PHARAOH.SERamesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, reigned as Pharaoh of Egypt for 66 years, 2 months and 9 days, and chances are that you have seen the cartouche bearing his name. His long reign allowed him to become the most prolific builder of the kingdom – his name can be found almost everywhere a temple was built in Egypt, and the number of variants of his names is unparalleled.
A skilled military leader, he commissioned massive depictions of scenes from the Battle of Kadesh on impressive monuments erected throughout Egypt, including the massive temples at Abu Simbel, Ramesseum and Luxor.
Despite this, his name was not associated with these places until the decipherment of the hieroglyphs in the early 1820s, and was barely mentioned by the Greek historians of antiquity. Diodorus describes a huge temple at Thebes built by the King of Kings, Osymandyas, which is a Greek approximation of Usermaatra, the throne name of Ramesses II.
Titulary & Hieroglyphs
Sources of antiquity
| Author | Greek | Transcription | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africanus xix, 2 | Ραψακης | Rapsaces | 61 years |
| Eusebius xix, 2 | Ραμψης | Rampses | 66 years |
| Jerome | Ramses | 66 years | |
| Josephus 97 | Aρμεσσης Μιαμουν | Armesses Miamun | 66 years, 2 months |
| Diodorus 1.47.4 | Οσυμανδυας | Osymandyas | – |
References
- Gauthier, H. Le livre des rois d'Égypte. MIFAO 19 (1913): pp. 33–113
- Beckerath, J., 1999. “Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen”, 2 ed., MÄS 49 (1999): pp. 152–157
- Leprohon, R. J., 2013. The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. pp. 114–120
- Baker. D. D., 2008. The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I. pp. 308–312