The Hittites were successful in their conquest of portions of the Near East because they were the first to develop and equip their soldiers with iron weapons. They also benefited from a weakened Egyptian presence in the Levant area as the Egyptians had begun to focus inward during the reign of Akhenaten. However, Ramses II would eventually fight back against the Hittites at the famous Battle of Qadesh, which ended in the signing of the first peace treaty known to date.
