Ramses the Great's Forgotten City: The Cult Center of Per-Banebdjedet

Ramses the Great's Sceptres: Symbols of Divine Authority

In this episode of Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh, Lucas and Luna explore the sceptres and regalia that embodied the pharaoh's divine rule. They examine the heka sceptre (the crook) representing kingship and shepherding, the nekhakha flail symbolizing the king's power to provide and punish, and the was sceptre denoting dominion. Lucas explains how these objects were not mere props but were considered living extensions of the royal ka, charged with protective and legitimizing power. The discussion touches on the Heb Sed festival where the sceptres were ritually renewed, the iconography at temples like Karnak and Abu Simbel, and the role of the goddess Weret Hekau ('Great of Magic') who was believed to charge the regalia with divine force. Luna asks about the materials used, and Lucas details the gold, faience, and wood construction, citing examples from Tutankhamun's tomb as parallels. The episode also weaves in the donation segment where Lucas notes that listener support on buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo keeps the show ad-free and independent. #RamsesTheGreat #AncientEgypt #Pharaoh #Sceptres #Heka #Nekhakha #WasSceptre #Regalia #Karnak #AbuSimbel #HebSed #WeretHekau #Kemet #DivineAuthority #EgyptianIconography #History #FexingoHistory #NorthAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Builder of Pi-Ramesses: The Lost Capital

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the founding and construction of Pi-Ramesses, the magnificent capital built by Ramses II in the eastern Delta. They discuss the city's strategic location, its grandiose temples and palaces, the vast workforce involved, and how it was abandoned and lost for centuries after the 20th Dynasty. The conversation covers the city's rediscovery by modern archaeologists, including the erroneous identification with Tanis, and the eventual correct location at Qantir. Key figures include Ramses II, the architect Penre, and later kings like Smendes. The episode paints a vivid picture of a city that was once the heart of Egypt's empire, now buried under Nile silt. #PiRamesses #RamsesII #AncientEgypt #LostCapital #Qantir #PerRamesses #19thDynasty #EgyptianArchitecture #Delta #Tanis #Penre #Smendes #ThirdIntermediatePeriod #Egyptology #Archaeology #History #FexingoHistory #NorthAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Royal Wives Beyond Nefertari

While Nefertari is the most famous, Ramses II had many other royal wives who played crucial diplomatic and political roles. This episode explores his marriage to the Hittite princess Maathorneferure, which sealed the peace treaty of Year 21. We also discuss his lesser-known Egyptian wives, such as Isetnofret, mother of Merenptah, and the daughters he married. Learn how Ramses used marriage as a tool of statecraft, forging alliances within Egypt and with foreign powers. We examine the daily life of royal women at Per-Ramesses, their religious duties, and their influence on succession. Discover the story of the Hittite princess's journey to Egypt, the tensions surrounding her arrival, and how she was integrated into the Egyptian court. This episode sheds light on the complex web of relationships that supported Ramses's long reign and the women who helped shape the 19th Dynasty. #RamsesII #Maathorneferure #Isetnofret #AncientEgypt #Kemet #19thDynasty #PerRamesses #HittitePeace #RoyalWives #HattusiliIII #Diplomacy #Pharaoh #WomenInHistory #AncientMarriage #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #Egyptology Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Divine Birth: Propaganda at Luxor Temple

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most audacious propaganda campaigns of the ancient world: Ramses II's claim of divine birth, inscribed on the walls of Luxor Temple. They explore how the king co-opted the ancient 'divine birth' narrative used by Hatshepsut and Amenhotep III, rewriting it to legitimize his rule and connect himself directly to the god Amun-Re. Lucas explains the scene-by-scene reliefs at Luxor: the god Amun taking the form of Ramses's father, Seti I, the divine conception by Queen Tuya, the birth of the infant king flanked by goddesses, and the presentation of the royal child to the gods. They discuss the political context — Ramses was not the crown prince; his elder brother Nebwenenef had died young, making the claim of divine election a powerful tool. Luna asks about the audience for these carvings, and Lucas reveals that the innermost sanctuary of Luxor Temple was restricted to priests and royalty — so the message was aimed at the elite, not the masses. The episode also touches on the architectural innovation of the 'Birth Colonnade' and how Ramses used the Festival of Opet to parade his divine status through Thebes. The conversation ends with a reflection on the enduring power of myth in statecraft. This episode breaks new ground by focusing on a specific religious-political monument rather than battles or treaties. #RamsesII #DivineBirth #LuxorTemple #AmunRe #AncientEgypt #Propaganda #Pharaoh #QueenTuya #SetiI #Hatshepsut #FestivalOfOpet #EgyptianMythology #Kemet #Thebes #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #19thDynasty Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Arctic Monkeys: The Gebel Barkal Stela

In episode 131 of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna journey south of Kemet's border to Gebel Barkal — a sacred mountain in Nubia that the Egyptians called the 'Throne of the Two Lands.' Ramses the Great carved a monumental stela there, a 26-foot granite proclamation boasting of his conquests and divine favor. But this wasn't just propaganda — it was a deliberate act of cultural integration, equating the Nubian god Amun of Napata with the Egyptian Amun-Re. The stela also records Ramses's campaign against the 'wretched Kush,' a phrase that masks a more complex relationship of tribute, intermarriage, and military occupation. We explore the stela's text, its location at the mysterious Gebel Barkal — a flat-topped mesa that the Egyptians believed was the birthplace of Amun — and its role in anchoring Egyptian control over Nubia's gold routes. Along the way, we touch on the viceroy Setau, the temple of Amun at Napata, and the later Kushite pharaohs who would reverse the dynamic. A story of empire, stone, and the enduring power of sacred geography. #RamsesII #GebelBarkal #Nubia #Kush #AmunRe #Napata #Setau #EgyptianPropaganda #AncientEgypt #19thDynasty #Kemet #Hieroglyphs #Stela #GoldRoutes #SacredMountain #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]