216: How Ramesses Described Kadesh

The war of the words. 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 survive at the temples of Abu Simbel, Karnak, Luxor, Abydos, and the Ramesseum. Among those texts, we have the “Literary Record” or “Kadesh Poem.” A lengthy, dramatised version of the events, painting Ramesses as the great hero. In this episode, I introduce the Literary Record and then read it in full, with musical accompaniment by Jeffrey Goodman.

LIVESTREAM about "The Art of Kadesh" on Sunday 14 September. To join, simply subscribe to my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ancientegypthist. The Livestream will be Sunday September 14 at 16:30 (UK time). This translates to:

Berlin, Germany Sun, 14 Sep 2025 at 17:30 CEST

London, United Kingdom Sun, 14 Sep 2025 at 16:30 BST

New York, USA Sun, 14 Sep 2025 at 11:30 EDT

Los Angeles, USA Sun, 14 Sep 2025 at 08:30 PDT

Check other timezones here https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20250914T153000&p1=37&p2=136&p3=179&p4=137

To learn more about the “Battle of Kadesh” narrative as a piece of literary/historical storytelling, see:

Brand, P. J. (2023). Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ultimate Pharaoh. Lockwood Press. https://www.lockwoodpress.com/product-page/ramesses-ii-egypt-s-ultimate-pharaoh-paper

Manassa, C. (2013). Imagining the Past: Historical Fiction in New Kingdom Egypt. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199982226.003.0003

Spalinger, A. J. (2021). The Books Behind the Masks: Sources of Warfare Leadership in Ancient Egypt. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004466111

More music by Jeffrey Goodman www.jeffreygoodman.com and on Spotify.

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