Archaeologists have unearthed a 3,400-year-old fragment of the Treaty of Kadesh, recognized as the world’s oldest known peace treaty, according to an announcement by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The new discovery was made at Hattusha, the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire located in north-central Turkey.
The agreement, signed approximately in 1269 B.C. between Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II and Hittite King Hattusili III, is considered a landmark diplomatic milestone ending a protracted conflict between the two powers. While other sections of the treaty have been found previously, this latest fragment contains text regarding the treatment of refugees.
“We have found traces of peace, thousands of years old, in the soil of Anatolia,” Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated in a translated Sept. 21 release. He added that the artifact serves as a reminder of the responsibility to protect human life and dignity.
The cuneiform tablet was recovered from a building within the ancient Hittite capital. The Hittite Empire dominated central Anatolia during the Bronze Age, roughly between 1650 and 1200 B.C. Hattusha has yielded numerous diplomatic documents written in Akkadian, the earliest recorded Semitic language, including prior fragments of this specific treaty.
Although commonly referred to as the Treaty of Kadesh, the document does not explicitly mention the Battle of Kadesh, which took place several years prior. It is also known as the Egyptian-Hittite peace treaty, the Eternal Treaty, or the Silver Treaty. The accord was preserved through inscriptions in two ancient cities: hieroglyphic versions were discovered on temple walls in Thebes (modern Luxor) in the early 19th century, while Akkadian cuneiform fragments were identified at Hattusha in the early 20th century.
Marking the end of a two-century war over eastern Mediterranean territories, the treaty established a military détente. According to translations provided by the Turkish ministry, the text includes phrases such as, “He is a brother to me and he is at peace with me; and I am a brother to him and I am forever at peace with him,” referring to the two rulers. It further states, “The country of Egypt and the country of Hatti will be forever in a state of peace and of fraternity.”
The treaty outlines provisions for mutual defense against invasion and specifies how refugees should be handled. It mandated the return of fugitives from one nation to the other, as fleeing was deemed a crime. However, it strictly prohibited physical mutilation or destruction of property for these refugees: “Their tongue and their eyes are not to be pulled out; their ears and their feet are not to be cut off; their houses with their wives and their children are not to be destroyed.” The newly found fragment includes part of this protective text.
A copper replica of the Treaty of Kadesh is prominently displayed at the United Nations Conference Building in New York City. The U.N. notes that the treaty’s pledges of eternal friendship, lasting peace, territorial integrity, nonaggression, extradition, and mutual assistance align closely with modern United Nations ideals. Ongoing excavations at Hattusha may reveal additional portions of the historic document.
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