Who Was Ramesses II?

Ramesses II — often called Ramesses the Great — reigned over Ancient Egypt from approximately 1279 to 1213 BCE during the Nineteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom period. His reign of more than 66 years made him one of the longest-ruling pharaohs in Egyptian history, and his impact on Egyptian art, architecture, diplomacy, and military affairs was so profound that nine subsequent pharaohs took his name in honor.

Born to Pharaoh Seti I and Queen Tuya, Ramesses was groomed for leadership from an early age. He accompanied his father on military campaigns while still a child and was appointed co-regent while only in his teens — an extraordinary sign of the dynasty's confidence in him.

Military Campaigns and the Battle of Kadesh

Ramesses is perhaps best known for his military campaigns against the Hittites, culminating in the famous Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274 BCE) — one of the earliest battles in history for which detailed tactical records survive. Though the outcome was inconclusive, Ramesses returned to Egypt and had the story immortalized on temple walls across the land, depicting himself as a heroic warrior cutting through enemy ranks almost single-handedly.

The Battle of Kadesh ultimately led to what is considered the world's oldest surviving peace treaty — the Egyptian–Hittite Peace Treaty — negotiated between Ramesses and the Hittite king Hattusili III. A copy of this treaty, written in cuneiform, is displayed at the United Nations in New York today.

A Builder Without Equal

Ramesses was an obsessive builder. His construction projects transformed the Egyptian landscape:

  • Abu Simbel — Two massive rock-cut temples carved into the cliffside at Nubia, featuring four colossal statues of Ramesses at the entrance.
  • The Ramesseum — His mortuary temple on the west bank of Thebes, a structure that inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Ozymandias.
  • Pi-Ramesses — A vast new capital city he constructed in the Nile Delta.
  • Additions to Karnak and Luxor temples — He expanded these already-grand complexes with new halls, pylons, and obelisks.

He also had a habit of inscribing his own name over earlier monuments, effectively claiming credit for the works of predecessor pharaohs — a practice historians call usurpation of monuments.

Personal Life and Family

Ramesses fathered an extraordinary number of children — ancient records suggest he had over 100 sons and daughters from numerous wives and concubines. His chief queen was Nefertari, to whom he dedicated one of the smaller temples at Abu Simbel. After Nefertari's death, his queen Isetnofret rose to prominence.

Death and Mummification

Ramesses died in his early 90s — an exceptional age for the ancient world. His mummified body, discovered in the Deir el-Bahari royal cache in 1881, shows signs of severe arthritis, dental decay, and hardening of the arteries. In 1976, his mummy was flown to Paris for conservation work, and — per Egyptian diplomatic protocol — he was received with the honors due to a head of state.

Why He Endures

Ramesses II remains one of the most recognizable figures of the ancient world. His colossal statues, his prolific building campaigns, his diplomatic legacy, and the sheer drama of his long reign all contribute to his enduring fame. Whether or not every inscription tells the full truth, Ramesses understood better than almost anyone before him how to shape his own historical narrative.