Ramses the Great's Battle of Kadesh Propaganda vs Reality

Ramses the Great's Battle of Kadesh Propaganda vs Reality

In 1274 BCE, Ramses II led his army against the Hittite coalition at Kadesh, a battle he famously claimed as a personal victory carved into temple walls across Egypt. But what really happened? This episode unpacks the largest chariot battle in ancient history, contrasting Ramses's heroic inscriptions with Hittite accounts and modern archaeology. We explore the strategic blunder of divided forces, the near-capture of the pharaoh, the arrival of the Ne'arin relief troops, and the aftermath that led to the world's first recorded peace treaty. Hosts Lucas and Luna examine how Ramses transformed a tactical draw into a propaganda masterpiece, why the battle mattered for Egyptian-Hittite relations, and what the Poem of Pentaur tells us about pharaonic spin. Along the way, they touch on the commanders involved, the weapons and tactics of chariot warfare, and the fragile geopolitics of the Late Bronze Age. #Kadesh #RamsesII #BattleOfKadesh #Hittites #ChariotWarfare #MuwatalliII #DivinePatronage #AmunRe #EgyptianMilitary #PoemOfPentaur #LateBronzeAge #AncientSyria #OrontesRiver #Nearin #Propaganda #FexingoHistory #AncientHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Food Riots: Hunger and Unrest in Pi-Ramesses

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known crisis of Ramses II's reign: the food riots that broke out in his glittering capital, Per-Ramesses. Despite the pharaoh's grand building projects and military triumphs, grain shortages—exacerbated by low Nile floods and the demands of a vast workforce—sparked protests and even a strike by tomb workers at Deir el-Medina. Lucas walks Luna through the logistics of ancient Egyptian grain storage, the role of the granaries, and the political tightrope Ramses walked between feeding his people and feeding his ambitions. They discuss the Papyrus Salt 124, which records a worker's complaint about stolen rations, and the larger implications of food insecurity in a state that presented itself as divinely ordered. The episode also touches on the limits of pharaonic power and how hunger could shake the throne. #RamsesII #PerRamesses #FoodRiots #DeirElMedina #PiRamesses #AncientEgypt #GrainStorage #PapyrusSalt124 #NileFlood #Strike #TombWorkers #UserrenputAanehktu #Famine #Egyptology #History #FexingoHistory #19thDynasty #Kemet Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Nubian Viceroy Setau: The Man Behind the Gold

Lucas and Luna explore the life and career of Setau, Ramses the Great's most trusted viceroy of Kush. Setau oversaw Nubia for decades, managing the gold mines that funded Ramses' building projects and military campaigns. They discuss Setau's rise from a humble scribe to viceroy, his construction of the temple at Wadi es-Sebua, his role in suppressing a rebellion in Nubia, and how his administrative skill kept the gold flowing to Per-Ramesses. The episode also examines the title 'King's Son of Kush' and the complex relationship between Egypt and its southern territories. Lucas shares details from Setau's inscriptions at the temple of Amun at Gebel el-Silsila and his rock-cut stela at Aswan, painting a portrait of a loyal official who helped sustain the Egyptian empire. #Setau #RamsesII #Nubia #Kush #GoldMines #ViceroyOfKush #KingsSonOfKush #WadiEsSebua #GebelElSilsila #Aswan #PerRamesses #AmunRe #Userrenputaanehktu #19thDynasty #AncientEgypt #EgyptianAdministration #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Royal Scribe Amenemope: The Pen Behind the Throne

In this episode, we explore the life and role of Amenemope, a royal scribe and steward under Ramses II. While much attention goes to the pharaoh's monuments and battles, the daily administration of Egypt was handled by literate officials who managed correspondence, accounts, and bureaucracy. Amenemope's tomb at Saqqara reveals his titles: 'Royal Scribe of the King's Letters' and 'Overseer of the Double Granary of the Lord of the Two Lands.' We discuss his training at the khemit (scriptorium), his duties in Per-Ramesses and Memphis, and how scribes wielded soft power. We also touch on the famous Papyrus Anastasi I, a satirical letter that gives insight into scribal culture. This episode sheds light on the unsung custodians of Ramses's empire. #AncientEgypt #RamsesII #Amenemope #RoyalScribe #PapyrusAnastasiI #Saqqara #PerRamesses #Memphis #Kemet #19thDynasty #ScribalEducation #Bureaucracy #Egyptology #NorthAfrica #Pharaoh #Hieroglyphs #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Mummy: The Pharaoh Who Would Not Die

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the extraordinary afterlife of Ramses II—not in myth, but in the preservation and rediscovery of his actual body. They trace how Egyptian embalmers spent seventy days preparing the pharaoh for eternity, using techniques that would keep his features recognizable for over three thousand years. The conversation follows the mummy's journey from the Valley of the Kings to a secret royal cache at Deir el-Bahari, where priests of the 21st Dynasty reburied him to protect him from tomb robbers. They discuss the moment in 1881 when Egyptologist Émile Brugsch uncovered the cache, and the later decision to send Ramses to Paris in 1976 for conservation—the only time an ancient Egyptian pharaoh has traveled abroad for medical treatment. Along the way they touch on CT scans, pollen analysis, and what Ridley Scott's portrayal got wrong. Along the way, they touch on CT scans, pollen analysis, and what modern science has revealed about the king's age, health, and red hair. This is the story of a pharaoh who really would not die. #RamsesII #Mummy #Egyptology #DeirElBahari #Mummification #CTScan #Paris #Pharaoh #AncientEgypt #Kemet #ValleyOfTheKings #Cache #ÉmileBrugsch #GastonMaspero #RedHair #Artiosclerosis #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]