Ramses Ii

Ramses II was perhaps the greatest pharaoh in the long, storied history of ancient Egypt's rulers. He ruled from approximately 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE, an astonishing 66 years. He began his rule while in his 20's and was close to one hundred years old when he died. During his long rule, Ramses II accomplished a great deal and left behind a legacy that dwarfs that of any other Egyptian pharaoh.

Ramses II was born to the pharaoh Seti I. There are no other known brothers of Ramses II so it is unknown if he had to compete for the right to the throne. When he did take power, Ramses II did much to advance Egyptian society. He is largely remembered for the wars he waged and his attempts to expand Egypt into the Hittite empire in Syria; but in addition to that, Ramses II did much to improve his kingdom within its borders. He built a great deal of monuments and temples throughout the land. He also established several prosperous cities. Perhaps the most famous and influential city he established was the city of Per-Ramesses, which he set up as the new capital. This city also proved extremely useful during his war with the Hittites.

Ramses' war with the Hittites grew from his desire to expand Egypt into Syria. He used his newly-founded city of Per-Ramesses to prepare for war; using it to produce thousands of weapons and hundreds of chariots. It also served as his base of operations during the war. Ramses II also proved to be a great warrior during these wars. Egyptian history displays him as a brave man who went into battle along with his troops. Modern science has proven that he indeed did fight in battle, as close inspections of his mummy reveal several fractures and puncture wounds that no doubt afflicted him for the rest of his long life. The war itself proved to be mostly indecisive. It consisted of Ramses II's forces slowly conquering a small strip of land only to have it return to Hittite control once the army would leave it. The biggest battle of the war was the Battle of Kadesh. In it, Ramses II's forces advanced into Hittite territory and seized the citadel of Kadesh. However, when they kept advancing, they were tricked by two spies into an ambush. The Egyptian forces, against incredible odds, actually managed to repel the ambush but by doing so actually lost the war because they had suffered such massive losses in their repelling of the ambush.

In addition to being a famed warrior, Ramses II is famous as being depicted as the Pharoah during the time of the Hebrew Exodus. This is a largely disputed belief and there is no conclusive evidence either way. Those who argue against it say that there are no records of a mass exodus of the Hebrews or of a series of plagues as predicted in the Bible. Although this is true, modern historians have discovered that the Egyptians had a habit of not recording any kind of loss or anything that did not shine a favorable light on their kingdom. For instance, there are battles in which the Egyptians lost that historians can not find any record of in Egypt but are recorded vividly in the records of the victorious kingdom. Another point that critics argue is that Ramses II was of course not drowned in the sea but lived to be in his nineties. Those who counter would point out that the Exodus account merely states that his army, not the Pharoah, was drowned in the sea. One point that supports the biblical depiction is the bible's description that the Hebrews built a city called "Ra'amses" which is probably the city of Per-Ramesses, the city which Ramses II indeed established during his reigh. There is no definitive proof one way or the other. Those against the argument point out certain archaeological and chronological inconsistencies while those for it point to the references in the Bible and other early historical records that point to Ramses II as the pharaoh of the exodus.

Although he is by some remembered as the pharaoh of the exodus, Ramses II did much during his life to be certain that he was remembered as a great and mighty ruler. The way that he did this was by building more and greater monuments in his honor than any pharaoh before him. In addition, many of these monuments are very well-preserved. Three of these monuments in particular are most famous. The first of these is the Ramasseum. It is a mortuary temple depicting Ramses II and much of his family. It was once a great and massive