Although he created an image of himself as a "warrior king" with the figures and pictures he had engraved on the walls, he only organized campaigns in the first ten years of his reign. Ramesses II's effort to become a magnificent king is clearly seen in the buildings he built.
Ramesses II ascended to the throne during the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt in the 19th century. He is the third ruler of the Dynasty. According to Maneton and some historians, he remained on the throne for sixty-six years. During his time on the throne, he had many works built from north to south throughout Upper and Lower Egypt. He had inscriptions and pictures engraved on ancient works for himself. Therefore, one of the Egyptian traditions, the tradition of having the new king engrave the name of the previous king, dates back to II. It was corrupted by Ramesses II and missing pieces were formed in history. Although he created an image of himself as a "warrior king" with the figures and pictures he had engraved on the walls, he only organized campaigns in the first ten years of his reign.
Ramesses II's effort to become a magnificent king is clearly seen in the buildings he built. He had monuments and his own figures built in many locations in Egypt, where magnificent buildings began to be built during the New Kingdom Period.
He had a temple of the dead built in his name in the city of Thebes, which he called "Ramesseum". He had the story of the Treaty of Kadesh engraved on the walls of this very large and magnificent temple. The Ramesseum also contains huge statues of the king.
Ramesses II (1303 BC – 1213 BC), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was an Egyptian pharaoh. He was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, he is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom, which itself was the most powerful period of ancient Egypt. He is also widely considered one of ancient Egypt's most successful warrior pharaohs, conducting no fewer than 15 military campaigns, all resulting in victories, excluding the Battle of Kadesh, generally considered a stalemate.
He had a temple built in the Nubian region for his wife, and a larger temple was built next to it for himself. Nowadays, these temples have been moved to a different location due to the dam built on a nearby lake. He also had the story of the famous Battle of Kadesh written on the wall of this temple. He also had the story of the war engraved in the Luxor Temple.
Ramesses the Great; Apart from its magnificent temples, stelae, and diplomatic successes reflecting its character, it also had a very active palace life. While he was joint ruler with his father, he bought a large palace and a harem in Memphis and settled there.
At that time he had two wives: Nefertari and Isetnofret. The origins of both of his wives are not fully known. Likewise, Ramesses II also came to Egypt as an immigrant. II. It is possible to understand from the many works he commissioned that Ramesses was more interested in Nefertari, one of his wives. As we mentioned before, he had a temple built for his wife Nefertari in Nubia. Due to Nefertari's extraordinary beauty, multiple statues and paintings were commissioned to be placed in her tomb in the Land of Queens. The speculations put forward by some historians are that II. It made us think that Ramesses deliberately concealed his other wife, Isetnofret.
The fact that Nefertari was present at the official events attended by Ramesses II shows that the queen had an important place in history and how much importance Ramesses the Great gave to his wife. Nefertari appeared in many ceremonies and made important decisions. She became someone whom Ramesses consulted.
Besides being so in love with his wife, it is clear that Ramesses was also attracted to the other women in his harem. II. It is believed that Ramesses had about a hundred sons and daughters from the women in his harem. Not all of these children appear in the pages of history, only the children of Nefertari and Isetnofret are depicted or appear in stories.
Sons had to wait a long time to succeed their fathers on the throne. Ramesses the Great preserved his reign and established authority for nearly seventy years. II. Ramesses; He appointed his children to Egypt's administrative staff, clergy, and military centers, and wanted them to gain experience. This policy he implemented was very effective in maintaining his authority. Because Ramesses II was an immigrant from the north and a stranger to the Upper Egyptian basin. The dispersion of his children in these regions enabled his rule to extend to the elite in Thebes.
He was one of Ramesses' favorite children. The king always kept Khaemwaset in a special place, enabled him to reach high positions, and gave him a place in important positions. He was the high priest of Ptah, the patron god of Memphis. This position is one of the most prestigious positions in Ancient Egypt.
