Rameses II - part 1
Jan 12th, 2007 by Lee (admin)
Rameses II of the 19th dynasty, son of Seti I, was approxiamately twenty to thirty years old when he became king of Egypt.
RAMESES II REIGNED FOR 67 YEARS
He reigned for an amazing 67 years and had many wives, among them some of his own near relatives, and fathered around one hundred and sixty children, a great many of whom died before him.
As was usual in those days, the threat of foreign aggression against Egypt was always at its greatest on the ascension of a new Pharaoh.
Local rulers often saw an opportunity to gain ground from Egypt at these times.
As a result, in just his fourth year as pharaoh, Rameses was fighting the Hittites in Syria in a series of battles and skirmishes that would last twenty years.
KADESH
On the second campaign, Rameses found himself in trouble whilst attacking Kadesh and was extremely fortunate not to be killed.
He had divided his army into four sections: the Amon, Ra, Ptah and Setekh divisions.
Rameses himself was in the vanguard, leading the Amon division with the Ra division about a mile and a half behind him.
He camped outside of the city, not realising that the Hittite army was hidden nearby and waiting for the Egyptian attack.
The Hittites attacked and routed the Ra division as it was crossing a ford.
With the chariots of the Hittites in pursuit, the Ra division fled in disorder - spreading panic as they went.
They ran straight into the unsuspecting Amon group.
With half his army in flight, Rameses found himself alone.
2500 CHARIOTS
With only his bodyguard to assist him, he was surrounded by two thousand five hundred Hittite chariots.
The king, realising his desperate plight, charged the enemy with his small band of men.
He cut his way through, slaying large numbers as he escaped.
More on Rameses II -
[...] I 1293–1291 Seti I 1291–1278 Ramses II 1279–1212 Merenptah 1212–1202 Amenmesses 1202–1199 Seti II 1199–1193 Siptah 1193–1187 [...]