logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
32m 5s

Ramesses II: Egypt’s greatest pharaoh?

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode

Ramesses II is the only pharaoh in history to be known as ‘the great’, but does he deserve that title? Was he the pharaoh in the Exodus story? And was his mummy really given a passport when he travelled to France? Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson has just written a new biography of Ramesses and he answered these questions and more in conversation with Rob Attar.


(Ad) Toby Wilkinson is the author of Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ramesses-Great-Egypts-Kings-Ancient/dp/0300256655/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Nationalism: everything you wanted to know
Human beings tend to identify with being in a group, and, historically, few groupings have been more potent than the idea of the nation. But when did people first embrace the idea of the nation state? Is nationalism predominantly a right-wing creed? And does it thrive during peri ... Show More
45m 17s
Aug 22
Preview: The forgers who faked a fortune
In 1775, a respectable lady, a mild-mannered apothecary and his fast-living identical twin stood accused of pulling off a scam that had earnt them a fortune. But as their trial unfolded, the defendants turned on one another, and the plot thickened – who was the real orchestrator ... Show More
8m 52s
Aug 21
From dodos to 'lost' tribes: a history of extinction
After causing the extinction of the dodo, humans soon realised that we had the power to destroy entire species – and we continue to reckon with that power. Speaking to James Osborne, Sadiah Qureshi discusses her new book Vanished, which looks at the connections between extinction ... Show More
35m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 3
Bonus Feed-Swap with The History of Egypt Podcast
Hi everyone! My friend Dominic at THoE and I are doing a feed-swap this week. It's a great chance to introduce you to his new set of episodes on the pharaoh Ramesses II. More details from Dominic below. Enjoy! - Scott C. In a land famous for its monarchs – the legendary pharaohs ... Show More
46m 58s
Sep 2024
Episode #210- Who Killed King Tut? (Part I)
King Tutankhamun may be the best known Egyptian Pharaoh. The discovery of his tomb in 1922 created a wave of "Tut-mania" that has made him a fixture of pop-culture ever since. But even though his treasures are among the most visited museum objects in history, the details of his l ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2025
Tutankhamun
In November 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, a young water boy called Hussein Abdul Rasoul makes a remarkable discovery. A set of stone steps lies concealed beneath the desert sand - a staircase leading to a long-lost tomb. The mummified pharaoh within will capture the imagi ... Show More
51m 23s
Feb 2024
Nefertiti
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the woman who inspired one of the best known artefacts from ancient Egypt. The Bust of Nefertiti is multicoloured and symmetrical, about 49cm/18" high and, despite the missing left eye, still holds the gaze of onlookers below its tall, blue, flat t ... Show More
49m 50s
Apr 2025
206: Ramesses II Usir-Ma'at-Ra
In the annals of Egyptian history there is no one quite like Ramesses II. He is arguably the most famous, or infamous, of Egypt’s pharaohs. His reign would be long (67 years!) and his influence would be incalculable. In this episode, Ramesses "appears" as King, following the deat ... Show More
47m 18s
Apr 2025
207: Ramesses II Shadow of Two Fathers
Ramesses had a lot to plan for, in his first year of rule (c.1292 BCE). Staying in Waset / Luxor, the new pharaoh began building work on his tomb (KV7) and his memorial temple (The Ramesseum). Archaeological records testify to both of these projects. Then, the King immortalised h ... Show More
43m 1s
May 2
208: Ramesses II The Oracle & The Sphinx
A death at Karnak, and a lion amongst men. In regnal year 1 (c.1292 BCE), Ramesses II was at Abdju / Abydos. While there, he appointed a new First Priest of Amun (Hem Netjer Tepy en Imen). He chose his candidate by consulting the deity directly, engaging in an oracle with Amun to ... Show More
29 m
Nov 2024
194: A Prince of Egypt (feat. Prof. Peter Brand)
Ramesses Rising. Traditionally, Egyptian princes are almost invisible. The pharaohs downplayed the presence of their sons, to reduce political competition and maintain religious order. Sety I (c.1300 BCE) changed this habit. In art and monuments, he promoted young Ramesses II to ... Show More
1h 13m
Jul 25
Kadesh: The 200 Year Enemy with Prof. Peter Brand
Leading up to the Battle of Kadesh (c.1287 BCE) betwen Ramesses II of Egypt and Muwatalli II of Hatti, we need to understand the background. Why was this city the epicentre of such a major conflict? How did the rulers of Kadesh (Kadeshians?) persistently frustrate pharaohs dating ... Show More
49m 54s
Apr 2025
The Egyptian Sphinx
Measuring 240 feet long from paw to tail, and around the height of a six-story building, the Great Sphinx is one of Egypt’s most spectacular, and mysterious, monuments. Believed to have been built over four millennia ago, much of its story has been lost to history, and the rest i ... Show More
59 m