RAMSES THE GREAT – The Greatest Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

In the history of ancient Egypt, few names are as famous as that of Pharaoh Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great. His reign was one of the most prominent and longest in Egypt, lasting approximately 66 years. It was on the banks of the Nile that Ramses would build his empire upon the sands of Egypt.

Born in 1303 BC, the son of Seti I and Queen Tuya, Ramses not only inherited the throne but also the burden of ensuring the security and prosperity of his kingdom in a world full of threats. From a young age, Ramses accompanied his father on military campaigns and acquired the arts of war and the secrets of Egyptian military strategy. At 14, he was already marching alongside Egyptian warriors in Libya and Palestine, preparing for the role that awaited him. At 22, Ramses led his own campaigns in Nubia alongside his two sons, demonstrating a military skill and determination that impressed even the most experienced generals of his Egyptian army.

In 1290, Ramses inherited a kingdom plagued by conflict and external threats. The Hittites, powerful rivals of Egypt, extended their influence over the region of Asia Minor and challenged Egyptian hegemony in the region. Under the reign of King Suppiluliuma I, Egypt ended up losing important trading centers in Syria and Canaan. Determined to restore the glory of his kingdom, Ramses launched a series of military campaigns to protect his borders, secure trade routes, and recover territories lost to the Hittites.

One of the most notable moments of Ramses’ reign was the victory over the pirates who threatened the Nile coast, known as the Sherden. These warriors were defeated by Ramses in a fierce battle in which the Egyptian pharaoh used intelligent tactics to achieve victory. Many of the captured Sherden people ended up being incorporated into the Egyptian army and served as the pharaoh’s bodyguards. This highlighted Ramses’ diplomatic and military skill in transforming these adversaries into allies.

During the reign of Ramses, the Egyptian army grew considerably, reaching approximately 100,000 soldiers. This represented an impressive force that the pharaoh used to strengthen Egypt’s influence and protect its borders. To house this large army, Ramses ordered the construction of a great city called Pi-Ramesses. Even before 1275 BC, Ramses undertook the construction of this city, located in the eastern Delta near the ancient city of Avaris. This city was destined to be not only the capital of the kingdom but also a strategic military complex and an architectural marvel that directly rivaled the grandeur of the ancient Egyptian capital, Thebes. Its construction was so impressive that some scholars suggest that the beginning of the city’s construction may have been during the reign of Ramses’ father, Seti I. However, it was under Ramses’ command that the city flourished and became a symbol of Egyptian power and prosperity.

With an equipped and prepared army, Ramses marched towards Canaan, ready to advance. To confront the Hittites who had dominated the region, the military campaign was a success, and Ramses returned with much wealth and prisoners. But the pharaoh was also determined to recover a city called Kadesh, a strategic point disputed by the two empires, the Egyptian and the Hittite. Probably at the end of 1275, Ramses prepared his army for this decisive battle at Kadesh. With about 20,000 men, Ramses led the attack, determined to reclaim the city for Egypt. His army, driven by faith in the Egyptian gods, marched bravely towards the battlefield, and after months of marching, Ramses arrived on the outskirts of Kadesh and began planning his attack.

However, an event disrupted his plans: the capture of Hittite spies. They were subjected to torture and revealed the wrong location of the Hittite army. This led Ramses to underestimate the proximity of the enemy. While Ramses was organizing his camp, the Hittites surprised the Egyptian army, emerging from the walls of Kadesh to launch a fierce attack. One of the divisions of the Egyptian army was heavily struck, and Ramses himself was caught off guard, his lines broken and his infantry massacred by the chariots and Hittite forces.

Amidst the chaos of the battle, Ramses gathered his troops and led a courageous counterattack against the enemy. He fought his way through the Hittite ranks, breaking the encirclement and allowing the Egyptians to escape the trap. After that, Ramses managed to push the enemy towards the Orontes River, inflicting heavy casualties while the Hittites drowned in their attempt to escape. However, this strategy left him in a precarious position, trapped between the enemy and the river waters. Despite the imminent danger, Ramses demonstrated cold-blooded courage, facing the threat of annihilation by the Hittite troops. The pharaoh gathered his forces and launched a decisive counterattack, driving the enemy from the battlefield.

