3,200-year-old tablet fragment revealed: How Pharaoh demanded the return of fugitives from Egypt

Researchers deciphered a 3,200-year-old clay tablet fragment uncovered in excavations at the capital of the Hittite Empire in Turkey, determining it is part of the ancient peace treaty between Pharaoh Ramesses II and King Hattusili III. The cuneiform text establishes a mechanism for returning fugitives from both empires and forbids the destruction of their homes. The researchers emphasize there is no mention of the people of Israel or the Exodus from Egypt.

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Turkey: Researchers deciphered a 3,200-year-old clay tablet fragment uncovered in the royal complex at Veyukale, the capital of the ancient Hittite Empire. After about two years of intensive work, the researchers identified it as part of a copy of the 'Treaty of Kadesh' – the historic peace treaty signed in the 13th century BCE between Pharaoh Ramesses II and King Hattusili III. The fragment, written in the Akkadian language, preserves articles 12 through 20 of the original treaty and deals with a mechanism for returning fugitives between the two empires. The surviving lines stipulate that the host king must capture fugitives from the land of Egypt or the land of the Hittites and return them, and explicitly forbid the destruction of their homes. The researchers emphasize that despite the tempting connection to the Exodus story due to the name Ramesses II, the tablet contains no mention of the people of Israel, the Hebrews, or Moses. These are general extradition clauses between two rival superpowers that made peace after the Battle of Kadesh. The find illustrates that peace treaties in antiquity also regulated the rights of ordinary people.