Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses's Forgotten Son Khaemwaset the Magician Priest
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great — his battles, his monuments, his diplomacy. But today I want to talk about one of his sons, who in some ways is even more intriguing: Prince Khaemwaset. Luna: I've heard of him — wasn't he called the first Egyptologist? Lucas: Exactly. Khaemwaset was the fourth son of Ramses II, born to his queen Isetnofret. He became high priest of Ptah in Memphis, which was a hugely important religious role. But what made him unique was his passion for the past — he spent years restoring ancient monuments that were already centuries old in his time. Luna: Restoring things that were already ancient to him — that's wild. What kind of monuments? Lucas: Well, the most famous one is the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. That pyramid was built around the 27th century BCE, so by Khaemwaset's time it was already about 1,400 years old — roughly as old as the Colosseum is to us today. He restored its outer casing and added an inscription identifying himself as the restorer. He also worked on the pyramid of Unas, and even the Great Sphinx at Giza has an inscription from him. Luna: So he was literally going around and labeling old buildings like a museum curator? That's amazing. Lucas: That's exactly what he did. And he wasn't just slapping his name on things — he carefully recorded the original builders. For example, on the Step Pyramid, he wrote that he restored it in the name of King Djoser. This is really unusual for ancient Egypt. Most pharaohs would just reuse or demolish old structures. But Khaemwaset seems to have had a genuine reverence for history. Luna: Did he do anything else besides restorations? Because I feel like being high priest of Ptah would be a full-time job. Lucas: Oh, he was incredibly active. As high priest of Ptah, he oversaw the Serapeum at Saqqara — that's the burial place of the Apis bulls, which were considered incarnations of the god Ptah. Khaemwaset actually expanded the complex and created a series of underground galleries where the bulls were interred in giant sarcophagi. He even designed a standardized burial ritual for them. Luna: So he was essentially the architect of the Apis bull tradition as we know it. Wait — I've also heard stories about Khaemwaset being a magician. Is that from the same guy? Lucas: That's a whole other layer. After his death, Khaemwaset became a legendary figure in Egyptian folklore. There's a cycle of stories written in Demotic script — the later Egyptian language — where he appears as a magician and sage. The most famous one is called 'Setne Khamwas and the Book of Thoth' — Khamwas being the Demotic version of Khaemwaset. In the story, he competes with a Nubian magician to steal a magical book hidden in a tomb. Luna: A magical book in a tomb — that sounds like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Lucas: It really does. The book supposedly contained two spells: one that let you understand the speech of animals, and another that let you see the heavens and the underworld. Khaemwaset and his son go through all kinds of adventures to get it. But the story is also a moral lesson — Khaemwaset is punished for his hubris and has to learn humility. Luna: So he went from being a real historical figure to a fictional character. Did these stories survive to modern times? Lucas: Yes, we have papyrus copies from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods — so about a thousand years after Khaemwaset lived. They show that his reputation as a wise man and magician persisted for centuries. In fact, there's a tradition that he was the author of several wisdom texts, though we can't be sure. But the historical Khaemwaset was certainly known for his learning — he is depicted in inscriptions as a scholar and scribe. Luna: I wonder why Ramses's other sons didn't get this kind of legendary treatment. What made Khaemwaset special? Lucas: Part of it is his position — as high priest of Ptah, he was a major religious figure, which gave him cultural influence. But also, his restoration projects literally left his name on ancient landmarks that were still visible in later eras. When later Egyptians saw 'Khaemwaset' on the Sphinx or the Step Pyramid, they assumed he must have been a great sage. Plus, he was associated with Memphis, which remained an important city long after the New Kingdom ended. Luna: Did he ever become pharaoh? I know Ramses lived a really long time and outlived many of his sons. Lucas: No, he never did. Khaemwaset died around his fifties, before his father. Ramses II outlived at least twelve of his sons. The crown prince for most of their lives was Amunherkhepeshef, who we talked about in a previous episode. After Amunherkhepeshef, the next in line was Ramses's son Ramses, and then Khaemwaset became heir apparent for a time, but he died before he could ascend. Ultimately, the throne went to Merneptah, another son of Isetnofret. Luna: So he never got the crown, but he got something maybe even more lasting: a legacy as a scholar and magician that lasted thousands of years. Lucas: Exactly. And it's interesting because in many ways, Khaemwaset was ahead of his time. His preservation of ancient monuments, his cataloging of inscriptions — these are things we'd associate with modern archaeology. He essentially invented the concept of heritage conservation. Luna: I think that's fitting for a show about Ramses — to spend an episode on a son who looked back, rather than forward. It gives us a sense of how ancient Egyptians themselves viewed their deep past. Lucas: That's a great point. And it's a reminder that the past was always present for them. The monuments Khaemwaset restored were already part of a long tradition. He was connecting his own age to the Old Kingdom, much like Renaissance scholars rediscovering classical texts. In that sense, Khaemwaset wasn't just a prince — he was a bridge across millennia.