The Egyptians left a rich and remarkable legacy. Their monuments and great works of art continue to astound us today. In this groundbreaking new programme, we explore an often overlooked aspect of Egyptian life – their weapons of war, and their great might on the battlefield. We examine recently unearthed archaeological evidence of some of the most incredible ancient battles ever fought.

These new finds have changed much of our assumed collective knowledge regarding the ancient world. We tell the scintillating story of a fierce battle for supremacy between the super powers of the ancient world.

Our common perception of the Egyptians is of a cultured civilisation. Historians and filmmakers have expended elephantine amounts of ink and celluloid discussing their engineering, religious and cultural accomplishments. The Ancient Egyptians are generally viewed as educated people who worshipped their Gods and rose to great heights of sophistication. Yet there is fascinating evidence which reveals that they were also a war faring people, who developed advanced weapon making techniques in order to a unleash their devastating military force upon the ancient world.

In many cases, the techniques developed by the Egyptians were being used for the very first time in history. Some of the battles they fought were waged on a truly massive scale. The greatest of all was perhaps the magnificent battle of Kadesh. This battle was fought between The Egyptians, commanded by Ramses II, and the Hittites, led by King Muwatallis.

The battlefield saw two huge armies come together in a struggle that would dictate history. It is believed that up to 20,000 soldiers and 6,000 chariots fought in this epic struggle. It saw the coming together of two powers that drove an arms race, each looking to push the boundaries of technology in pursuit of perfect weapons and military equipment.

In ancient times and modern, war has always been the catalyst for technological breakthroughs – the inventions of ancient wars laid the foundations for military technology for thousands of years. Egyptian Warfare investigates and demonstrates how weaponry developed during the period of this incredible ancient arms race.