He was fascinated by the many artifacts from the Old Kingdom in the region where he grew up and lived, which created a love for archeology and architecture. He is one of the first known archaeologists. With his interest in architecture, he restored many historical monuments and implemented a more traditional system than his father. He had the names of the kings who commissioned the works engraved on the buildings he repaired, along with their titles. He became a scholar remembered with respect after his death.
Battle and Treaty of Kadesh
The most important event that took place during the reign of Ramesses II was undoubtedly the Battle of Kadesh between the Hittite State and Egypt in 1275 BC. It is possible to understand the fame of the Battle of Kadesh from its presence in almost all of the works commissioned by Ramesses II.
The Battle of Kadesh was a war in which Egypt attacked to take back Kadesh, a city in Syria, from the Hittites. However, due to faulty intelligence and the army's complacency, the Egyptians could not achieve the victory they expected.
Ramesses II saw the tension in Syria and built a base in the northeast of the country. This base, named Pi-Ramesses, became an intelligence center for the Egyptians and gained importance as it was located in a strategic location that facilitated passage to Syria. It is also an important defense point for attacks coming to Egypt from the shores of the Mediterranean.
In order to precede the Hittites, Ramesses II set out for the Syrian city of Kadesh in 1274 BC with his four-armed army named Amon, Ra, Ptah, and Seth. The Egyptians were prepared for this war with a fully-fledged army of approximately twenty thousand people and war chariots with technology beyond the period.
During the battle, Amon's corps, led by Ramesses, was far away from the main army. With the intelligence they received near the city of Kadesh, the Amon Corps thought that they would attack the Hittites at an unexpected moment. They set up camp somewhere near the city.
The Hittites were at least as ready for war as the Egyptians. Hittite king Muvatalli II secured his country against attacks from Anatolia during the campaign with the agreements he made with his vassals. The chariot technology in the Hittite army was more advanced than in Egypt. While there was one warrior with the driver in Egyptian chariots, the number of warriors in Hittite was two. This gave the Hittites an advantage in chariot battles. The remaining part of the army was equipped with infantry as required by the age.
While they were camping, the Amon Corps under the command of Ramesses II learned from the Hittite agents they captured that the intelligence they had previously received was wrong. However, the Hittites took action quickly and caught the Egyptian army crossing the Orontes River unprepared. The Ra corps was helpless against the incoming attack. Very few Egyptian soldiers during World War II. He was able to reach Ramesses alive. II. The Hittites, led by Muvatalli, followed the fleeing soldiers and reached the base camp, where Ramesses the Great was also located. One of the bloodiest clashes of the era took place.
Ramesses not only participated in the war personally but also showed his military genius by managing to equalize the situation with the arrival of the reserve army he sent behind by sea when he realized that they were about to be defeated. In this way, Egypt managed to defeat the Hittites and push them back. The retreating Hittite army suffered great losses while crossing the river and was almost destroyed, and II. The Egyptian army led by Ramesses won a glorious victory against the Hittites.
This story was engraved and written both as a picture and as text on almost all the works he commissioned upon the order of Ramesses II. Ironically, there is no other Egyptian source that sheds light on the Battle of Kadesh. Likewise, no work on this subject was discussed in the Hittites. On the contrary, it is accepted by historians that the Hittites were more active in the Kadesh region after the war. After this date, there was no trace of a large-scale war between the two states.
The Treaty of Kadesh does not have the value of a peace treaty signed after this war. The Treaty of Kadesh was signed in 1258 BC, seventeen years after the war, as a treaty of brotherhood and peace, the first written treaty in history. One of the reasons for the signing was the Assyrian state, which took an active role in Mesopotamia. The Hittite and Egyptian states, fearing the Assyria that had subjugated the Mittanids, who had once dominated Egypt, and advanced as far as the Euphrates, and wanting to secure themselves, signed the Treaty of Kadesh. The text of the treaty was written on a wall of the Temple of Karnak.