Ramses The Great: Essay

(This one is a bit lengthy, but whatevs)

       The incredible Ramses II was the last major pharaoh of Egypt, who accomplished many
things, such as building more than half the temples that exist in Egypt today, such as the temple
of Abu Simbel, and the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak. Ruling for a great 67 years, Ramses II (also
known as Ramses, or Ramses the Great) was thought to be the only pharaoh for more than two
generations of people. Crowned Pharaoh of Egypt at 18 years old, he ruled until he was 85 years,
which was when he died (Payne 164). Ramses was also slim and athletic because “His father, by
all accounts, had made him run two miles before eating breakfast every morning” (Payne 154).
One famous war Ramses II fought in was the Battle of Kadesh, which was an utter failure, but he
claimed it to be a huge success, which was painted on all of Egypt’s temples’ walls (Payne 160).
He, later on, signed the first peace treaty, with the Hittites, which, according to “The Pharaohs of
Ancient Egypt” by Elizabeth Payne, was a “...continuing success...celebrated ...by a great state
marriage between Ramses and the daughter of the Hittite king”. Although he loved her as much
as he could, his more treasured wife came later in his life, and her name was Nefertari. Ramses
the Great would have traditionally been believed to be the “Pharaoh of Exodus, due to a tradition
started by Eusebius of Caesarea” (Ramesses II paper). When Ramses II died, Egyptians thought
the world was going to end (which was true for the Egyptian empire, as it started to fall right
after Ramses II’s reign). They also lost their trust in the pharaoh later on, as they thought their
pharaoh was just a “week and foolish mortal” (Payne 168). Ramses the Great was the last
great pharaoh of Egypt, who also turned out to be the greatest pharaoh overall, because he
reigned for more years, fathered more children, and built more monuments than any other
pharaoh.

       Unlike many other pharaohs, Ramses II ascended from a non-royal military family “from
the northeast Egyptian delta” (Ramses I). His grandfather, Ramses I, found favor with
Horemheb, and took the throne, starting the 18th dynasty. “As the elderly king had no son of his
own, he made Ramses coregent not long before his own death” (Ramses I). Then came Seti I,
who was Ramses II’s father. Seti I and Ramses I both “devoted themselves primarily to valley
affairs” (Payne 153). Finally, Ramses II was born to Queen Tuya and Seti I (Ramses II | 10 Facts
About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh) in the Delta (Payne 162). He was made Prince Regent when
he was 14 years old (Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh,) and pharaoh
when he was 18 years old (Payne 154). Ramses the Great was also as athletic as he was smart,
because he was “every inch a god-king”, as described in “The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt” by
Elizabeth Payne. This book also mentions that, after signing a contract with the Hittites, he
marries the daughter of the Hittite King. “They were followed by strings of fine horses, herds of
cattle, and cartloads of gold and silver-her dowry…” (Payne 161-162). Although the pharaoh loved
his little bride more than anything, she was not his only wife. He had seven great royal wives and an infinite number of secondary wives and concubines. Because he had so many wives, he
also had the appropriate number of children-about 50 daughters and at least 100 sons.

       During the first four years of his reign as pharaoh, Ramses warred along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, retaking the coastal cities that were important to him as bases.
Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows, the “Hittites watched him and waited. Then they pounced”
(Payne 154). The battle of Kadesh was a battle between Egypt, led by Ramses II and the Hittite
empire, led by Mutuwallis (Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh). It was a
major battle, as it was one of the earliest, and one that the greatest Pharaoh lost. At first, Ramses
II was fully confident, with his “force of twenty thousand soldiers and charioteers” (Payne 155).
His forces were then separated into sections-Amun, Ra, Ptah, and Sutekh, each holding about
5,000 men and archers (Payne 155). At this point, they started marching along the coastal road for
29 days, “through Canaan, south Syria, and the Bekaa Valley and finally approached Kadesh
from the south” (Ramesses II paper). The Hittites gained power when the gullible pharaoh was
tricked by two Hittite “deserters”, who were in reality Hittite spies. They lied to him that the
Hittite army was all the way up 120 miles to the north, in Aleppo, “too frightened to engage the
mighty army of Egypt” (Payne 156,) when they were actually just hiding on the other side of
Kadesh (Payne 157). After horrible torture had been done to a second pair of spies, they spilled
out the truth (Ramesses II paper) . “His Majesty asked, ‘Who are you?’ They replied, ‘We
belong to the king of Hatti. He has sent us to spy on you’. Lo, the king of Hatti has already
arrived, together with the many countries who are supporting him’... ‘They have their weapons
of war at the ready. They are more numerous than the grains of sand on the beach’... (Ramesses
II paper)” Finally, at the shock of a thunderclap, the Hittite troops struck the Ra Division, who
were completely unaware of the enemies. As the war went by, more Egyptian men were killed,
and Ramses II would have been to, if it weren’t for the Amun and Ra Divisions, who opened
their tent, loaded with booty, which caused the enemy to flee to the tent itself. Although neither
side could claim victory (Pharaoh of Egypt Ramses II,) Ramses II said to the Egyptians that he
alone had “to smite” 2,500 people of the Hittite force, as “he tied the reins around his waist...and
charged” (Payne 158). The Egyptians basically thought this major war was a success when it
was an utter disaster. Another group Ramses II had war with was the Sherden sea pirates, who he
defeated in the second year of his reign (Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian
Pharaoh).

