Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings - Ancient Lives

The life, dramatic reign, and enduring legacy of the pharaoh Ramesses the Great, with lessons for the present, from internationally acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson"The author succeeds in bringing this distant age to life through telling detail and insightful analysis. . . . Whenever he can, the author takes advantage of opportunities to peer beneath the mask."-The EconomistRamesses II ruled the Nile Valley and the wider Egyptian empire from 1279 to 1213 B.C., one of the longest reigns in pharaonic history. He was a cultural innovator, a relentless self-promoter, and an astute diplomat-the peace treaty signed after the Battle of Kadesh was the first in recorded history. He outbuilt every other Egyptian pharaoh, leaving behind the temples of Abu Simbel; the great hypostyle hall of Karnak; the tomb for his wife Nefertari; and his own memorial, the Ramesseum.His reputation eclipsed that of all other pharaohs as well: he was decried in the Bible as a despot, famed in literature as Ozymandias, and lauded by early antiquarians as the Younger Memnon. His rule coincided with the peak of ancient Egypt's power and prosperity, the New Kingdom (1539-1069 B.C.).In this authoritative biography, Toby Wilkinson considers Ramesses' preoccupations and preferences, uncovering the methods and motivations of a megalomaniac ruler, with lessons for our own time.

Product details

• Authors: Toby Wilkinson, Wilkinson Toby
• Publisher: Yale University Press Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.05.2023
• EAN: 9780300256659
• ISBN: 978-0-300-25665-9
• Dimensions: 145 mm x 222 mm x 22 mm
• Series: Ancient Lives
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Non-fiction book; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Royalty, HISTORY / Middle East / General, HISTORY / Ancient / General, Biography: royalty, Middle Eastern history, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Biography: historical, political and military, BCE to c 500 CE, c 2686 to c 323 BCE (Ancient Egyptian period)