Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the diplomatic revolution that secured Ramses the Great's legacy. After the famous Battle of Kadesh, Ramses faced a strategic stalemate with the Hittite Empire. Rather than endless war, he negotiated a historic peace treaty with Hattusili III. The episode delves into the silver tablet exchanged between the two kings, the marriage diplomacy...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the aftermath of the Battle of Kadesh and the world's first recorded peace treaty, signed between Ramses II and Hittite king Hattusili III. They discuss the diplomatic negotiations, the silver tablet treaty, the marriage alliance with Maathorneferure, and how this agreement shaped the ancient Near East for decades. Lucas explains the terms of the treaty, inc...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Great Dedicatory Inscription at Abu Simbel—a monumental text that records Ramses II's consecration of the temple in Year 24 of his reign. This inscription is not just a religious document; it is a sophisticated piece of political theology that intertwines the pharaoh's authority, the gods' favor, and the kingdom's prosperity. Lucas explains how the inscr...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Ramesseum, Ramses II's magnificent mortuary temple on the west bank of Thebes. They discuss its colossal architecture, including the fallen statue of Ramses that inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias,' the intricate reliefs depicting the Battle of Kadesh and the Festival of Opet, and the temple's role as a center for the cult of the deified ki...

Imagine feeding a city of 300,000 people in the heart of the Nile Delta, three thousand years ago. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the logistics of food and feasting during the reign of Ramses the Great. They walk through the granaries of Per-Ramesses, where boatloads of grain from Egypt's breadbasket were stored. They discuss the massive brewing industry—beer was a dietary staple, not jus...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the sacred Apis bull cult during the reign of Ramses the Great. They discuss how the bull was chosen, venerated at Memphis, and mummified in the Serapeum. Khaemwaset, Ramses's son and high priest of Ptah, oversaw the burial of Apis bulls in massive stone sarcophagi. The episode delves into the bulls' role in reaffirming royal power, the elaborate funeral rit...

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna delve into the economic and religious world of Ramses III, the last great pharaoh of the New Kingdom, through the lens of the Great Harris Papyrus. This remarkable document, over 40 meters long, details the massive donations Ramses III made to the temples of Egypt—especially to the god Amun at Karnak. Lucas explains how this papyrus, discovered in...

This episode explores the world of royal scribes under Ramses the Great—the literate elite who ran the empire's bureaucracy, recorded its history, and shaped its legacy. Lucas and Luna dive into the training of scribes at the Per-Ankh (House of Life), the tools they used (papyrus, reed pens, palettes), and their critical role in everything from tax collection to temple administration. They discuss...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the enormous power of the priesthood of Amun at Thebes during the reign of Ramses II. They discuss how the cult of Amun, based at the Karnak temple complex, rivaled the pharaoh's own authority through its control of land, gold from Nubia, and tribute from conquered territories. Lucas explains the role of the High Priest of Amun—often a royal appointee but so...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the surprisingly advanced world of medicine during the reign of Ramses II. They discuss the Edwin Smith Papyrus, a surgical text from around 1600 BCE that describes 48 cases of trauma with remarkable anatomical accuracy, and the Ebers Papyrus, a vast compendium of herbal remedies and incantations. Lucas explains how Egyptian physicians—known as sunu—speciali...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Merneptah, the thirteenth son of Ramses II who unexpectedly became pharaoh after decades in the shadows. They delve into his military campaigns against the Libyans and the Sea Peoples, recorded on the Merneptah Stele and the Karnak reliefs. Lucas explains how Merneptah's famous stele contains the earliest known mention of 'Israel' in ancient his...

Step into the menagerie of Pharaoh Ramses II. From lions pacing the palace precincts to giraffes imported from Punt, exotic animals were status symbols, diplomatic gifts, and living propaganda. Lucas and Luna explore the evidence—reliefs at Abu Simbel, the tomb of a royal pet, the logistics of capturing a cheetah in Kush and shipping it down the Nile. It's a glimpse into how Ramses displayed his d...

