Ramesses II

Ramesses II (Userma’atre’setepenré) (d. 1224 B.C.E.) Third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty, called the Great He reigned from 1290  B.C.E. until his death, one of the longest-lived pharaohs of Egypt. The son of  SETI I and Queen TUYA, Ramesses II was introduced early to the mil- itary careers of his family. His grandfather,  RAMESSES I, and his great-grandfather, Seti, had been commanders in the field. Ramesses II accompanied his father in a Libyan campaign when he was a teenager. He also went to war in the Mediterranean and Palestine regions.

Ramesses II depicted in a colossal statue in Luxor temple.

He became the coregent in the seventh year of the reign of Seti I, who reportedly said: “Crown Him as king that I may see his beauty while I live with him.” His throne name meant “Strong in Right Is RÉ.” He also con- ducted a Nubian campaign, accompanied by two of his own sons, at age 22.

In Egypt, he aided Seti I in vast restoration programs up and down the Nile. Together they built a new palace at PER-RAMESSES, the new capital founded by Ramesses I in the eastern Delta. Wells, QUARRIES, and mines were also reopened.

Inheriting the throne, Ramesses II completed his father’s buildings and began to restore the empire. He made promotions among his aides, refurbished temples and shrines, and campaigned on the borders of the land. He then began a war with the HITTITES that would last for decades. This war opened with the Battle of  KADESH,a military campaign commemorated in the Poem of  PEN-TAUR (or Pentauret) on the walls of KARNAK 

Ramesses atop chariot, at the battle of Kadesh.

That particular campaign provided a temporary truce but then continued in a series of three phases. After pushing the Egyptian domain to Beirut, (modern Lebanon), Ramesses II met the enemy at Kadesh. Later he battled to recover Palestine, which had been encouraged to revolt. Lastly, Ramesses II conquered Hittite lands far from Egypt and deep inside the enemy’s empire, bringing the Hittites to the treaty table.

At Per-Ramesses, the new capital of Egypt, Ramesses II enlarged the royal residence, adding doorways, bal- conies, throne rooms, and chambers. These new areas were decorated with faience tiles and statues. He also built ABU SIMBEL, south of ASWAN, and temples in DERR in NUBIA (modern Sudan), and in ABYDOS. In his 21st regnal year, he formed an alliance to repel the SEA PEOPLES and the Assyrians. Karnak and the RAMESSEUM benefited from his generosity and sense of style.

Ramesses II’s wives and consorts were many, number- ing 200 in some periods of his reign. His “Great Wife,” his favorite, was NEFERTARI-Merymut, who probably mar- ried him before he became a royal prince. She bore him children and was honored in a temple at  ABU SIMBEL. When she retired to the harem villa at  MI-WER in the FAIYUM, ISETNOFRET became the leading queen. When she died or retired, her daughter, BINT-ANATH, and Nefer- tari’s daughter, MERYT AMUN , became queens. Other favorites were  MA’AT-HORNEFRURÉ, probably a Hittite princess, and NEBT-TAWY .


Ramesses had more than 100 sons and numerous daughters. His sons were named individually as the heir to the throne and then predeceased their father, resulting in MERENPTAH’s succession as the thirteenth offspring des- ignated as crown prince. Some of the sons who have been identified over the centuries were Montuhirkhopshef  (or Montuhirwenemuf), Neben-Kharru, Mery-Amun, Amun-wia, Seti, Setep-en-Ré, Mery-ré, Hor-her-wenemuf, Amenhotep, Itamun, Mery-Atum-Ramesses and  KHA’EM- WESET.


A unique megatomb, the largest and most intriguing burial site in the  VALLEY OF THE KINGS at Thebes, was erected as the grave of Ramesses II’s royal sons. Recently uncovered, this tomb has pillared halls, T-shaped corri- dors, and separate chambers. Some 67 chambers with wall paintings have been discovered thus far, leading to another level of the structure that promises additional chambers.


He was possibly deified at the celebration of his first heb-sed, or at the commemoration of his coronation. Ramesses II married a daughter of the Hittite ruler HAT- TUSILIS III, probably  MA’AT HORNEFRURÉ, in 1257  B.C.E. Statues and other monuments continued to honor him throughout Egypt. When he died, MERENPTAH, his thir- teenth son and heir, placed him in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. This large tomb was long and highly decorated. The end chambers are at an angle to the entrance corridors. His mummified remains, however, had to be removed to keep them safe from robbers. His original tomb was possibly flooded before he died, as two such monuments bear his name in the Valley of the Kings.

Discovered in the mummy cache in DEIR EL-BAHRI in 1881, Ramesses II’s remains were wrapped in floral gar- lands. He had red hair, possibly the result of the mummi- fication process, and his body was beautifully wrapped in a cedarwood coffin. The mummy shows that he suffered from smallpox at one time. He had a patrician nose and was six feet in height. His face had jutting eyebrows, thick lashes, a strong jaw, and round ears. His genital organs had been removed and placed in a statue of the god OSIRIS, probably as an act of reverence for the deity SET, the patron of his family’s original home. His muscles were atrophied from age, and he suffered from arte- riosclerosis.