Editing Hittites (section)

====Battle of Kadesh====
[[File:Ramses IIs seger över Chetafolket och stormningen av Dapur, Nordisk familjebok.png|thumb|Egyptian pharaoh [[Ramesses II]] storming the Hittite fortress of [[Siege of Dapur|Dapur]]]]
{{Main|Battle of Kadesh}}
Hittite prosperity was mostly dependent on control of the trade routes and metal sources. Because of the importance of Northern Syria to the vital routes linking the [[Cilician Gates|Cilician gates]] with Mesopotamia, defense of this area was crucial, and was soon put to the test by Egyptian expansion under Pharaoh [[Ramesses II]]. The outcome of the [[Battle of Kadesh]] is uncertain, though it seems that the timely arrival of Egyptian reinforcements prevented total Hittite victory.{{sfn|Gurney|1966|p=110}} The Egyptians forced the Hittites to take refuge in the fortress of [[Kadesh (Syria)|Kadesh]], but their own losses prevented them from sustaining a siege. This battle took place in the 5th year of Ramesses ({{Circa|1274 BC}} by the most commonly used chronology).