by Keri Withington

Created on: October 17, 2008   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

Almost everyone has some interest in ancient Egypt. Movies like The Mummy are proof of this. The pyramids are iconographic, and we could all tell you at least a few facts about mummies. Only a few pharoahs, though, are still remembered by name. Ramses is one of them.

The son of the Pharoah, Seti I, and Tuya, Ramesses II (also spelt Ramses) was given his name for its meaning. Ramesses translates as meaning the son of Re, or born of Re (the great sun god). When he was just a child, Ramesses II was crowned as the Prince-Regnet of Egypt. At 25, he ascended the throne. He ruled the Egyptian Empire from approximately 1279-1212 BC. As was tradition, he had multiple wives and concubines, but his chief wife was Nefertari. Although the exact number is under debate, Ramesses seems to have fathered at least 100 children. Unusually, Ramesses seemed to have lived into his 90's.

Traditionally Biblical scholars have placed Moses and Exodus within his reign, although more recent studies have debated this viewpoint (for an example, look at Act of God by Graham Phillips).

Although scholars debate his abilities as a military ruler, we do know that during Ramesses's rule Egypt defeated the Hittites. The world's first recorded peace treaty was signed by Ramesses.

From surviving records of the period, Ramesses is depicted as having been an energetic and ambitious leader. These traits (as well as his vanity) are evident in the monumental building projects that he commissioned.

Some of the most famous temples in Egypt were projects led by Ramesses II.

The Luxor Temple hosted the important Festival of Opet during Ramesses's time, and the site can still be visited. Click here for pictures. The 4-acre temple is located in Thebes on the East bank of the river Nile. Although the temple had been begun by an earlier leader, Ramesses supported and amended the building project. It was completed in the third year of his reign, and became a centre for important religious and state events. The entrance to the temple is surrounded by enormous granite statues of Ramesses II, and the interior is filled with inscriptions about Ramesses and the mythology of the god Re.

The Temple of Karnak-the largest temple complex ever built anywhere in the world-had been begun by Ramesses's grandfather, but it was Ramesses who completed this massive building project. Although it had been begun well before Ramesses's reign, it took another 45 years to finish it.

Another significant building project was the temples of Abu Simbel. Originally these temples were located in present-day Nubia, but they were moved during the 1960's because of the construction of the Aswan Dam. Although the temples were dedicated to the gods, they glorify Ramesses and his wife, Nefertari.

Sources: http://www.touregypt.net/lxtmpl.htm http://www.eyelid.co.uk/karnak1.htm http://www.thenileandegypt.com/abusimbel.html

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