796
edits
Changes
no edit summary
===Wars with Egypt===
[[File: Hattusili_III.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Damaged Relief of Hattusili III from Anatolia/Turkey]]
[[File: Hittite_KingdomRamesses II Memphis.pngjpg|300px|thumbnail|right|Statue of Ramesses II from Memphis]]
Suppiluliuma’s long life and effective rule did not end gloriously on the battlefield or of old age, but was probably the result of a plague that infected Egyptian prisoners brought back to Hattusa. <ref> Kuhrt, p. 254</ref> Although the king’s death was certainly tragic and somewhat of a setback for the growing Hittite Empire, it also demonstrated the Hittites’ increased influence in the region and the early stages of their long enduring conflicts with the Egyptians. But before the Hittites would engage in any serious military operations against the Egyptians, they needed to retake their own lands once more.