Humankind appears to move in cycles from times of war and destruction, to times of peace and prosperity.

The earliest such cycle about which we have well-documented evidence dates back to over 3,000 years. The battle of Kadesh took place in 1274 BC along what is today the Lebanon-Syria border. The battle was between the Egyptians who controlled modern-day Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, and the Hittites who controlled part of modern day Turkey, Syria and Iraq.

Strong and dynamic leaders ruled the two empires — Muwatalli II for the Hittites and Ramses II for the Egyptians. Regional rivalry resulted in Ramses leading an army to conquer the Hittites. For that period, the conflict was at an unprecedented scale involving the use of 5,000 to 6,000 chariots. It also involved the use of disinformation and spies; and of new tactics of warfare where speed and agility — embodied in the small two-man Egyptian chariot — were pitted again the heavier, more cumbersome, three-man Hittite chariots.

Modern historians conclude that the battle ended in a draw. Ramesses II failed to achieve his objective of capturing the city of Kadesh but did break the Hittite army on the field; while Muwatalli II retained control of the city but failed to........

© The Express Tribune