Known as Ramesses the Great, he ruled Egypt for sixty-seven years from 1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C. More than a king, he was a Pharaoh. A Pharaoh transcended kingship: he was considered absolute and divine, difficult concepts for us to understand today.

Egyptian civilization endured for over 10,000 years.

His father gave him a harem while he was still a teenager and by the time he ascended the throne at the age of twenty-five, he had fathered ten sons and ten daughters.

He had two special wives, Nefertari and Istnofret. In a few years he added several Hittite princesses to his harem. We think his sister and two daughters were part of the harem but this has not been proven.

We do not know whether his marriages to relatives were actually consummated or whether they were merely ceremonial. If enough remains of his sons can be found, DNA tests can determine the truth.

It is believed the KV5 tomb holds 50 sons of the Pharaoh.

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