Ah, the tale of Ramses II at Kadesh, 1274 BCE, is a perfect illustration. The Egyptian pharaoh, bruised and wounded, captured the Hittite king’s son and didn’t send him to a pit of wolves. He fed him, let him stay in the palace, and even let the son return home with a silver cup. That single act of magnanimity cooled the tempers of a war‑battered Hittite court and paved the way for the first peace treaty between the two great powers. One generous gesture turned a bloody showdown into a diplomatic banquet.