We all know Ramses II as the builder of Abu Simbel and the hero of Kadesh, but what happened to his body after he died? In this episode, Lucas and Luna follow the extraordinary two-thousand-year journey of Ramses's mummy — from his original tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV7) to a secret royal cache at Deir el-Bahari, where priests hid him from tomb robbers. They explore the dramatic discovery o...

This episode dives into the economic engine behind Ramses II's monumental building projects and military campaigns. Lucas and Luna explore the daily provisioning of the new capital Per-Ramesses, from the massive grain silos to the international trade networks that supplied timber, copper, and incense. They discuss the role of the vizier, the taxation system based on the khar of grain, the expediti...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final years of Ramses II's 66-year reign and his elaborate preparations for the afterlife. They discuss the construction of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV7), the deteriorating security in Egypt's final years, and the complex funerary texts like the Book of the Dead, the Amduat, and the Book of Gates that guided his soul through the underworld. T...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the military innovations behind Ramses II's battlefield success, focusing on the Egyptian chariot corps. They discuss the revolutionary design of lightweight, two-man chariots at Per-Ramesses, the elite force of the maryannu, and the crucial role of horse archery. Lucas explains how these chariots, combined with tactical flexibility and superior logistics, a...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the controversial and fascinating question of whether Ramses II was the pharaoh of the biblical Exodus. They dive into the evidence—or lack thereof—for the story of Moses and the Israelites in ancient Egyptian records, from the Merneptah Stele and the Ipuwer Papyrus to the archaeological realities of slavery and the construction of Per-Ramesses. Lucas discus...

While Ramses II is famous for his colossal monuments and the Battle of Kadesh, his vast harem and politically strategic marriages were equally important to his reign. This episode explores the women who surrounded Ramses: his Great Royal Wives Nefertari and Isetnofret, their children and influence; his Hittite princess bride, Maathorneferure, who sealed the peace treaty; and the often overlooked r...

While Ramses the Great is remembered for his monuments, battles, and diplomatic feats, one of his most fascinating children was Prince Khaemwaset, a scholarly priest who is often called the world's first Egyptologist. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Khaemwaset's life as a high priest of Ptah in Memphis, his restoration of ancient pyramids and tombs, and his reputation as a magician and sag...

Crown Prince Amunherkhepeshef was Ramses the Great's firstborn son and intended successor, but he died before his father. This episode follows his life: his military training at Kadesh as a child, his role as a diplomat in the Hittite marriage alliance, his titles like 'Overseer of All Works of the King' and 'Generalissimo', and the mystery of his death. We explore the family politics of the Rames...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Ramses II's masterful use of propaganda through monumental art. They discuss the colossal statues erected throughout Egypt and Nubia, including the famous Abu Simbel temples and the massive granite statues in Per-Ramesses. The conversation delves into how these statues served not only as displays of power but also as tools of political control, projecting Ra...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Ramses II's monumental building program, focusing on the Great Temple of Abu Simbel. Carved into a mountainside in Nubia, this temple was not just a religious sanctuary but a political statement of Egyptian power. They discuss the temple's alignment so that twice a year the sun illuminates the inner sanctuary, the colossi of Ramses that guard its entrance, a...

This episode dives into Ramses the Great's relentless push south into Nubia, beyond the familiar Nile Delta and Hittite battles. Lucas and Luna explore the economic engine of his reign: the gold mines of the Eastern Desert and the fortress system that secured them. Learn about the massive fort of Buhen, the temple of Beit el-Wali with its rare scenes of Ramses in battle against Nubians, and the sh...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known side of Ramses the Great: his masterful diplomacy after the Battle of Kadesh. They unpack the origins of the world's first surviving peace treaty—between Egypt and the Hittite Empire around 1259 BCE. Lucas explains how Ramses turned a military stalemate into a propaganda victory, then solidified it with a marriage alliance to a Hittite princes...

In this pilot episode, hosts Lucas and Luna set the stage for a deep dive into the life and legacy of Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great. They open in the Nile Delta around 1274 BCE, as Ramses prepares for the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittite Empire. From there, they pull back to explore the broader context of Egypt's Nineteenth Dynasty, the challenges Ramses faced as a young pharaoh, a...