The Egyptian and Hittite people agreed to the Treaty of Kadesh about 1269 BCE, ending a struggle between Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III. The treaty followed the titanic Battle of Kadesh, fought five years earlier, in which tens of thousands fought on both sides. The Egyptians tried mightily to capture the strategic city of Kadesh but did not; however, the result of the battle was one of stalemate, not victory. Casualties were high, encouraging both sides to seek a peace agreement.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that a team of archaeologists had found a fragment of the famed treaty in the soil of what was then Anatolia, specifically in the ruins of a building in Hattusha, capital of the powerful Hittite realm.

Other teams in earlier years have found other fragments of the treaty. This latest fragment specifically mentioned considerations for refugees fleeing the battle and its aftermath, offering them protection from reprisals.