Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Prince Khaemwaset: Scholar, Magician, Archaeologist
Transcript
- Luna: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the warrior, Ramses the builder, Ramses the diplomat — but what about his kids? Did any of them actually live up to him? Lucas: Almost none, honestly. Ramses had dozens of sons — we know of at least forty-eight from inscriptions — but most of them died before him, and none of them became king until his thirteenth son, Merenptah, finally took the throne when he was already in his sixties. Lucas: But one of those sons who died before his father is absolutely fascinating. His name was Khaemwaset — literally 'He Who Appears in Thebes' — and he was the fourth son of Ramses and his second Great Royal Wife, Isetnofret. Luna: Fourth son? So he wasn't even the heir. Lucas: No, he wasn't. The crown prince was Amunherkhepeshef, the firstborn from Nefertari. But Khaemwaset carved out a completely different kind of legacy. He became the High Priest of Ptah in Memphis, which was one of the most important religious offices in the country. Lucas: And here's what makes him unique: while his father was building new monuments, Khaemwaset spent his time restoring old ones. He's often called the world's first archaeologist, or the first Egyptologist, because he systematically repaired and inscribed the pyramids and tombs of the Old Kingdom — monuments that were already over a thousand years old in his day. Luna: Wait, a thousand years? That's like us looking at something from the year 1000 — but in Egypt, that's the Pyramids. Lucas: Exactly. The Great Pyramid of Khufu was built around 2560 BCE. By the time Khaemwaset was alive, around 1250 BCE, it was already thirteen centuries old. And he went to Giza and Saqqara and restored those monuments, added inscriptions to them, and attached his name to them in a way that was really respectful — not usurping them, but honoring the ancestors. Lucas: He left a series of inscriptions on the pyramids, basically saying: 'I, Khaemwaset, son of Ramses the Great, restored this monument in the name of the king Khufu.' And he also built the Serapeum at Saqqara — a massive underground gallery for the burials of the Apis bulls. Luna: The Apis bulls — those were the living incarnations of Ptah, right? Lucas: That's right. The Apis bull was a sacred animal in Memphis, associated with Ptah and later with Osiris. When one died, it was mummified and placed in a massive stone sarcophagus in the Serapeum. Khaemwaset oversaw the creation of this enormous catacomb — long galleries with huge granite coffins, each weighing up to eighty tons. It was one of the most impressive funerary complexes in Egypt. Lucas: And he didn't just build it — he also wrote the inscriptions that described the rituals. He was a scholar, deeply literate, and he seems to have been genuinely interested in the past. Luna: So he was like a prince who preferred libraries to battlefields? Lucas: Basically, yes. While his father was fighting the Hittites at Kadesh, Khaemwaset was in Memphis studying ancient texts and restoring tombs. And he lived long enough to see his own fame grow — not just as a prince, but as a wise man and a magician. Luna: Magician? Like actual magic? Lucas: Well, in ancient Egypt, magic and medicine and religion were all mixed together. Khaemwaset was known as a healer, and stories about his magical abilities circulated for centuries. In fact, centuries after his death, during the Ptolemaic period, a whole cycle of stories was written about him — the Setne Khamwas stories, where he's a wizard who goes into tombs and competes with Nubian sorcerers. Lucas: But the historical Khaemwaset was also a political figure. He was the High Priest of Ptah, which gave him enormous influence in Memphis, the traditional capital. And he probably expected that he might become king someday — his elder brothers kept dying. Luna: But he didn't, did he? Lucas: No. He died in his fifties, before Ramses. His younger brother Merenptah became king instead. And there's some evidence of tension between them — Khaemwaset had been the favored son, the scholar, the priest. Merenptah was more of a soldier. When Khaemwaset died, he was buried in an elaborate tomb at Saqqara, but it was later robbed and his mummy was lost. Luna: That's a shame. After all he did to restore other people's tombs, his own didn't survive. Lucas: Yeah, it's ironic. But his legacy as 'the first Egyptologist' has lasted. And you can still see the Serapeum today — it's open to visitors. The long galleries with the giant black granite sarcophagi are one of the most haunting places in Saqqara. Luna: You know, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. And then we can keep having these conversations without any ads. Lucas: That's a nice thought. And speaking of preserving the past — Khaemwaset's restorations actually give us a window into how the Egyptians themselves viewed their own history. They saw the Old Kingdom pyramids as sacred monuments built by god-kings, and they wanted to maintain them. Lucas: There's an inscription he left on the pyramid of Unas at Saqqara, where he says he 'renewed the monument of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Unas, after finding it in a state of decay.' And he actually added his own name to it, which was a very conscious act of connecting himself to the past. Luna: So he was like an ancient heritage preservationist. I love that. Lucas: Exactly. And he wasn't just a restorer — he was also an innovator. The Serapeum he built became a model for later animal necropolises. And the stories about him, the Setne Khamwas tales, are among the earliest examples of Egyptian fiction — they influenced later Greek and Roman magical literature. Luna: Wait, what happens in those stories? Is it like Indiana Jones? Lucas: Kind of. In one story, Setne Khamwas — that's the demotic version of his name — hears about a magical book written by the god Thoth that is hidden in a tomb. He goes to steal it, but he has to outwit the ghost of a prince and a Nubian sorcerer. It's really like a fantasy adventure story, with spirit possession, magical contests, and moral lessons. Lucas: The stories were written down in the Ptolemaic period, around 300 BCE, but they clearly draw on the historical Khaemwaset's reputation as a wise man and magician. So in a way, he became a folk hero, remembered for centuries after his death. Luna: And none of that would have happened if he'd just been another warrior prince. Lucas: Right. He chose a different path — and because of that, we know his name. He's one of the few non-royal Egyptians of the New Kingdom who is famous not for his battles or his buildings, but for his mind. Lucas: And his story also tells us something about Ramses as a father. Ramses let his son pursue scholarship and archaeology instead of forcing him into the military. That shows a degree of flexibility in the pharaonic system — and maybe a genuine respect for learning. Luna: Did Khaemwaset ever have a shot at the throne, or was he always just a priest? Lucas: It's complicated. The succession in Ramses' reign was messy. The first son, Amunherkhepeshef, died young. The second, Ramses B, also died. The third, Pareherwenemef, died. So by the time Khaemwaset was in his forties, he was effectively the eldest surviving son. But Ramses outlived him too. And then Merenptah, the thirteenth son, became king. Lucas: Some scholars think Khaemwaset might have been passed over because he was too focused on religion and not enough on military command. Merenptah had battlefield experience. But we don't know for sure. What we do know is that Khaemwaset died around his fifties, and his tomb at Saqqara was inscribed with his titles: 'Prince, High Priest of Ptah, Sem-Priest, Chief of the Artisans.' Luna: A prince who was also a craftsman. That's a rare combination. Lucas: It is. And it's why he stands out. In a dynasty full of warriors and builders, Khaemwaset was the scholar — the one who looked back and tried to understand where his civilization came from. In that sense, he was a true son of Ramses, but in a way that's easy to overlook. Luna: I think he deserves his own episode. Maybe we can do a deeper dive into the Setne Khamwas stories sometime. Lucas: That's a great idea. There's a whole world of Demotic Egyptian literature that most people don't know about — ghost stories, wisdom texts, even a version of the Odyssey. But for now, Khaemwaset gives us a rare look at the intellectual side of Ramesside Egypt.