Ramesses II participated in numerous military campaigns and battles, continuing the works of his predecessors. Early in his reign, Ramesses II fought off the raiding Sherden pirates in the western Delta. In his forth year as pharaoh, Ramesses II campaigned in Asia, and in the following year warred against the Hittites in the most important battle of his reign, the Battle of Kadesh. This scope of involvement signifies an active involvement in the military dimension of pharaoh-ship. Whether or not Ramesses II has been successful in such campaigns, however, is debatable.
Ramesses II led energetic campaigns in the north against the Libyans and the Hittites. The campaigns undertaken in Libya were, to his merit, of great success. The Battle of Kadesh, on the other hand, did not achieve the same victory as that of Libya, despite sources saying otherwise. Evidence, such as the accounts inscribed on the First Pylon at Luxor and the Second Pylon of Ramesses II’s Mortuary Temple (the Ramesseum), suggest that Ramesses II, solely, slaughtered an opposing army of 2500 chariots- a highly unlikely event. Other evidence that contradict this version of events, include the conflicting accounts found on the cuneiform tablets at Hattusas (the Hittite capital) and the signing of the great peace treaty between the two parties, indicative of the lack of advancement in controlling the region. This inconsistency points to the idea that Ramesses II’s accounts of the Battle of Kadesh were merely an act of propaganda and self-promotion.
Ramesses II failed to achieve his intended objectives at Kadesh. Although he made his presence numerous during war, an indication of his courage and enthusiasm, it was this enduring persistency that caused his downfalls. Ramesses II lacked the ability to foresee his imminent losses. The eventual signing of a peace treaty after 20 years of armed conflict illustrates Ramesses II’s failure to perceive the realities of war and to cut his losses. The end result saw none of his initial plans follow through and many years of efforts, resources and lives wasted away.
Although, to his credit, Ramesses II attained some success as a military pharaoh, to name him the “greatest military pharaoh” is an overstatement of Ramesses II’s expertise in the field and is an undermining of his predecessors. Upon inspection of sources and through logical reasoning, it is safe to say that much of Ramesses II’s buildings and monuments did not seek to provide an accurate description of the events that took place, but rather to glorify and publicise his own name.
-Danielle Khouri =]
