again faces a period of threats and rebellions
from the Asiatics in the East and the Nubians to the South.
| Seti furthers
Ramesses's military education by allowing the already accomplished
soldier to take sole command of his army to march south and subdue the
Nubian revolt. Ramesses is still only twenty-two years old.
Ramesses was, by now, a
father to two sons, one from each wife. Amenherunemef aged five by
Nefertari and Khaemwaset aged four by Isis-Nofret. |
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Perhaps
emulating his own upbringing, he takes his young family along with him
to Nubia, introducing his sons to pharaonic responsibilities at an early
age.
The truce brokered
between Egypt and Hatti is broken with the death of the two great, old
kings. The whole region becomes likened to an active volcano, simmering
below the surface, ready to explode at any moment. |
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As
an astute tactician, Ramesses knew that Egypt was susceptible to attack from her
enemies in and around the Delta region, especially from Libyan nomads. So
Ramesses had a defensive line constructed, consisting of a series of forts along
Egypt's north-western frontier. Another similar defensive line protected
Egypt’s eastern border against attack from the Canaanites.
With his borders now strengthened Ramesses was in a position to flex his
military muscles. Ramesses was present at Seti's campaign against the Hittites
ending in an unsatisfactory truce, allowing the Hittites
to retain control of Amurru and Kadesh.
In the summer of his 4th regnal year, Ramesses embarked on a campaign of
victory to regain control of these two cities and restore Egypt's reputation in
the Levant. His army marched east through Canaan taking control of the
Phoenician ports along the way before turning inland to persuade the ruler of Amurru
to change his allegiance from Hatti to Egyptian. In triumph Ramesses returned to
Egypt leaving behind a division of his elite soldiers to garrison the city; this
garrison would later prove vital in his battle for Kadesh.
Ramesses had now provided Egypt with a defensive breakwater from which she
could launch counter offensives. The
Hittites were acutely aware of the imposing changes in the situation, promptly
recapturing Amurru and some of Syria, only halting their advance southwards due
to a new threat from the east, namely, the Assyrians. Dominance of the Levant
was now balanced on a knife-edge.
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Next: the battle of Kadesh >> |
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