Ramsey the great is known to be one of the greatest kings to rule ancient Egypt. Ramesses II means "Ra is the one who bore him" c. 1303–1213 BC, commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He is known as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom, during the most powerful period of Ancient Egypt. He had 6 wives, Nefertari, Meritamen, Isetnofret, Bintanath, Mauthor Neferure, and Nebettawy. He is said to have over 100 kids, 52 boys and 48 girls. His 67 reign was the second longest in Egyptian history. At age fourteen, he was appointed prince regent by his father. He became king at 25 years old.
In the beginning of reign he focused on building cities, temples,
…show more content…
During his reign, the Egyptian army is estimated to have totaled some 100,000 men: a formidable force that he used to strengthen Egyptian influence.
In his second year, Ramesses II defeated the Sherden sea pirates who were wreaking havoc along Egypt's Mediterranean coast by attacking cargo vessels travelling to Egypt. In that sea battle, together with the Sherden, the pharaoh also defeated the Lycians, and the Shekelesh
…show more content…
Two of his biggest works, besides Pi-Ramesses, were the temple complex of Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum, a mortuary temple in western Thebes.
Ramesses II moved the capital of his kingdom from Thebes in the Nile valley to a new site in the eastern Delta. The new city of Pi-Ramesses meaning "Domain of Ramesses, Great in Victory” had hug temples and his great residential palace, with two courts complete with its own zoo. Traces of a school for scribes were also found among the ruins.
In 1255 BC, Ramesses and his queen Nefertari had traveled into Nubia to inaugurate a new temple, the great Abu Simbel. It is an ego cast in stone; the man who built it intended not only to become Egypt's greatest pharaoh, but also one of its deities.
The great temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel was discovered in 1813 by the Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. An enormous pile of sand almost completely covered the facade and its colossal statues, blocking the entrance for four more years. The explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni reached the interior on 4 August