Ramesses II

Ramesses II was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty who ruled from about 1279 to 1213 BCE. His reign is known for monumental building projects and military campaigns, especially against the Hittites.

Battle of Kadesh: A major battle between the Egyptian and Hittite empires fought near Kadesh in the fifth year of Ramesses II’s reign. This campaign became the centerpiece of Ramesses II’s royal account of military achievement.
Ancient Egyptian kingship: The institution and ideology of pharaonic rule in ancient Egypt. Ramesses II used established ideas of divine kingship to frame military and building achievements.
Seti I: A Nineteenth-Dynasty pharaoh of Egypt and the father of Ramesses II. Seti I’s campaigns and monuments established the royal legacy his son inherited.
Ramesside period: The era of Egypt’s Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, named for rulers bearing the name Ramesses. His reign set a powerful model for the dynasty and period named after Ramesside kings.
Abu Simbel temples: Two rock-cut temples in Nubia built under Ramesses II and dedicated to gods and the king. Their colossal façade presents Ramesses II as both ruler and divine figure.
Egyptian hieroglyphs: A writing system using logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic signs in ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphic inscriptions carried Ramesses II’s names and royal claims across temples and monuments.
Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt: A New Kingdom dynasty that ruled Egypt during much of the thirteenth century BCE. Ramesses II’s long reign was the dynasty’s best-known period.
Ramesses II mummy: The preserved body of Ramesses II, recovered from a royal cache at Deir el-Bahri in the nineteenth century. The mummy brought the ancient king into modern scientific and public attention.
Ramesseum: The mortuary temple of Ramesses II on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes. Its monumental remains reveal the scale of his building program.
Pharaonic titulary: The set of formal names and titles used by ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Ramesses II’s titulary linked his rule to divine authority and appeared throughout his monuments.

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