220: Dead Sea to Galilee
Moves and counter-moves. In the aftermath of Kadesh, Muwattalli (King of Hatti) apparently consoldiated his hold over Syria. Border territories like Amurru fell to Hittite influence. At home, Ramesses spent…
219: Abu Simbel, Ramesses’ Great Temple
Around 1286 BCE, builders started work at Abu Simbel. Sacred to a local form of Horus, this sandstone mountain would become one of the most famous monuments in the Nile…
218: Give Me Back my Donkey! and Other Tales
Daily Life in Ramessid Egypt, Part 1. Starting around 1300 BCE, the (surviving) corpus of written documents from Egypt begins to increase dramatically. It's not clear why, but papyrus and…
217: The Art of Kadesh
Livestream recording. Exploring Kadesh through visual storytelling. In this episode, we discuss the temple art, commissioned by Ramesses, to record the conflict in Syria. There are many vibrant details amid…
Posted in1292 BCE - 1226 BCE: Ramesses II New Kingdom, Part 4 (160 – 200) New Kingdom, Part 5 (206 - 250)
Kadesh: What Was it Good For? with Prof. Peter Brand
Why is the Battle of Kadesh so famous, compared to other ancient conflicts? What did it really change in the strategic situation? Why is the Battle of Kadesh so famous,…
216b: Kadesh, the Rock Musical! (Preview)
Heavy metal Hittites. An alternate version of "Kadesh, the Musical" done in a modern metal/rock style. Music by Luke Chaos https://chaosmusick.bandcamp.com/ Full version available to paid subscribers on my Patreon…
216: Kadesh, the Musical!
Tale of a "warrior hero." Following his strategic defeat at Kadesh, Ramesses set about putting his version of the story into wide circulation. Today, art and texts of this conflict…
215: Taking Hands, Healing Wounds
Who won? In the aftermath of battle, Ramesses and Muwattalli withdrew from Kadesh. We discuss the short- and long-term fallout and consider the "score card" for the respective armies. Then,…
A little behind
UPDATE: We are now caught up with the released episodes. Thank you everyone for your patience! Hello all, A quick update. It's been a minute since I published new blog…
214: The Battle of Kadesh
Ramesses vs Muwattalli. Listen on In June of 1287 BCE (approximately), one of antiquity’s great conflicts unfolded in southern Syria. Meeting near Kadesh (Qidsha), the armies of Egypt and Hatti…
