Ramses II

Intro Ramesses II (c. 1303 BCE – 1213 BCE), also known as Ramesses the Great and Ozymandias, whose throne name was Ousirmaatre Setepenre, was a pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He is generally considered one of the greatest and best-known pharaohs, reigning unchallenged for 66 years. Ramesses' rule was aided by the High Priests of Amun, who, several generations prior, had been made guardians of the Aten by Tutankhamun. During his reign, Ramesses conducted several campaigns into the Levant in an attempt to expand his empire. To this end, Ramesses engaged the Hittite Empire in Kadesh and laid siege to Dapur in Syria. During his lifetime, Ramesses long reign was celebrated by an unprecedented number of Sed festivals, numbering 13 or 14 by the time of his death. At one point, he also ordered the construction of a well in the southwestern part of the Waset Desert such that the Egyptians who live near the region would never thirst. After his death, Ramesses was buried in a tomb situated in the Valley of the Kings.