Pharaoh Seti dies in 1279 BCE; his…

Pharaoh Seti dies in 1279 BCE; his tomb features beautifully detailed relief paintings of the constellations.

His son succeeds him as Ramesses II, later called "the Great", who seeks to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the Eighteenth Dynasty.

His campaigns of reconquest culminate in the Battle of Kadesh, where he leads Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II.

Caught in history's first recorded military ambush, Ramesses is able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against the Hittites thanks to the arrival of a poorly documented troop called the Ne'arin, possibly Canaanite military mercenaries with Egyptian allegiance or even Egyptians, which Ramesses II had left in Amurru, apparently in order to secure the port of Sumur.

Also significant is the presence among the Egyptian army of Sherden troops, appearing for the first time as Egyptian mercenaries; they are to play an increasingly significant role in Late Bronze Age history, ultimately appearing among the Sea Peoples that ravage the east Mediterranean at the end of the Bronze Age.

The outcome of the battle is undecided, with both sides claiming victory at their home front, ultimately resulting in a peace treaty between the two nations.