siege of Dapur

{{Short description|Siege in 1269 BC}}

{{Infobox Military Conflict

| conflict = Siege of Dapur

| image = Ramses II besieging the Cheta people in Dapur.jpg

| image_size = 350px

| caption = The siege of Dapur on a mural in Ramesses II's temple in Thebes

| partof = Ramesses II campaigns in Syria

| date = 1269 BC {{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

| place = Dapur, Hittite Empire (Syria region)

| result = Egyptian victory

| territory = Egypt captures Dapur

| combatant1 = New Kingdom of Egypt

| combatant2 = Hittite Empire

| commander1 = Pharaoh Ramesses II
Prince Khaemweset

| commander2 = Unknown

| strength1 = Unknown
Several archers and foot soldiers
Several chariots
Several siege ladders
Several mantlets

| strength2 = Unknown
(likely less than Egyptian strength)

| casualties1 = Unknown
(likely lower than Hittite losses)

| casualties2 = Unknown

| coordinates = {{coord|34|33|28.12|N|36|31|10.56|E|display=inline, title}}

}}

The siege of Dapur occurred as part of Pharaoh Ramesses II's campaign to suppress Galilee and conquer Syria in 1269 BC. He described his campaign on the wall of his mortuary temple, the Ramesseum in Thebes, Egypt. The inscriptions say that Dapur was "in the land of Hatti".{{cite book| last = Kitchen| first = Kenneth A| authorlink = Kenneth Kitchen| title = Ramesside Inscriptions| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8b6GI3DaJJwC&dq=siege+of+dapur&pg=PA83| date = 1998-12-17| publisher = Wiley-Blackwell| isbn = 978-0-631-18435-5| page = 83 }} Although Dapur has often been identified with Tabor in Canaan, Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen argues that this identification is incorrect and that the Dapur in question was in Syria,{{cite book| last = Kitchen| first = Kenneth A| authorlink = Kenneth Kitchen| title = Ramesside Inscriptions| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8b6GI3DaJJwC&dq=siege+of+dapur&pg=PA83| date = 1998-12-17| publisher = Wiley-Blackwell| isbn = 978-0-631-18435-5| page = 56 }} north of Kadesh.M. Healy, Qadesh 1300 BC: Clash of the warrior kings, 87

Egyptian reliefs depict Dapur as a heavily fortified settlement with both inner and outer walls and situated on a rocky hill, which was usual for Bronze Age settlements in Syria and abroad, Egypt was also fortified.

Contemporary illustrations of the siege show the use of ladders, chariots, and mounted cavalry with Egyptian soldiers climbing scale ladders supported by archers. Six of the sons of Ramesses, still wearing their sidelocks of youth, also appear on those depictions of the siege. Those include:

{{quote|King's son, of his body, his beloved, Khaemweset.

King's son, of his body, his beloved, Montu.

King's son, of his body, his beloved, Meriamon.

King's son, of his body, his beloved, Amenemuya.

King's son, of his body, his beloved, Seti.

King's son, of his body, his beloved, Setepenre.}}

File:Ramesseum siege of Dapur.jpg|Relief from Ramesseum showing the siege of Dapur in 1269 BC