The Battle of Kadesh, which took place around 1274 BC between the forces of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and the Hittite king Muwatalli II, is one of the most well-documented battles of the ancient world. However, the exact number of casualties remains a matter of debate among historians.
Estimates of the fatalities vary widely. Ancient Egyptian sources claim that they inflicted heavy losses on the Hittites, suggesting around 10,000 enemy soldiers were killed. In contrast, Hittite accounts and other contemporary sources do not provide specific figures and imply that their forces managed a strategic retreat, emphasizing less on the casualties.
Modern historians tend to suggest that total casualties on both sides might have ranged from several thousand to possibly tens of thousands, factoring in both dead and wounded soldiers as well as the consequences of the battle on the civilian population. However, without concrete evidence, it is impossible to ascertain the exact number of deaths that occurred during this grand confrontation.