Ramses II, often called Ramses the Great, ruled Egypt for 66 years during the 19th Dynasty, a period of unprecedented wealth, monumental construction, and military expansion. From his early campaigns against the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh—the largest chariot battle in history—to the signing of the first known peace treaty, Ramses shaped the ancient Near East. This podcast explores the man behind the monuments: his 200-plus children, his beloved queen Nefertari, and his colossal building projects from Abu Simbel to the Ramesseum. Lucas and Luna unravel the propaganda of temple inscriptions, the controversies of his reign (did he really win at Kadesh?), and the daily life of Egyptian society under a pharaoh who proclaimed himself a god. They examine the decline that followed his death, the looting of his tomb, and his mummy’s journey to a museum in Cairo. Why does Ramses still captivate us? Because his story is one of power, art, and the human drive for immortality—a legacy carved in stone that still speaks across millennia.
