Ramses II

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
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
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