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Ramesses II (Ramses the Great)

Ramesses II, called Ramses the Great, was a long-reigning pharaoh of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty (c.1279–1213 BC), famed for military campaigns, ambitious building projects and a lasting royal reputation.

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Ramesses II, often styled Ramses the Great, is one of the best-known rulers of ancient Egypt. He was the third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty and came to be venerated by later Egyptians as a founding ancestor of his house. Modern historians date his reign to c. 1279–1213 BC; surviving records and monuments show a long, active kingship that combined military action, large-scale construction and careful promotion of royal image.

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Early life and accession

Ramesses was the son of Pharaoh Seti I. Sources indicate he was designated heir while still a youth and later co-regent with his father before becoming sole ruler. As pharaoh — a role sometimes given the generic title pharaoh in modern accounts — he inherited a kingdom that was militarily engaged on its frontiers and keen to assert dominance across the Near East and along the Nile.

Reign, administration and capital

For much of his rule Ramesses emphasized monumental building and the display of royal authority. He founded the Delta city of Pi-Ramesses as a royal residence and logistical base for campaigns to the north. Temple reliefs, statues and inscriptions from his reign promoted his divine link to the gods and recorded royal ceremonies, offerings and jubilees. His long rule allowed experienced officials to maintain continuity in administration and religious institutions.

Military campaigns and foreign policy

Ramesses led military expeditions northward into the coastal and inland territories of the eastern Mediterranean and southward into Nubia. Campaign narratives carved on temple walls describe engagements in the regions of present-day Israel, Lebanon and Syria, and operations to control trade routes and buffer zones. He also pursued campaigns into Nubia to secure the southern frontier and access to resources. One of the most famous episodes associated with his reign is the large-scale confrontation at Kadesh, which led to a negotiated settlement and a diplomatic treaty that early sources present as a landmark in ancient interstate relations.

Building program and monuments

Monumental construction was a hallmark of Ramesses's kingship. He enlarged existing temples, commissioned new sanctuaries and installed colossal statues of himself to project power across Egypt. Major works included additions at Luxor and Karnak, the rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel, and the vast royal residence at Pi-Ramesses. Inscriptions and reliefs from these sites were intended both to honor deities and to advertise the pharaoh’s accomplishments to Egyptian and foreign audiences.

Burial, discovery and legacy

Ramesses was interred in the Valley of the Kings; later priests moved his mummy to a hidden cache to protect it from tomb robbers, and it was rediscovered in the 19th century. His mummy is now displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The longevity of his reign — traditionally calculated as about 66 years — and the scale of his monuments helped cement a reputation that lasted into antiquity: Egyptians and later civilizations remembered him as a preeminent ruler.

Notable facts and distinctions

  • Often called the Great Ancestor by successors who traced royal legitimacy to his house.
  • Celebrated both for battlefield command and for an ambitious campaign of building and image-making.
  • Remains a focal figure for studies of New Kingdom diplomacy, engineering and art.

For further reading on institutions, archaeological sites and primary inscriptions related to his reign, see specialized surveys and museum catalogues. Temple reliefs and royal lists remain key sources for reconstructing events in Ramesses II’s long and influential reign.

More on the role of the pharaoh • Context: Ancient Egypt • Seti I and the royal family • Ramesses's tomb • Valley of the Kings • Eastern Mediterranean regions • Levantine connections • Syrian campaigns • Nubian frontier

The person

Ramses was the son of Sethos I and his Great Royal Wife Tuja. He probably had two siblings: a brother named Nebchasetnebet who died at a young age, and a sister named Tia. For a long time Henutmire was also thought to be a daughter of Sethos I and thus a sister of Ramesses II. However, she was in fact the daughter of Rameses II who was raised to the rank of Great Royal Wife.

From his three Great Royal Wives Nefertari, Isisnofret and Maathorneferure he possibly had more than 15 children. In the assignment the Egyptologists are sure only about the following:

  • Nefertari bore several sons, the firstborn and crown prince Amunherchepeschef (from year 20: Sethherchepeschef), Paraherwenemef, Seti and Meriatum, as well as the daughters Meritamun (further Great Royal Wife), Henuttaui, Baketmut and Nefertari.
  • Isisnofret gave birth to the daughters Bintanat (another Great Royal Wife), Nebettaui (another Great Royal Wife) and Isisnofret as well as the sons Ramses, Chaemwaset and Merenptah, the successor of Ramses II.
  • In the middle of his reign, around the 34th year of his reign, Ramses married the Hittite princess Sauškanu, who was given the Egyptian name Maat-Hor-Neferu-Re. Little is known of her, although she lived into the 61st year of the ruler's reign. Children from this union are not known.
  • Another royal consort and daughter of the king was Meritre.

From Ramses II as descendants 40 daughters and 45 sons are known. Designated successors are in order Amunherchepeschef (son of Nefertari), Ramses (first son of Isisnofret) and Chaemwaset (second son of Isisnofret). His real successor then became Merenptah, the third son of Isisnofret.

Judging by his mummy Ramses II was about 172 cm tall, fair-skinned and had reddish hair which had turned white with age (today discolored yellow). During the last 20 years of his life he suffered from a stiffening of the spine which was also accompanied by frequent inflammations. For this reason, in his old age he could only walk with a low stoop and presumably on a cane. At his death he was about 80 years old according to the examination of the mummy, according to the chronology about 90 years.

Childhood

The first major event in the life of the young Ramses may have been the accession of his grandfather Ramses I.. At this time Ramses was about five years old. Since the grandfather had barely two years of reign left until his death, the next major event was the coronation of his father Sethos I in 1290 B.C. When Ramses was still young, his sister Tia married a man with the same name, Tia.

Tia was the son of the royal scribe and thus storekeeper, Amunwahsu, at the royal court. Tia became the king's scribe and treasury keeper and achieved such a high position of trust with Rameses that he later became his steward of the Temple of the Million Years. The double tomb of Tia and Tia was later discovered right next to the tomb of Haremhab in Sakkara.

At the age of ten, Ramses was given the honorary title of commander-in-chief of the army by his father. He experienced his first battles about two years later in the Nile Delta, when his father went into battle against the Tjehenu and Meshevesh and the young prince accompanied him. The following year, the Egyptian army moved towards Syria to push back the Hittites and regain Egyptian control of the city of Kadesh on the Orontes.

After the peace treaty with the Hittites peace returned to the Egyptian court and with scarcely 15 years Sethos I. raised his son to the co-regent.

Ramses II as a child
Ramses II as a child

Questions and answers

Q: Who was Ramesses II?

A: Ramesses II was one of the greatest Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and the third Pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty.

Q: How long did Ramesses II rule Egypt for?

A: Ramesses II ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC, which is a total of 66 years and 2 months.

Q: What was Ramesses II's title?

A: Ramesses II was called the "Great Ancestor" by his successors and later Egyptians.

Q: How old was Ramesses II when he was appointed successor by his father?

A: Ramesses II was 14 years old when he was appointed successor by his father Seti I.

Q: Where was Ramesses II buried?

A: Ramesses II was buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, but his body was later moved to a royal cache where it was discovered in 1881. It is now on display in the Cairo Museum.

Q: What kind of expeditions did Ramesses II lead?

A: Ramesses II led several expeditions north into the lands east of the Mediterranean (the location of the modern Israel, Lebanon and Syria). He also led expeditions to the south, into Nubia.

Q: What was the focus of the early part of Ramesses II's reign?

A: The early part of Ramesses II's reign was focused on building cities, temples and monuments. He established the city of Pi-Ramesses in the Nile Delta as his new capital and main base for his campaigns in Syria.

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