Ramses the Great

by Silvia Anne Sheafer

Published 30 January 2009
Ramses II, pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, left an indelible mark on ancient Egypt. Often known as Ramses the Great, his reign was a golden age when political and cultural life thrived. He created spectacular monuments, including the magnificent Abu Simbel temples, the royal city of Piramses, and his mortuary temple Ramesseum. As a military leader, he expanded the Egyptian sovereignty from Nubia in the south to Syria in the west. Brilliant and ambitious, he forged with the Hittite Empire the first-ever peace treaty.