Was Rameses II The Greatest Pharaoh Of Ancient Egypt? | Dan Snow's History Hit

The life, reign, and legacy of Rameses II, one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Exploring dynastic history, military exploits, cultural influence, and architectural achievements, Dr. Campbell Price sheds light on Rameses II's mark on Egyptian civilization. From the colossal temple at Abu Simbel to the Battle of Kadesh, don't miss out on the fascinating discussion about his relationship with Queen Nefertari, his 66-year-long reign, and whether he was the true pharaoh of the bible Exodus.

0:00 - Rameses the ‘Great’
01:21 - The New Kingdom
02:34 - Rameses II's Succession: Born to the Purple
05:19 - Kings’ Lists
06:48 - Rameses II's Military Expeditions: Kadesh
9:23 - Rameses II’s Wives and Children
10:21 - Rameses the God?
10:59 - Nefertari in Rameses II’s reign
14:26 - The mummy!
15:20 - The Stripping of the Gold
15:46 - The Exodus and Rameses II: The Tyrant
17:08 - The First Egyptian Egyptologist - Rameses II’s Son
18:33 - Ghost story
19:22 - Rameses’ Legacy and the Spynx
19:43 - Rameses II’s Architecture
22:15 - Rameses’ Reputation
23:54 - Overshadowed by Tutankhamun
24:31 - Underwear
25:22 - Conclusion

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[shelleyhender]

Dr. Campbell Price is a delight to listen too! Thank you both for a wonderful discussion!
🇨🇦😊🇬🇧

[gareth]

Dr Price has probably been waiting to say Wham, Bam, Thank you Ram to a wider audience for years. :P

[blohot]

Considering the average lifespan of an average Egyptian back then was around 25 years, during the long reign of Rameses, generations of citizens were born, lived and died not knowing any pharaoh other than Rameses which would have gone some way in building the legend about his immortality.

[-Blackberry]

As an 'arty' kind of guy, my favorite pharaoh was always Seti I because of the beautiful wall paintings in his tomb.

[JakeKilka]

Late 90s I visited in Egypt, stayed mostly in Luxor, and saw many buildings built by Rameses II, and hieroglyphs about him. Then went to Cairo, to the museum, and suddenly met the man, or better his mummy. I'm a tall guy, 193 cm, he was about as tall. I'll never forget that moment.

[Adrienne]

Can you do a show on the Ancient Egyptian administrative state? I think people underestimate how important the state was in people's daily lives. We think of bureaucracy as modern, but the ancient Egyptian state was a massive bureaucratic state. Just look at the endless bread factories that surrounded the ancient pyramids.

[Tadicuslegion]

You don't get a poem like Ozymandias written about you unless you were legendary in history.

[gezzarandom]

Rameses II is a fascinating historical figure, no doubt about that.

[andrewboyd]

What a fantastic episode, thank you both. Cambell you are a star on UTube

[williamrobinson]

Thanks Dr Price, Dan and team. Good this. 🌟👍

[fotograf]

Rameses II... Great Pharaoh, or the Greatest Pharaoh?
"May be he's never gonna die..." Exactly what I tought of Elizabeth II.

[yusuf-qp]

Hatshepsut's Punt delegation brought back 31 live myrrh plants. Hatshepsut's Punt delegation returned with 31 of live myrrh plants.

[BeeKool__]

"Wham Bam Thank You, Ram!" ❤😊

[solunaqua]

This was so entertaining to watch, you can tell just how passionate he is about Egyptology

[enoughothis]

I'm more of a Thutmose III kind of guy, personally. Ramses II was a great Pharaoh but he lived too long. His greatest deeds occurred early in his reign, after which he had what I call a midlife crisis and by the end, when his 13th son FINALLY succeeded him he was an old man too. The empire was stagnant and weakened. Then the Bronze Age Collapse happened.

[mohammedsaysrashid]

An informative and wonderful historical coverage video about Rameses II, a great pharaoh of Ancient Egypt history...thank you 🙏 ( history Hit) channel for sharing

[Patriot]

Yeah, those ancient kingdoms seem to last a long time, but on the other hand, time and communications and travel was A LOT SLOWER THEN THAN IT IS NOW. It should be no surprise that things were a bit more stable then: it took time to find out what happened even 60 miles away.

[CayleeG]

Excellent episode. I learned a bit. Thank you.

[FutureMythology]

The show was appreciated. It would be a relief if those who believe they are King Tut's reincarnation instead claimed to be Ramses II's reincarnation.

[withnail]

This interview scratches the surface of various interesting themes then leaves them unexplained, such as the last one about Ramases II's tomb not being finished and continually expanded while his son builds his own, and describing the Battle of Kadesh as happening in 'the Levant', (then lots of blather blather), rather than just saying 'Western Syria'. Alastair Sooke's series on Egyptian art is far more informative, particularly at the beginning where he steps out a timeline of Egyptian kingdoms in the desert and extends the line up to the present day, to give the viewer as sense of perspective. Indispensible. And yes Dan, you've got go to Abu Simbel, it's amazing.