8 May 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

The Rock Tombs Found by Chance in the Al-Hamidiyah Necropolis

12 May 2021

12 May 2021

A series of rock tombs carved into the slope of a mountain have been discovered in the Al-Hamidiyah necropolis on...

1500-year-old Elite tombs were discovered vicinity of the ancient seaport of Berenice Troglodytica in Egypt

22 May 2022

22 May 2022

Polish archaeologists have discovered a tomb complex near the ancient port of Berenice Troglodytica in Egypt. Archaeologists from the University...

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’s Tanis bronze figurines shed light on ancient commerce

19 July 2021

19 July 2021

A research team told that the newly discovered 3,000-year-old bronze figurines recently unearthed in Tanis, Egypt, can answer questions about...

Rare discovery: Ancient Egyptian burial reveals Ovarian Teeth in Oldest Example of Teratoma

13 November 2023

13 November 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed the oldest documented example of a teratoma discovered within the 3,000-year-old burial chamber of a young woman...

The mystery of the silver bracelets of Queen Hetepheres in her celebrated tomb at Giza solved

2 June 2023

2 June 2023

The discovery of silver bracelets in the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I, wife of Pharaoh Snofru and mother of Pharaoh...

The Cairo University archaeological mission unearths the tomb of Ramses II’s royal treasurer at Saqqara necropolis

1 November 2021

1 November 2021

Archaeologists working at the Saqqara necropolis have unearthed the tomb of Ptah-M-Wiah, a high-ranking ancient Egyptian official and head of...

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of what may be one of the four lost Ancient Egyptian “Sun Temples”

31 July 2022

31 July 2022

A Polish and Italian archaeological mission, while conducting an excavation in the Abusir necropolis near Saqqara in Egypt, unearthed the...

Famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass Wants to See Hieroglyphs as an İntegral Part of The Curriculum

23 February 2021

23 February 2021

The Egyptian council of ministers is discussing the introduction of archaeological and tourist materials in the education curriculum to help...

Ancient Christian Settlement Discovered in Egypt

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said on Saturday that a French-Norwegian archaeological team had discovered a new ancient Christian settlement...

Egypt Traces Relics of Ramses III to the Arabian Peninsula

7 June 2021

7 June 2021

Following various findings showing ancient Egyptian King Ramses III had a presence on the Arabian Peninsula, an Egyptian archaeological team...

Egypt unearths ancient quarters of mining leader in the Sinai Peninsula during the Middle Kingdom

19 January 2022

19 January 2022

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced recently that an Egyptian archaeological mission working in Wadi Al-Nasab in South...

World’s Oldest Dress “Tarkhan Dress”

24 April 2021

24 April 2021

Life, nutrition, shelter, and dressing are the essential trio… We know that the first humans made clothing products with animal...

Archeologists Discover Two Sphinxes measure 26 feet in length in Egyptian Ruins

21 January 2022

21 January 2022

Archeologists have discovered the remains of two huge sphinx statues, each measuring 26 feet in length, at the funerary temple...

The Error That Caused II.Ramses to Lose the Battle of Kadesh

5 February 2021

5 February 2021

The Battle of Kadesh between the Hittites and Egyptians in Anatolia, the two superpowers of the Bronze Age period, has...