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relations that a reproduction hangs in the United Nations head- quarters. Acknowledged by Ramses II, king of Egypt, and Hat- tusil III, the Hittite emperor, it was the first state-to-state treaty. The Egyptian version was reported on two steles, one at the Karnak temple of Amun and the other at the Ramesseum. The treaty included extradition clauses for political opponents and provided the basis for a lasting peace. Throughout the remain- der of Ramses’ 67 years of kingship, the two countries had no further conflict with one another. Personal links were forged between the two royal families, traced through 26 letters sent to Hattusil and 13 sent to his wife, Pudukhepa. Parallel versions of the treaty were kept in each capital, one transcribed in Egyptian hieroglyphics, the other in Akkadian, using cuneiform script. Both versions survive.
The majority of the text is identical except the Hittite ver- sion claimed the Egyptians came suing for peace. The Egyptian version claimed the reverse. The treaty was presented to the Egyptians in the form of a silver plaque. The treaty contained 18 articles: first for peace, then that of their countries’ respec- tive gods who also demanded peace, and a simple declaration to end hostilities. Egypt’s acceptance ended the war in Syria but meant there would be no chance to restore Qadesh and Amurru. In return for this sacrifice, the dispute between the two countries ended with a clear line of demarcation between Egyptian and Syrian territories. This privilege had been lost for more than a century. The agreement contained a mutual-assistance pact in the event that one of the empires should be attacked by a third party, or in the event of internal strife. Additional articles pertained to the repatriation of refugees and provisos that they should not be harmed; this could be considered as the first extradition treaty. There were also threats of retribution, should the treaty be bro- ken. Following are excerpts from the peace treaty, as told in Peace
Treaty Between Egypt and the Hittite, by Dr. Sameh M. Arab:
“Reamasesa, the great king, the king of the country of Egypt, shall never attack the country of Hatti to take possession of a
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part (of this country). And Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of Hatti, shall never attack the country of Egypt to take possession of a part (of that country).”
“If a foreign enemy marches against the country of Hatti and if Hattusili, the king of the country of Hatti, sends me this message: ‘Come to my help against him,’ Reamasesa, the great king, the king of the Egyptian country, has to send his troops and his chariots to kill this enemy and to give satisfaction to the country of Hatti.”
To avoid any further dispute, if a refugee should flee to the other country, ten articles were dedicated to their extradition. Here is one:
“If a great person flees from the country of Hatti and if he comes to Reamasesa, the great king, king of the country of Egypt, then Reamasesa, the great king, the king of the country of Egypt, has to take hold of him and deliver him into hands of Hattusili, the great king, the king of the country of Hatti.”
Both sides agreed that fugitives were to be treated with dig- nity and returned without being punished:
“If a man flees from the country of Hatti, or two men, or three men, and if they come to Reamasesa, the Great King, the king of the country of Egypt, his brother, then Reamasesa, the Great King, the king of the country of Egypt, has to take hold of them and to order them to be taken to Hattusili, his brother, since they are brothers. As for their crime, it should not be imputed; their language and their eyes are not to be pulled out; their ears and their feet are not to be cut off; their houses with their wives and their children are not to be destroyed.”
In the last two articles, the 1,000 gods of either land were invoked as witnesses and guarantors of the peace. Only some of the gods were named, including Ra, the great god of Egypt, and Teshub, the storm and weather god of the Hittites. As soon as the treaty became effective, greetings were exchanged between the two courts, particularly from the two queens, Nefertari of Egypt and Pudukhepa, the Hittite queen. Nefertari wrote, as the Peace treaty
told by Dr. Sameh M. Arab in Peace Treaty Between Egypt and
the Hittite:
I hear, my sister that you have written to ask after my peace and the relations of good peace and fraternity that exists
In an attempt to establish peace between their two kingdoms, ramses II and King hattusil III of the hittite kingdom corre- sponded regularly by letters carved into stone tablets (above). the two finalized the peace treaty after ramses II married one of hattusil’s daughters.
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between the Great King of Egypt and the Great King of Hatti, his brother. Ra and Teshub will deal with this so you can raise your look, may Ra assure the peace and strengthen the good fraternity between the Great King of Egypt and the Great King of Hatti, his brother, for ever.