Egyptian-Hittite Peace Treaty (1259 BCE)
Context
The Egyptian-Hittite treaty dates to the closing centuries of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600–1100 BCE), when a few great empires dominated the ancient Near East (the modern-day Middle East). These empires controlled many smaller kingdoms called vassal states. Between 1550 and 1100 BCE the Egyptian empire had dominion over the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, including present-day Israel, Lebanon, and parts of western Syria. Hatti was located in the center of Turkey, with its empire extending into western Turkey. At some unknown point before 1353 BCE, Egypt and Hatti made a treaty of peace and friendship. Since they did not share a common border at this time, relations were good. But around 1340 BCE, during the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton, the Hittite emperor Suppiluliumas (or Suppiluliuma) I conquered much of Syria, including Amurru and Kadesh, two of Egypt's vassal provinces. This was not a clear case of Hittite aggression; the vassal king of Amurru...
