Ramses II
Short Biography, Information & Facts
about Ramses the Great, the famous pharaoh and king of Egypt
Biography, Facts and
information about the life of a Pharaoh
The term
pharaoh was the title of an ancient
Egyptian king who was considered to be a living god and worshipped as a
deity. The pharaoh was an absolute ruler of Egypt, both the political
and religious leader.
Short Biography of
the life of Ramses II
The history, facts and information about Ramses
the Great, a
famous pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.
The following biography information
provides basic facts about the life Ramses II:
-
Ramses II was also known as
Ramses the Great
-
Alternative spellings of the
name: Rameses and Ramesses
-
Egyptian Period / Kingdom:
New Kingdom
-
Dynasty: Ramses II ruled in the
nineteenth
Egyptian Dynasty
-
Name of Previous Pharaoh: Seti I 1290 BC – 1279
BC
-
Years of Reign: 1279 BC –
1213 BC - 66 years
-
Succeeded by: Merenptah aka Merneptah 1213
BC – 1203 BC
-
Lifespan: 1303 BC – 1213 BC
-
Year of Birth: 1303 BC
-
Family
-
Father: His father was
Seti I
-
Mother: His mother was
Queen Tuya
-
Chief Wife: His chief wife
and consort was Nefertari. Other wives were Isetnofret and
Maathorneferure
-
Children: He was believed to
have over 100 children. He was succeeded by his thirteenth son Merneptah,
by Isetnofret
- his 12 younger sons having died during Ramses long lifetime
-
Year of Death: 1213 BC,
Ramses II was over ninety years old when he died
-
Location of the
Burial Site: Valley of the Kings
-
Tomb reference number: KV7
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Name of Egyptologist who
discovered the burial site, or tomb, of Ramses II: Henry Salt (1780 - 1827)
-
Biography and
accomplishments: Ramses II was a great military commander like his
father, a warrior king who waged successful wars
against Libya and Nubia and the Hittites. The Hittites were an
Indo-European people who entered Mesopotamia and destroyed the
Babylonian empire. The capital of the Hittite kingdom was Hattusha, now
in modern Turkey. The Hittites fought Egypt for control of North Syria.
The greatest achievement of Ramses was
the capture of the Syrian city of Kadesh in July 1274 BC from the Hittites, which had been lost during the
chaotic reign of the Heretic King Akhenaten. Scenes from this famous
Battle of Kadesh, in which over 5,000 chariots were involved, are
depicted in the Rock Temple of Ramses at Abu Simbel. Ramses eventually
established a treaty with the Hittite Empire, although it took some
years to take effect.
-
Ramses II is believed to be
the Egyptian Pharaoh involved in the biblical story of Moses, but this
has not been substantiated
-
Monuments - Why Ramses II
was famous: Building the Rock Temple of Ramses at Abu Simbel. This
famous temple features the four colossal seated statues of Ramses II each of
which were cut 69 feet high. Smaller statues surround the main four statues of Ramses
and depict members of his family, including Queen Nefertari. Ramses II built a
total of seven temples at Abu Simbel but the "Temple of Ramses,
beloved of Amun" was the greatest. He also built the Luxor Temple
complex and the Ramesseum his memorial temple (or mortuary temple)
Ramses II
Each section of this Ancient Egyptian website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Ramses II. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject
of the Ancient Egyptian Kings - their life, family, reign, dynasty,
important dates and events and accomplishments.
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