The New Kingdom Egyptian empire in western Asia was associated with the rise of a new line of kings who originated at the provincial center of Thebes in Upper Egypt, the home of the god Amun-Re. The creation of the empire had the effect of promoting this god to the status of national, imperial, and eventually universal deity. Henceforth, the fortunes of Amun-Re (and later also Seth of Avaris/Pi-Ramesse)49 were based on the deeds of the warrior kings of Dynasties 18-20, and vice versa: the extent of the wealth of the god’s estate was determined by victories in war, which, in turn, depended on the god’s goodwill. This interdependence resulted in removing military actions from the realm of mere human political ambition to the realm of the divine. War was justified by invoking divine sanction: one was simply carrying out God’s will. In this way, every war became a holy war.
At Karnak the treaty with Hatti is the centerpiece of a highly visible tableau occupying a prominent position on a wall regularly accessible to pilgrims entering or leaving the Hypostyle Hall during festival processions. Surrounded by battle scenes, here the conclusion of the peace treaty is interpreted as the achievement of victory (i. e. the submission of the foreign enemy) through war: peace results from war. Nevertheless, the success of the treaty was a milestone marking Egyptian recognition of peace as an acceptable alternative to war as a means of resolving conflict while achieving desired political objectives. This quantum leap became possible only after the Egyptians had been forced by circumstances to broaden their definition of “human” by conceding that at least some foreigners were basically human - even though they continued to villainize foreigners and blame them for their problems: primitive habits of thought die hard!
As is usually the case in history, the more things change, the more they remain the same. In the human condition, making war seems to be too easy; peacemaking is much more difficult. It took a long time for Egypt and Hatti to learn to cooperate peacefully. A simple lesson for today’s world may be drawn from this remarkable human drama of more than 3,200 years ago - a lesson which is directly relevant to many of the long wars and other conflicts which currently beset the Middle East: Even the worst enemies of yesterday can become the best friends of today. For the sake of peace and the avoidance of further bloodshed, it is incumbent upon the participants in such hostilities, and their various supporters around the world, to recognize this fact sooner rather than any later!
World History
