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Secondary sourceBook1890

The Hittites: Chapter on Egyptian and Assyrian Monuments

Archibald Sayce · 1890

A chapter from Archibald Sayce's 1890 book describing Ramesses II's long conflict with the Hittites.

Describes the long struggle between Ramesses II and the Hittites using ancient inscriptions as evidence.

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About this source

What it is

This chapter comes from The Hittites, written by scholar Archibald Sayce in 1890. It discusses the Hittites as recorded in Egyptian and Assyrian monuments, and describes the long struggle between the Hittites and Ramesses II, son of Seti.

Why it matters

This text reflects how 19th-century scholars used newly deciphered ancient inscriptions to piece together the history of Ramesses II's wars with the Hittites. It shows how Ramesses II's reign was shaped by decades of conflict with a powerful rival civilization, and how modern understanding of this history developed through the study of ancient texts.

Look closer

  • Why might inscriptions from Egypt and Assyria give different perspectives on the same events?
  • What does the length of this conflict suggest about the challenges Ramesses II faced as pharaoh?
  • How reliable might inscriptions made to glorify a king be as historical evidence?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ramses II (Ramses the Great) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Two clay cuneiform tablets on a clear acrylic stand against a red background. The larger tablet is broken into several fragments, covered in dense wedge-shaped writing. A smaller tablet fragment sits at lower right, also inscribed.Document

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c. 1258 BCE

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Secondary source

Abu Simbel Temple Colossi

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Primary source

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Ramesses II · c. 1273 BCE

Sepia photograph of the Abu Simbel temple facade in Egypt. A colossal seated stone statue of a pharaoh with a striped headdress dominates the right. Beside it stands a statue of a falcon-headed god wearing a sun disk. Relief carvings and hieroglyphs cover the wall, and a small seated man at the bottom gives scale. Caption reads Abou Simbel, Gd Temple, Le dieu Soleil Ra et Rhamses II, P. Sébah.Photograph

Secondary source

Facade Detail of Abu Simbel Showing Ramesses II and Ra

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