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.

Tutankhamun and Cleopatra challenge him for that title,

but where Rameses wins in the fame department is his visibility. The monuments of this king

appear throughout Egypt and Sudan, and his art, like statues, can be found in countless

museums.

It's a rare collection that doesn't have something of Remusis II.

By comparison, Cleopatra and Tutankhamun are more famous in the imaginative sense.

Their stories are legendary, but visit a museum, or Egypt itself, and you'll find these two monarchs are almost invisible compared to Ramesses. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is

longevity. Ramesses came to power around 20 years old, and he ruled Egypt for 67 years, dying in his late 80s. By any metric,

that was an incredible tenure of rule. Multiple generations would be born, live, and die under

the reign of this monarch. Such a long period gave the king more opportunities than most to build monuments,

lead expeditions, and enact political or religious policies that shaped his society and left

a lasting legacy. The other reason for Ramesses fame is stone, building. Ramesses was one heck of a builder pharaoh. His government

and his people worked constantly throughout his long reign. They erected monuments throughout the

Nile Valley. Some of these were new, others were additions to existing temples, and some were borrowed from previous works.

We'll get into that as our story unfolds.

The point is, if you visit Egypt today, pretty much every necropolis or monument has some trace

of Ramesses II and the achievements of his people.

Finally, Ramesses fame is and the achievements of his people. Finally, Ramesses' fame is so great because it's not a new phenomenon.

Not long after his death, Egyptians started looking back at him as a kind of poster child for

pharaonic power and splendor.

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