4.+An++Historic+Battle

= ** 4. An Historic Battle ** = = = The pharaoh Ramses II reigned during the New Kingdom, from about 1290 to 1224 BCE. He is famous for his building projects, including the temples at Abu Simbel and ones in most other major Egyptian cities. In the early part of his reign he battled the Hittites, who inhabited the area that comprises modern-day Turkey. In this activity, you’ll read a poem describing the battle between Ramses II and the Hittites at Kadesh. Ramses claimed a great victory in this battle and ordered this poem to be inscribed on the walls of five temples.
 * Introduction: **
 * Directions: **

All Web links for this lesson can be found at: []

@http://i-cias.com/e.o/hittites_map.htm @http://www.ancientanatolia.com/map04.htm
 * The Victory of Ramses II Over the Khita, 1326 BCE **
 * Hittite maps**

@http://www.arvendalstudios.com/egypt/photos/pharao3a.htm
 * "Giant Statue of Ramses II" found in 1996**

@http://www.theburnsgallery.com/PAGES/photographypages/19paper/paper19-48.html
 * Statue of Ramses II at Luxor**

@http://web.archive.org/web/20050212084252/http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9608/05/egypt.statue/ //(Link is to an archive)//
 * "Egyptologists stumble upon huge Ramses II statue"**

[|**The Victory of Ramses II Over the Khita, 1326 BCE**]@http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/1326khita.html Ramses II ordered this poem to be inscribed on the walls of five temples, along with engravings of scenes from the poem. It depicts Ramses’s military success in a battle against the Hittites (the Khita).

Read the first verse (paragraph). Remember that “Khita-land” is the land of the Hittites.

1. What did the king of the Hittites do? Why? Describe the event in your own words.

Read the second verse (note: “Pra-Hormakhu” relates to the god Hormakhu).

2. Describe in your own words the events described in this verse.

Read the third verse (note: “Baal” was the god of thunder).

3. What did Ramses do? Who did he take with him?

Read the fourth verse.

4. What happened in this verse? Describe the event in two or three sentences. 5. What did Ramses mean when he said “Not one was there to take his part in fight”? Read the first four lines of the next (fifth) verse, through “Is there anything without your knowledge I have done?” (Note: “Ammon” was a major Egyptian god).

6. Why is Ramses talking to Ammon? What does he want?

Read the last verse of the poem. The King in this verse is Ramses II.

7. How did this battle turn out? Was Ramses II successful this time?

8. What did Ramses think of the Hittites? What line gives you the clearest indication of his attitudes toward them?