Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty (the 'Eternal Treaty')
- Date
- c. 1259 BCE
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Egypt & Anatolia (Hattusa / Karnak)
- Era
- Ancient Civilizations
- Significance
Some sixteen years after Kadesh, Ramesses II of Egypt and Hattusili III of the Hittite Empire concluded a formal peace agreement, known as the 'Eternal Treaty' or 'Silver Treaty'.
It is the oldest surviving peace treaty whose text is preserved from both parties: an Egyptian hieroglyphic version inscribed on temple walls at Karnak and the Ramesseum, and an Akkadian cuneiform version on clay tablets recovered from the Hittite archive at Hattusa (Boğazköy). The treaty declared an end to hostilities, established a defensive alliance with mutual aid against rebellion or invasion, and provided for the extradition of fugitives. It marks a milestone in the history of international diplomacy and law, demonstrating sophisticated inter-state relations in the Late Bronze Age. A replica hangs at the United Nations headquarters in New York as a symbol of international peacemaking.
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Empires active in c. 1259 BCE
- New Kingdom of Egypt1550 BCE – 1077 BCE
- Shang Dynasty1600 BCE – 1046 BCE
- Hittite Empire1650 BCE – 1178 BCE
- Elamite Kingdom2700 BCE – 539 BCE
Related politics & governance events
- Amarna letters: cuneiform as the language of diplomacyc. 1360–1332 BCE
- Mycenaean Takeover of Knossos and the Linear B Archivesc. 1450 BCE
- Duke of Zhou's Regency, the Fengjian System and Ritual Orderc. 1042–1036 BCE
- Ahmose I expels the Hyksos and founds the New Kingdomc. 1550 BCE
- Code of Hammurabi inscribed on the basalt stelec. 1755 BCE
- Senusret III's Nubian campaigns and administrative centralisationc. 1850 BCE
Further reading
The wider story
The Kingdom of the Hittites
The standard readable narrative history of the Hittite state.
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