Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Pharaoh of Propaganda The Colossal Statues
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses's military campaigns and his building projects, but there's one aspect of his reign that ties them all together: his masterful use of propaganda. And I don't mean that in a cynical way—every pharaoh used art and architecture to project power, but Ramses took it to another level. Luna: What do you mean by 'another level'? Lucas: Well, think about the colossal statues he erected everywhere. At Abu Simbel, the four seated colossi of Ramses are each about 20 meters tall. But that's just the most famous example. At his new capital, Per-Ramesses, there were giant statues of him made of granite and quartzite, some weighing over 1,000 tons. Lucas: The sheer scale was intentional. These statues were visible from miles away, and they presented Ramses as a god-like figure, unchanging and eternal. He even had his name carved on them so often that later archaeologists called him 'the great propagandist'. Luna: So he was basically using architecture and sculpture as a form of advertising? Lucas: Exactly. And it wasn't just about size—it was about placement. He put his statues in temples, at city gates, along trade routes. Everywhere an Egyptian or a foreign envoy went, they saw Ramses's face. It was a constant reminder of who was in charge. Lucas: And the inscriptions on these statues often told a very specific story. For instance, at the Ramesseum—his mortuary temple—there are scenes of the Battle of Kadesh, but they show Ramses single-handedly defeating the Hittite army, which is, shall we say, a creative interpretation of what happened. Luna: Wait, so he was rewriting history on his own monuments? Lucas: Absolutely. The version of Kadesh that Ramses promoted is the one where he is a heroic warrior saving the day, even though the battle was essentially a draw. He had it carved on temples across Egypt, so that's the story that survived. That's propaganda at its most effective. Luna: So he controlled the narrative in a way that few rulers before him had done. Lucas: Exactly. And he had the resources to do it on an unprecedented scale. The quarries at Aswan provided the granite, and we know from inscriptions that he had teams of hundreds of workers moving these massive blocks. One statue at Per-Ramesses was so large that it took a year to transport it from the quarry to the site. Lucas: Think about the logistics: moving a 1,000-ton block of stone overland, probably on a sled with water poured in front to reduce friction, then loading it onto a barge to go down the Nile. It was a monumental effort, and it was all for the purpose of making Ramses look powerful. Luna: It's almost like he was trying to compete with the pyramids of the Old Kingdom, isn't it? Lucas: That's a great observation. In fact, some scholars argue that Ramses was consciously trying to emulate or even surpass the great builders like Khufu. But while the pyramids were tombs, Ramses's statues were about his living presence. He wanted to be seen as a living god, and the statues were his divine image. Lucas: There's also a very practical side: the statues served as 'billboards' for his achievements. For example, at the temple of Beit el-Wali in Nubia, there are reliefs showing his campaigns in Kush. These were meant to intimidate the Nubian chiefs who came to pay tribute. Luna: So the propaganda had a direct political function—it was about control as much as image. Lucas: Precisely. And it wasn't just limited to Egypt. Ramses sent statues to vassal states and even to the Hittite court after the peace treaty. It was a way of asserting his dominance diplomatically. The Hittite king Hattusili III probably had a giant statue of Ramses in his palace, which is extraordinary when you think about it. Luna: I can't imagine having a giant statue of your former enemy in your throne room. That's a power move. Lucas: It really is. And it shows how Ramses used art as a tool of soft power. But let's talk about the craftsmanship. These statues weren't just big—they were finely carved. The faces were idealized, but they were also recognizable. Ramses had a distinctive profile, and artists replicated it across Egypt. That's another layer of propaganda: consistency of image. Lucas: And the inscriptions that went with the statues were carefully chosen. They often included his titulary—the five names he took at his coronation—emphasizing his divine birth and his role as protector of Egypt. Luna: So every statue was like a mini-press release? Lucas: Exactly. And they worked incredibly well. Even today, when people think of ancient Egypt, they think of Ramses II. His face is one of the most recognizable from the ancient world. That's not an accident—it's the result of a deliberate, sustained campaign of self-promotion that lasted for 66 years. Lucas: And it wasn't just about his own reign. He also co-opted the statues of his predecessors. For example, he had his name carved over the name of his father, Seti I, on some monuments. Later pharaohs did the same to him, but Ramses was particularly aggressive about it. Luna: So he was editing history in real time. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's one of the reasons we have such a rich record of his reign—because he made sure his name was everywhere. But it also means we have to be careful when we study him. We're seeing the world through his eyes, filtered by his propaganda. Luna: How do historians get past that filter? Lucas: That's the challenge. We compare his accounts with other sources—like Hittite records from the archives at Hattusa—and we look at archaeological evidence. For example, the Battle of Kadesh: Ramses's version is heroic, but the Hittite version says it was a victory for them. The truth is probably somewhere in between. Lucas: So his propaganda was effective, but not foolproof. Still, it shaped how he was remembered for millennia. The Greeks called him Ozymandias, and even in their fragmented memory, he was the great builder. Luna: Ozymandias—that's from the poem by Shelley, right? 'Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Lucas: Exactly. And that poem captures the irony of propaganda: the statue is broken and the kingdom is gone, but the boast remains. Ramses's colossal statues are now mostly ruins, but they still convey that sense of ambition and power. Lucas: But let's bring it back to the living culture. The statues weren't just political—they were religious. Ramses was considered a living Horus, and the statues in temples were places where the god could manifest. So by placing his own statues in temples of Amun, Ra, and Ptah, he was inserting himself into the divine sphere. Luna: So worshipers would be praying to Ramses as well as to the gods? Lucas: In a sense, yes. The line between pharaoh and god was blurry, especially for Ramses. He had statues of himself as Osiris, as Ra, and he even built a temple at Abu Simbel dedicated to himself as a god. That was unprecedented. Lucas: And it wasn't just for Egyptians. The Nubian temples were designed to impress the local population and show them that Ramses was divine. So propaganda, religion, and politics were all wrapped up together. Luna: So when we look at a statue of Ramses today, we're seeing a multi-layered message. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes studying him so fascinating. He was a master of image-crafting, and his methods set a precedent for rulers for centuries to come. From Roman emperors to modern dictators, the use of monumental art as propaganda has a long history, and Ramses was one of its earliest and most brilliant practitioners. Luna: It makes you wonder what he would have done with social media. Lucas: He'd probably have a billion followers. But honestly, his method was more lasting—stone lasts longer than tweets. And in a way, he's still winning the propaganda war, because we're still talking about him, 3,200 years later. Lucas: So next time you see a picture of the Abu Simbel colossi, remember: they're not just art. They're a carefully crafted message from a pharaoh who wanted to be remembered forever. And clearly, it worked. Luna: That's a powerful thought. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: You're welcome. And that's all for today. Join us next time as we explore another facet of Ramses's world.