45 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
45 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
<!-- factbase:009548 -->
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# Ramesses II
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## Overview
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Ramesses II (~1303–1213 BCE), also known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and one of the most powerful and celebrated rulers of ancient Egypt. His Egyptian regnal name was Usermaatre Setepenre; in ancient Greek sources he is called Ozymandias, derived from the first part of that name. @t[1303 BCE..1213 BCE] [^3]
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## Key Facts
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- Born: ~1303 BCE @t[~1303 BCE]
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- Reign: ~1279–1213 BCE (66 years, one of the longest in Egyptian history) @t[1279 BCE..1213 BCE]
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- Dynasty: 19th Dynasty, New Kingdom
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- Capital: Pi-Ramesses (Nile Delta)
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- Died: ~1213 BCE, age ~90 @t[~1213 BCE]
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- Principal wife: Nefertari (Nefertari Meritmut)
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- Tomb: KV7, Valley of the Kings
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## Major Events
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- Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE): Fought the Hittites under Muwatalli II; indecisive but claimed as victory @t[~1274 BCE] [^1]
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- Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE): Signed peace with Hittite king Hattusili III; sealed by a diplomatic marriage to a Hittite princess @t[~1259 BCE]
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- Led at least 15 military campaigns in the Levant, reasserting Egyptian control over Canaan and Phoenicia [^3]
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- Led multiple campaigns into Nubia, commemorated in inscriptions at Beit el-Wali and Gerf Hussein [^3]
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- Built Abu Simbel temples in Nubia
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- Built the Ramesseum (mortuary temple) at Thebes
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- Expanded Karnak and Luxor temples
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- Completed the hypostyle hall at Karnak
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## Legacy
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- Fathered over 100 children
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- His mummy was discovered in the Deir el-Bahari cache (TT320) in 1881 [^2]; analysis reveals severe arthritis, arteriosclerosis, and dental abscesses consistent with advanced age [^3]
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- His original burial comprised three nested coffins: an inner gilded wooden coffin, an intermediary alabaster coffin, and an outer granite sarcophagus; the body was transferred to a plain wooden coffin in antiquity to protect it from grave robbers [^5]
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- His original granite outer sarcophagus was identified in 2024 by Egyptologist Frédéric Payraudeau (Sorbonne University) from a fragment discovered in 2009 at a Coptic monastery in Abydos; the fragment had been reused by high priest Menkheperre during the 21st Dynasty (~1069–943 BCE), who overwrote much of the original hieroglyphic text, obscuring the royal cartouche [^4][^5]
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- Often identified (controversially) with the pharaoh of the Exodus narrative
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- Nine subsequent pharaohs took the name Ramesses; he was referred to as the "Great Ancestor" by successor pharaohs [^3]
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## Recent Discoveries
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- Ramesseum excavations (2025): A joint Egyptian-French expedition (operating since 1991) uncovered the "House of Life" — an ancient scientific school — inside the mortuary temple complex, along with administrative buildings, workshops (kitchens, bakeries, stonework, textile production), and storage cellars for olive oil, honey, and wine; Third Intermediate Period shaft tombs to the northeast yielded well-preserved canopic jars, ushabti figurines, and coffins [^6]
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- Hermopolis Magna statue (2024): A joint Egyptian-American mission at El Ashmunein (ancient Hermopolis Magna) recovered the upper torso (~3.8 m tall) of a massive limestone seated statue of Ramesses II; the lower half had been found by German archaeologist Günther Roeder in 1930; the reunited statue stands ~7 m tall and was likely part of a temple entrance dedicated to Thoth; University of Colorado Boulder participated in documentation [^7]
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---
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[^1]: Kitchen, K.A. *Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life and Times of Ramesses II* (1982)
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[^2]: Tyldesley, J. *Ramesses: Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh* (2000)
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[^3]: Wikipedia contributors. "Ramesses II." *Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II
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[^4]: "Ramesses II — Original Sarcophagus Identified Within the Valley of Kings." *Ancient Origins* (2025). https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/ramesses-ii-original-sarcophagus-identified-within-valley-kings-0020845
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[^5]: Steinmeyer, N. "The Sarcophagus of Ramesses the Great." *Biblical Archaeology Society* (May 2025). https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/the-sarcophagus-of-ramesses-the-great/
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[^6]: Steinmeyer, N. "Revealing the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses II." *Biblical Archaeology Society* (April 2025). https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/revealing-the-mortuary-temple-of-ramesses-ii/
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[^7]: "Lost for 96 Years Beneath the Nile, the Missing Half of a Legendary Egyptian Statue Has Finally Been Found." *The Daily Galaxy* (February 2026). https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/02/ramesses-ii-legendary-statue-finally-found/ |