Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History

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

6 min · 22. juni 2026
episode Ramses the Great's Forgotten City: The Cult Center of Per-Banebdjedet cover

Description

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the lost city of Per-Banebdjedet, the cult center of the ram-headed god Banebdjedet in the Nile Delta. Ramses the Great erected massive granite monoliths there, including a colossal statue of himself as the god. The city was a key administrative hub for the 19th Dynasty, linking the Delta to the Mediterranean trade routes. Lucas explains how the site, now called Tell el-Ruba, was excavated in the 1990s, revealing Ramses's grand temple and a mysterious sphinx avenue that may have connected it to the nearby city of Mendes. The episode also touches on Ramses's religious strategy—using local cults to consolidate power—and the eventual decline of the city after the Third Intermediate Period. Listeners will learn about the god Banebdjedet, the role of the Delta cults in Ramses's reign, and the archaeological challenges of preserving mudbrick structures in the damp Delta soil. #RamsesII #PerBanebdjedet #Banebdjedet #TellElRuba #Mendes #NileDelta #19thDynasty #NewKingdom #EgyptianReligion #RamessidePeriod #AncientEgypt #Archaeology #CultCenter #ColossalStatue #SphinxAvenue #DeltaCults #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

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152 episodes

episode Ramses the Greats War Chariots Engineering and Tactics artwork

Ramses the Greats War Chariots Engineering and Tactics

In Episode 152, Lucas and Luna dive into the military innovation that defined Ramses the Great's reign: the Egyptian war chariot. They explore the engineering behind these lightweight, two-man vehicles, from their spoke wheels and composite bows to the tactical reforms Ramses introduced after Kadesh. The conversation covers the role of the chariotry as a shock weapon, the training of horse teams, and how Egypt's chariot corps evolved under Ramses to become a mobile strike force that secured his empire. Along the way, they touch on the logistical support system, the use of Nubian and Libyan auxiliaries, and the legacy of Ramses's chariotry in later Near Eastern warfare. This episode is a focused look at a specific military technology and its impact on ancient warfare, ideal for listeners who want concrete details about how Ramses fought and won. #RamsesII #EgyptianChariotry #AncientWarfare #Kadesh #MilitaryHistory #BronzeAge #ChariotTactics #Pharaoh #Egyptology #NewKingdom #NorthAfrica #FexingoHistory #WarChariot #CompositeBow #Horses #Cavalry #AncientEgypt #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

12. juli 20268 min
episode Ramses the Great's Naval Battle at the Nile Delta artwork

Ramses the Great's Naval Battle at the Nile Delta

In the eighth year of his reign, Ramses II faced a threat not from the Hittites but from the sea — a coalition of the enigmatic Sea Peoples. This episode dives into the Battle of the Nile Delta, a naval clash that saved Egypt from invasion. We explore the identity of the Sea Peoples, the Egyptian navy's tactics with ships and archers, the role of the Egyptian army onshore, and how Ramses turned a near-disaster into a propaganda victory carved on temple walls at Medinet Habu and Karnak. What can the inscriptions tell us about the battle's reality versus the pharaoh's spin? And what happened to the captured pirates? Join us for a deep look at one of Ramses' lesser-known but crucial military campaigns — a fight that foreshadowed greater turmoil for later dynasties. #RamsesII #SeaPeoples #NileDelta #Kemet #AncientEgypt #NavalBattle #MedinetHabu #Karnak #EgyptianNavy #Sherden #Pharaoh #MilitaryHistory #BronzeAge #Mediterranean #NorthAfrica #FexingoHistory #History #AncientWarfare Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Yesterday5 min
episode Ramses the Greats Stonemasons The Men Who Built the Temples artwork

Ramses the Greats Stonemasons The Men Who Built the Temples

We know the grand temples of Ramses II — Abu Simbel, the Ramesseum, Medinet Habu — but who actually carved the stone? This episode goes to the quarries at Gebel el-Silsila and Aswan, where thousands of stonemasons, draughtsmen, and labourers worked under the scribe Penre. Lucas and Luna discuss the chains of command, the tools (copper chisels, dolerite pounders, wooden levers), the working conditions, and the pay — beer, bread, and sometimes a bonus of oil. They also touch on the strike at Deir el-Medina under Ramses III, and a rare surviving letter from a mason named Bekenkhons. No kings, no gods — just the hands that made the monuments. #RamsesII #GebelElSilsila #AncientEgypt #Stonemasons #EgyptianQuarries #Penre #Bekenkhons #DeirElMedina #AbuSimbel #Ramesseum #MedinetHabu #CopperChisels #DoleritePounders #Kemet #Pharaoh #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Yesterday6 min
episode Ramses the Great's Crown: The Dual Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt artwork

Ramses the Great's Crown: The Dual Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the significance of the pschent, the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt that Ramses the Great wore. They discuss the hedjet (white crown of Upper Egypt) and deshret (red crown of Lower Egypt), their origins in the Predynastic period, and how Ramses used the pschent as a symbol of his absolute authority over a unified Kemet. The conversation touches on the earliest artistic depictions of the crowns from the Naqada period, the Narmer Palette, and how Ramses incorporated the double crown into his colossal statues at Abu Simbel and his iconography at Medinet Habu. They also delve into the religious significance of the crowns as embodiments of the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet, and how the pschent was ritually placed on the pharaoh's head during coronation. This episode offers a detailed look at one of ancient Egypt's most potent symbols of kingship. #RamsesTheGreat #Pschent #DoubleCrown #UpperEgypt #LowerEgypt #Hedjet #Deshret #Nekhbet #Wadjet #AbuSimbel #MedinetHabu #NarmerPalette #Kemet #AncientEgypt #Pharaoh #EgyptianCrown #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

10. juli 20266 min
episode Ramses the Great's Khaemwaset The First Egyptologist artwork

Ramses the Great's Khaemwaset The First Egyptologist

Before there was modern archaeology, there was Prince Khaemwaset, the fourth son of Ramses the Great. Known as the 'First Egyptologist,' Khaemwaset was a high priest of Ptah in Memphis who spent decades restoring and studying the ancient pyramids and tombs of Egypt's Old Kingdom — structures already over a thousand years old in his own time. This episode explores his restoration work at Saqqara, his inscription on the Serapeum, his role in the Heb Sed festival, and his reputation as a magician and scholar in later Egyptian folklore. We also examine how his efforts fit into Ramses II's broader propaganda campaign to legitimize his rule by connecting to the glorious past. Featuring the Apis bull cult, the mastaba of Shepseskaf, and the 'Demotic Chronicle' — this is the story of a prince who dug into history, quite literally, to build a future. #Khaemwaset #FirstEgyptologist #RamsesTheGreat #AncientEgypt #Saqqara #Serapeum #ApisBull #Ptah #Memphis #HebSed #Egyptology #OldKingdom #PyramidRestoration #NewKingdom #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #Archaeology Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

10. juli 20266 min