Ramses Il, who reigned from 1303 BC to 1213 BC, is widely regarded as the most powerful and influential pharaoh of Egypt’s New Kingdom, the height of the civilization’s prosperity. He ruled for an impressive 66 years, a testament to his strength and leadership, and lived to the age of

90. Known for his striking red hair and towering height of 190 cm, Ramses Il also fathered 152 children, further cementing his legacy.

His tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes, was initially his final resting place. However, in a move to protect royal mummies from tomb robbers, his body was later relocated to a secret cache of mummies, where it was eventually discovered in

1881. The discovery of Ramses Il’s mummy helped unravel more about Ancient Egyptian burial practices and the scale of his reign.

Today, Ramses Il’s mummy is on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, offering visitors a direct connection to one of the most celebrated pharaohs in history. His reign is marked by monumental achievements, from military victories to ambitious construction projects, leaving a lasting impact on Egypt’s history.

Ramses II

Ramses II, known as ‘the Great,’ was born about 1303 BC and died in the year 1213 BC, son of Seti I and Queen Tuya, the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. He ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC. He took the throne in his early twenties, around 1279 BC, and ruled for 66 years until his death. He was the third ruler of the 19th Dynasty, and had the second longest reign of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. He focused on building up Egypt with temples,and public buildings, including his own memorial temple called Ramessuem. He helped to improve Egypt’s wealth from collecting supplies from other empires during his reign.

Mummification

The brain was removed using a long hook that was inserted through his nasal cavity. After the brain was completely removed, they filled his nasal cavity with peppercorns, seeds, and small animal bones to retain the unique structure of Ramses II’s nose (2011).

The embalmers then individually wrapped his toes, fingers, arms and legs which shows fine attention to detail and precision. Once every part of his body was wrapped, they placed the Book of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ between his hands (Fitzgerald, 2009).

Finally, the body was draped in a white cloth and the embalmers carefully painted an image of Osiris (the Egyptian God of the underworld) on the outside of the wrappings as a finishing touch (Fitzgerald, 2009).

Ramesses II was originally buried in the tomb KV7 in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt but, because of looting, priests later transferred the body to a holding area, re-wrapped it, and placed it inside the tomb of queen Inhapy. Seventy-two hours later it was again moved, to the tomb of the high priest Pinudjem II. All of this is recorded in hieroglyphics on the linen covering the body. Today his mummy is in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.