There are different opinions on the final outcome of the battle, ranging from an Egyptian victory to a draw or even an Egyptian defeat, where Egyptologists suggest that the Egyptian accounts could be just propaganda. In any case, the Hittite army ended up retreating, and the Egyptians failed to capture the city of Kadesh.

Years later, Ramses made a peace treaty with the Hittites. He and King Hattusili III met to conclude a peace agreement. This treaty, dated around 1258 BC, is recorded in two versions: one in Egyptian hieroglyphs and the other in cuneiform script, demonstrating the importance attributed to this pact. The 18 articles of the treaty call for peace between Egypt and the Hittites, highlighting the will of both peoples in favor of peace. Although the borders are not detailed, the treaty establishes a lasting truce between the two empires, suggesting stability in the region. The treaty marks a turning point in relations between Egypt and the Hittites, avoiding a catastrophic conflict and also establishing a precedent for future diplomatic negotiations in the region.

During his reign, Ramses erected grandiose structures, but he also claimed and destroyed works of previous pharaohs. For example, one of the most controversial chapters of his reign was his participation in the demolition of the temples of the city of Amarna. These temples were the last vestiges of the era of Akhenaten, the pharaoh who attempted to establish Aten as the sole supreme deity. Ramses ordered the demolition of these structures, reusing the stone blocks in other Egyptian building projects. In 2013, Egyptian and German archaeologists made a remarkable discovery during excavations near the Great Temple dedicated to Ramses: a red granite statue of Ramses II. This monumental statue with hieroglyphs on its base is a very important addition to the legitimacy of this pharaoh.

Regarding his family life, of all the wives Ramses had, Queen Nefertari, his first wife, was his favorite. Although her life was short, the influence she had was immense. Like other queens before her, Nefertari played a crucial role in the country’s negotiations with neighboring peoples, especially the Hittites. She gave birth to the first son, Amun-her-khepeshef, and together they had at least three more sons and two daughters, as documented by research in Nefertari’s shrine in the Valley of the Queens. This tomb is one of the most famous and adorned with murals, demonstrating her high importance in Egyptian society at the time. Even after the death of Queen Nefertari, the kingdom continued to honor her memory and immortalize her image on walls and statues throughout the land. After Nefertari, Ramses married other women, such as Queen Isetnofret.

It is very common to see films and series associating Ramses II with the pharaoh of the biblical Exodus. However, this idea has little historical and biblical evidence. Although it is true that the name of a city called Ramses is mentioned in some passages of the Old Testament, such as Exodus 1:11 and Exodus 12, this is not enough to confirm the identity of Pharaoh Ramses II as being directly associated with the Exodus. One reason we can say this is that there was already a land called the land of Ramses, mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 47:11, during the time of Jacob and Joseph. These were men who lived approximately 500 years before the reign of Ramses II. Archaeological excavations in Egypt, including at sites like Pi-Ramesses, have revealed that construction projects during the reign of Ramses II employed Egyptian workers who were either paid or volunteers. However, there is no indication or evidence that Ramses used Hebrew slaves in his constructions, such as the building of the city of Ramses.

Furthermore, the construction of the city of Ramses mentioned in the Bible began about 80 years before the Exodus, even before the birth of Moses. However, historians calculate that Pharaoh Ramses II ruled for approximately 66 years, meaning that the time of Ramses’ reign would not have been sufficient for him to have built the city and at the same time participated in the Exodus of the Hebrews. Everything indicates that the Exodus took place long before the reign of Ramses. Thus, there is no exact contemporary record linking this specific pharaoh to the biblical Exodus event.

Finally, around the year 1213 BC, Ramses died at over 90 years of age, and like many pharaohs who preceded him, he was buried in the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of the leaders of the New Kingdom of Egypt were located. His mummy was found in a collective cache tomb in Deir el-Bahari in 1881 and was later transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, remaining one of the institution’s most notable attractions. Thus, Ramses’ great monumental achievements and political and military dominance shaped the course of Egyptian history and cemented his enduring legacy as one of the most famous pharaohs of all time, echoing his greatness across the millennia.