18 April 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ramses the Great

Ramses the Great was the name given to Ramses II, also known as Ramesses or Rameses. He was the third king of the lineage of ancient Egypt, reigning from 1292 to 1190 BCE. His reign was the second-longest in Egyptian history.

Rameses II (right 19th dynasty), Seti I’s son, was about thirty years old when he became king of Egypt – and reigned for 67 years. He had many wives, including those of his own close relations, and was the father of approximately 111 sons and 51 daughters.

The threat of international invasion against Egypt was always at its highest on the ascension of a new Pharaoh, as was customary in those days. Subject kings no doubt saw it as their responsibility to put a new king in Egypt to the test. Similarly, if the new Pharaoh was to hold peace throughout his reign, he had to make a show of power.

As a result, in his fourth year as pharaoh, Rameses was waging a series of campaigns in Syria against the Hittites and their allies. The Hittites, on the other hand, were a formidable adversary, and the battle lasted twenty years.

In the end, neither side was victorious and the first peace treaty in history was signed. Finally, after several years of conflict, Rameses was forced to sign a treaty with the Hittites. Egypt promised not to attack Hittite territory, and the Hittites agreed not to invade Egyptian territory. They have agreed to form a defense alliance to deter popular adversaries, as well as reciprocal assistance in fighting Syrian rebellions and an extradition treaty.

Ramses II.
Ramses II.

Rameses married the Hittite King’s daughter thirteen years after the treaty was signed, in the thirty-fourth year of his reign. Ueret-ma-a-neferu-Ra was her Egyptian name, which meant “Great One who sees the beauties of Ra.”

He is renowned for his massive construction projects and the numerous monumental sculptures of him that can be seen all over Egypt, in addition to the great wars he waged with the Hittites and Libyans.

Quenn Nefertari
Quenn Nefertari

One measure of Egypt’s prosperity is the number of temple structures the kings could afford, and on this basis, the reign of Ramses II is most remarkable in Egyptian history. He completed the great hypostyle hall at Karnak (Thebes) and continued work on the temple built by Seti I at Abydos. Ramses also ordered the construction of his father’s funerary temple on the bank of the Nile in Luxor (Thebes) and built another one for himself. The legacy is now known as the Ramesseum.

His greatest works were the rock-cut temple of Abu Simbel, dedicated to Amun, Ra-Harmachis, and Ptah.4 colossal statues of the king rising in front of the temple: its length is 185 feet, its height 90 feet.

His name can be seen on temples and buildings in Egypt, and he often usurped the works of his ancestors by inscribing his own name on sculptures that did not reflect him. The slightest repair to a sanctuary was enough of a reason for him to have his signature engraved on every prominent portion of the structure.

It seems that Ramses II was an admired pharaoh, both during and after his life. His popularity may be due to a combination of the prosperity Egypt enjoyed under his reign, as well as his skill as a propagandist.

Ramses’ personal life is still unknown, possibly due to a lack of records. His first and perhaps favorite queen was Nefertari;  the smaller temple at Abu Simbel was dedicated to her.

Related Articles

Egyptian mission discovered five ancient water wells in North Sinai

1 March 2022

1 March 2022

A team of Egyptian archeologists working in the Tell El Kedwa discovered five ancient wells which are believed to be...

A burial complex dating to the Second Intermediate Period has been discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis at Luxor

12 April 2023

12 April 2023

At the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis in Luxor, a family burial complex from the Second Intermediate Period has been found....

New discoveries found under demolished historic Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace in Egypt

31 October 2021

31 October 2021

An Egyptian archaeological mission excavating at the site of the recently demolished Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace discovered a number of...

Who Are The Sea Peoples?

13 February 2021

13 February 2021

Who are the Sea Peoples, which are seen as the beginning of the dark age, and where did they come...

Egypt unearths 2,300-year-old remains of Greco-Roman town in Alexandria

28 August 2021

28 August 2021

An Egyptian archeological team discovered the ruins of a Greco-Roman residential and commercial town in the north coast city of...

Mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep ‘unwrapped’ for the first time in 3,500 years!

30 December 2021

30 December 2021

Egyptian scientists have digitally unwrapped the 3,500-year-old mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I. For the first time, a team in Egypt...

Golden Tongues and Nails discovered on mummies from the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt

18 December 2024

18 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered tombs decorated with colorful inscriptions and ritual scenes, as well as unusual mummies and unique funerary objects,...

Ancient Mastaba Tomb of Royal Physician “Magician of the Goddess Selket” discovered in Sakkara

7 January 2025

7 January 2025

In the southern region of the Saqqara archaeological site, a joint French-Swiss archaeological team made an important discovery uncovering the...

Egyptian archaeologists discovered 16 meters long ancient papyrus with spells from the Book of the Dead

19 January 2023

19 January 2023

Archaeologists working in Egypt’s Saqqara region have unearthed a 16-meter-long ancient papyrus for the first time in a century. Saqqara...

The first and largest astronomical observatory of the 6th century BC discovered in Egypt’s Kafr El-Sheikh

24 August 2024

24 August 2024

Archaeologists in Egypt unveiled the first and largest astronomical observatory from the 6th century BCE in the Buto Temple at...

Archaeologists Found an Egyptian Temple Slotted into a Cliff Face, Probably Dedicated to a Lion-Headed Goddess Repit

15 December 2024

15 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a hidden gateway leading to a 2,100-year-old temple built into a cliff face at the ancient city...

Scientists reveal new discovery inside the Pyramid of Khufu

20 March 2023

20 March 2023

An Egyptian pyramid for 4,500 years is still spilling secrets. After a years-long project using modern technology to reveal the...

Polish researchers reveal what ancient Egyptian faience has to do with gold

31 December 2022

31 December 2022

Powdered quartz used to make faience vessels discovered by Polish archaeologists during excavations in the ancient city of Athribis in...

Khufu Boat moved to its New Museum by Smart Vehicle

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

A 4,600-year-old intact wooden boat bearing the name of an Egyptian pharaoh, Khufu, was transported to a new museum about...

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of artifacts at the necropolis of Saqqara

9 June 2022

9 June 2022

Archaeologists at the necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, have discovered a cache of 250 complete mummies in painted wooden sarcophagi...