Ancient Descriptions. In the fifth year of his reign, circa 1274 B.C.E., Ramesses II fought the Hittite king Muwatallis at Qadesh, a city on the Orontes River in modern Syria. The ancient Egyptian description of the battle survived in eight different copies. These copies include long inscriptions at the Temples of Abydos, Karnak, Luxor, the Ramesseum, and Abu Simbel. The temple inscriptions also included elaborate relief with labels, depicting highlights of the battle. Three copies of the inscription on papyrus have also survived. This plentiful documentation is a unique situation in ancient Egyptian history. Yet, the interpretation of these documents is still debated.

Equipping the Army. Ancient descriptions of the battle started with the events of April 1274 in Memphis. The army first received weapons and other supplies for their march eastward. The narration continued with the journey across the...