Ramesses II

~1303–1213 BCE · Egyptian · New Kingdom Egypt, 19th Dynasty

Known for: "Ramesses the Great"—Egypt's most powerful pharaoh and history's greatest self-promoter

Ramesses II ruled Egypt for 66 years and spent every minute making sure you knew how great he was. He erected more colossal statues of himself than any pharaoh, built Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum, and claimed military victories that were, at best, draws.

His Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites was probably a stalemate, but he covered temple walls with propaganda depicting himself single-handedly routing the enemy. He eventually negotiated the world's first peace treaty with the Hittites and married a Hittite princess.

He fathered over 100 children by multiple wives and concubines, outlived many of his sons, and died around age 90. His mummy shows he had red hair, arthritis, and dental abscesses—but apparently nothing could slow him down.

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