       In addition to fighting in one of the most famous battles of the Ancient World, Ramses
ultimately also signed a peace treaty with the Hittite Empire, the same nation he warred with.
The peace treaty stated that the two civilizations would also help each other in mutual protection
(helping each other in a war) and mutual assistance (giving each other food when needed). It
also stated that the two nations would catch the other’s criminal, and return it back to the nation.
This pact was signed by Ramses II of Egypt and Hattusili III of the Hittite empire (Ramses II | 10
Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh). It was a continuing success when 16 years later,
Ramses the Great and the Hittite king’s eldest daughter were married (Pharaoh of Egypt Ramses
II). This, and many of Ramses II’s other acts “helped to solidify Egypt's borders on all sides,
allowing for increased internal stability” (Ramses II aka Ramses The Great).

       During his years as a pharaoh, Ramses the Great built many monuments, such as Abu
Simbel. Abu Simbel was constructed by the First Cataract of the Nile, “with its giant statues of
himself before the portals” (Payne 163). This great temple took about 20 years to build, finishing
at year 24 of Ramses the Great’s reign (Ramesses II paper). Before anyone could enter the
temple when it was discovered in 1813 by the famous Swiss Orientalist and traveler Ludwig
Burckhardtan, an enormous pile of sand and rubble almost completely covered the entranceway
(Ramesses II paper). The feat of removing the rubble was achieved by the great Paduan explorer
Giovanni Battista Belzoni, who managed to penetrate the interior on August 4, 1817 (Ramesses
II paper). Another great monument Ramses II built was the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, with its
“forest of pillars so big around that 100 men could stand atop each” (Payne 163). Ramses II also
built the Ramesseum, which is a memorial temple complex situated close to Luxor (Ramses II
aka Ramses The Great). “The Greek historian Diodorus Siculo marveled at his gigantic and
famous temple which is now no more than a few ruins” (Ramesses II paper,) but some things that
survived were the “Pylon of Ramesses” which is useful as a historical document and the statue of
Ramses II, which used to be 56 ft high, but because of harsh conditions broke apart, with only
the torso and the base remaining (Ramses II aka Ramses The Great). Some smaller temples he
constructed include the temple of Hathor and Nefertari, which is known as the small temple, and
a Temple of Seti I, right next to the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak (Ramesses II paper). Ramses II is
also known for carving his cartouche on other pharaohs statues, as well as using earlier pharaoh’s
monument rubble to create some of his own buildings.

       After reigning for a long 67 years, Ramses II died in 1188 B.C., probably in Abu Simbel
at the age of 85 (Payne 164). Before he died his most loved wife Nefertari, also died. Ramses II
was a great architect, builder, and warrior pharaoh who took Egypt to one of its richest points in
history. After he died, Egypt went into deep trouble, and even though “the valley seemed more
prosperous and stable than ever...a closer look revealed unmistakable signs that Egypt’s great
days were coming to an end” (Payne 164).

Works Cited

Payne, Elizabeth Ann. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. New York: Random House, 1964. Print.

Laukens, Dirk. “Ramses II aka Ramses The Great-Ancient Egypt Online” Nov. 2015.
http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ramses-II.html. Dec. 15th, 2016.

Writers and editors, New World Encyclopedia. “Ramesses II-New World Encyclopedia”
MediaWiki. June 25th, 2015. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ramesses II. Dec.
15th, 2016.

Anirudh. “Ramses II | 10 Facts About The Great Egyptian Pharaoh-Leonardo Newtontic” . Sept.
26th 2015. https://learnodo-newtonic.com/ramses-ii-facts. Dec. 15th, 2016.

“Pharaoh of Egypt Ramses II-Encyclopedia.com” 2004.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/ancient-history-egypt-biographies/pharaoh-egypt-
ramses-ii#1G23404705349. Dec. 15th, 2016.