Fragment of World’s Oldest Peace Treaty Discovered in Turkey

Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,400-year-old cuneiform tablet fragment belonging to the Treaty of Kadesh at the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusha in north-central Turkey, according to an announcement by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Signed around 1269 B.C. by Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II and Hittite king Hattusili III, the document is widely regarded by historians as the world’s oldest known peace treaty. The newly identified fragment details historical provisions regarding the treatment of refugees, offering fresh physical evidence of Bronze Age diplomacy.

Discovery at the Ancient Hittite Capital of Hattusha

Researchers unearthed the clay fragment from a building within the royal palace site of Büyükkale at Hattusha, located in modern-day Turkey. The Hittite Empire controlled central Anatolia from about 1650 to 1200 B.C., leaving behind thousands of administrative and diplomatic documents written in Akkadian, the earliest documented Semitic language. According to popularscience.com, the newly discovered section corresponds to articles 12 through 20 of the famous accord. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Turkey’s minister of culture and tourism, noted the significance of the find in a translated statement released on Sept. 21.

We have found traces of peace, thousands of years old, in the soil of Anatolia.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism

Historical Context of the Kadesh Peace Treaty

The Treaty of Kadesh marked a definitive military détente and the end of a two-century-long war between ancient Egypt and the Hittite Empire over lands in the eastern Mediterranean. While the accord bears the name of the famous Battle of Kadesh—which took place several years earlier under Ramesses II and Hittite king Muvattalli II—the battle itself is not mentioned in the text, leading scholars to also call it the Eternal Treaty or the Silver Treaty. Following the death of Muvattalli II, the treaty was ultimately sealed by his successor, Hattusili III, and later reinforced by the Hittite queen Puduhepa, according to turkishmuseums.com. The agreement established mutual aid, territorial integrity, and peaceful relations, captured in translated text released by the Turkish ministry: The country of Egypt and the country of Hatti will be forever in a state of peace and of fraternity as it is with us.

Refugee Protections in Bronze Age Diplomacy

The newly recovered cuneiform fragment specifically preserves text concerning how both empires handled refugees who fled across borders during the conflict. Under the terms of the treaty, any refugee escaping from Egypt to Hattusha, or vice versa, was required to be returned, as fleeing was treated as a crime. popsci.com and live-science reporting note that the treaty explicitly forbade physical mutilation or harm to returned individuals. The preserved text stipulates that their tongue and their eyes are not to be pulled out; their ears and their feet are not to be cut off; their houses with their wives and their children are not to be destroyed. Minister Ersoy stated that the discovery serves as a modern reminder of the enduring human responsibility to protect life and dignity. Today, a copper replica of the historic pact is prominently displayed inside the United Nations Conference Building in New York City as an early blueprint for international negotiation and eternal friendship.