Ramses the Greats Supply Lines Feeding an Empire

Ramses the Greats Supply Lines Feeding an Empire

In episode 159 of the Ramses the Great series, Lucas and Luna explore the logistical backbone of Ramses II's empire: the supply lines that fed his armies, workers, and cities. Drawing on the Papyrus Anastasi series and records from the fortress of Tjaru on the Way of Horus, they trace how grain, beer, and dried fish moved from the Nile Delta to garrisons in Canaan and Nubia. Lucas explains the role of the 'overseer of the fortress of the Great of Victories' and the system of granaries at Per-Ramesses, while Luna zeroes in on a specific text—Papyrus Anastasi V—which details a commander's complaint about missing supplies. The episode also touches on the logistical differences between the Egyptian and Hittite armies, the use of pack donkeys vs. river barges, and how supply breakdowns may have influenced the outcome of the Battle of Kadesh. A brief donation segment reminds listeners that the show remains ad-free thanks to listener support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. #RamsesII #AncientEgypt #Logistics #PapyrusAnastasi #WayOfHorus #Tjaru #PerRamesses #Kadesh #Supplies #Granaries #NileDelta #Canaan #Nubia #Donkeys #RiverBarges #Kemet #FexingoHistory #MilitaryHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Queen Nefertari: Power, Diplomacy, and the Temple of Hathor

In episode 158, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legacy of Queen Nefertari, the Great Royal Wife of Ramses II. They discuss her political influence, her role in the Hittite peace treaty, and her divine status as a living goddess. The conversation delves into her temple at Abu Simbel, dedicated to Hathor, where she appears as tall as the pharaoh—a unique honor. They also examine her tomb in the Valley of the Queens, its exquisite wall paintings, and the mysterious 'she who must not be named' erased from history. Lucas highlights Nefertari's diplomatic correspondence with the Hittite queen Puduhepa and her possible role in the marriage of Ramses to a Hittite princess. The episode touches on her titles, including 'Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt,' and her identification with the goddess Hathor. Listeners learn about the discovery of her tomb in 1904 by Ernesto Schiaparelli and the ongoing conservation efforts by the Getty Conservation Institute. This episode offers a nuanced portrait of a queen who was both a political partner and a divine figure, whose legacy rivals that of her husband. #Nefertari #RamsesII #AbuSimbel #Hathor #ValleyOfTheQueens #Egyptology #AncientEgypt #GreatRoyalWife #Puduhepa #Hittites #PeaceTreaty #ErnestoSchiaparelli #GettyConservation #Pharaoh #Queen #History #FexingoHistory #NorthAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Vizier Paser The Power Behind the Throne

Lucas and Luna dive into the life and career of Paser, Ramses the Great's most trusted vizier. Paser served for over 30 years, overseeing the administration of Upper and Lower Egypt, managing the treasury, and supervising monumental building projects including the Ramesseum. Discover how Paser's inscriptions reveal the daily workings of pharaonic bureaucracy, his role in the judiciary, and his relationship with the king. Learn about the vizier's responsibilities, from tax collection to military logistics, and how Paser's tomb in Thebes provides a rare window into the lives of Egypt's elite administrators. This episode explores the complexities of power behind the throne, contrasting Paser's quiet influence with the more visible figures like the royal scribe Amenemope and viceroy Setau. #RamsesII #Paser #Vizier #AncientEgypt #EgyptianBureaucracy #Ramesseum #Thebes #Kemet #PharaonicAdministration #EgyptianHistory #NewKingdom #19thDynasty #NorthAfrica #FexingoHistory #History #AncientWorld #Egyptology #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Greats Architects: The Men Behind the Monuments

This episode of Fexingo History pulls back the curtain on the master builders who turned Ramses the Great's colossal visions into stone. Lucas and Luna explore the careers of two towering figures: the High Steward of Works Penre, who oversaw the construction of Ramses's mortuary temple and the cliffside marvel of Abu Simbel, and the High Priest of Amun Bekenkhons, whose autobiography on a statue at Karnak details his fifty-year rise from stonemason's apprentice to chief designer of the hypostyle hall. We examine the logistics of transporting 200-ton quartzite blocks from Gebel el-Silsila, the brutal life of quarrymen using dolerite hammers, and the precise astronomical alignments that made temples like Abu Simbel function as cosmic mirrors. We also unpack a scholarly debate: were these architects credited with divine inspiration, or did they manage a brutal system of forced labour on an industrial scale? The episode closes with a reflection on how Ramses's monuments outlasted his dynasty, but the names of the men who built them were nearly lost to history. #RamsesTheGreat #AncientEgypt #Penre #Bekenkhons #AbuSimbel #GebelElSilsila #Karnak #HypostyleHall #EgyptianArchitecture #Quarrying #Dolerite #ForcedLabour #MonumentBuilding #HighSteward #HighPriestOfAmun #Kemet #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ramses the Great's Obelisks: Giant Needles of Power

This episode follows Lucas and Luna as they explore Ramses the Great's monumental obelisks — the towering granite needles he raised at Karnak, Luxor, and beyond. They unpack how these massive monoliths were quarried at Aswan using dolerite hammers, transported on Nile barges, and erected by sheer manpower and ingenuity. The conversation touches on the symbolic meaning of the benben stone and the sun god Re, the logistical challenge of moving a 323-ton block, and the fate of Ramses's obelisks today — including the one now in Paris at the Place de la Concorde and its twin still standing at Luxor Temple. They also discuss the unfinished obelisk at Aswan, which reveals the entire quarrying process, and how Ramses used obelisks as political propaganda, inscribing his names and victories to assert divine kingship. The episode highlights the rivalry with earlier pharaohs like Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, and the later Roman and European relocations that scattered these Egyptian wonders across the globe. #RamsesTheGreat #AncientEgypt #Obelisks #Karnak #Luxor #Aswan #Benben #Monolith #Dolerite #UnfinishedObelisk #PlaceDeLaConcorde #Pharaoh #Kemet #NewKingdom #Engineering #Quarrying #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]