The House of Ramesses II: Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh?

February 22, 2026·58 min·5 clips

Horemheb staged a military coup to become pharaoh, then ruled effectively for decades without a male heir.

This episode explores the rise of Ramesses II, focusing on his family's ascent to power in the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. It covers the decline of the 18th Dynasty, the military coup by Horemheb, and the foundational reigns of Ramesses I and Seti I, setting the stage for Ramesses II's long and impactful rule.

As heard by us

Ramesses II's rise is framed through Abu Simbel, royal image-making, and the power behind the throne.

Ramesses II's monumentality arrives before his biography. From Abu Simbel, the episode looks across four colossal statues that present the pharaoh as divine, a great builder, and the authority over Lower Nubia. It then steps back 3,315 years to a young prince at Thebes, with Dr.

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Why you'd press play

Start at Abu Simbel, facing Ramesses II's colossal statues, then follow the machinery of power that shaped the world he inherited.

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