The Life and Times of Rameses the Great

Book excerpt: The Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II is often referred to as Rameses the Great. His reign lasted for 67 years, the second longest in Egypt's 3,000-year history. He had dozens of wives and more than 100 children, outliving many of them. He was a military leader who expanded the borders of his country, bringing decades of peace and prosperity for his people. He ordered huge statues of himself to be erected all over Egypt. Many historians believe that he was the pharaoh of the Exodus, the epic journey that the Jewish people made out of Egypt under the inspired leadership of Moses. Even after death, he remained important. After his mummy was discovered late in the nineteenth century, it became one of Egypt's main tourist attractions. A military honor guard and important government officials witnessed the mummy when it was flown to Paris in 1976.