Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Divine Kingship and the Sed Festival
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses' monuments, his diplomacy, his military campaigns. But there's one aspect of his reign that really ties all of that together: his concept of divine kingship, and specifically how he used a very ancient ritual to reinforce it — the Sed festival, or heb-sed. Luna: Right, the jubilee festival. But I thought that was something pharaohs did after 30 years on the throne? Lucas: Exactly — the traditional Sed festival was a royal jubilee celebrated after the first 30 years of a pharaoh's reign, and then every 3 or 4 years after that. Its purpose was to renew the king's strength and reaffirm his right to rule. But Ramses, being Ramses, he didn't just do it by the book. He celebrated his first Sed festival in his 30th year, sure, but he went on to hold at least 13 or 14 of them — more than any pharaoh before him. Luna: That's a lot of parties. Lucas: It was more than parties. Each Sed festival was a massive state ritual that involved processions, offerings to the gods, and a very famous ritual run — the pharaoh had to run a symbolic race around a course to demonstrate his physical fitness. If he could still run, he was still fit to rule. And Ramses, who lived into his 90s, kept running. Luna: Wait — he actually ran? As an old man? Lucas: That's the claim. The reliefs at the Ramesseum and at Abu Simbel show him performing the ritual run, looking vigorous. Now, was he really sprinting at age 90? Probably not — he might have been supported or it was symbolic. But the message was clear: I am still the living god on earth, strong enough to lead Kemet. Luna: And the Sed festival has roots going way back, right? Before the pyramids? Lucas: Yes — the earliest evidence we have is from the 1st Dynasty, around 3000 BCE, with Pharaoh Den depicted on a label performing the ritual run. But the most famous early example is Djoser's Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara, which includes a courtyard specifically designed for the Sed festival — complete with a dual throne representing Upper and Lower Egypt. Luna: So Ramses is connecting himself to some very ancient pharaohs. Lucas: Exactly. By reviving and multiplying the Sed festival, he was deliberately linking himself to the great pharaohs of the Old Kingdom — Djoser, Sneferu, Khufu — claiming a continuity that made him the legitimate successor to all of Egyptian history. He even built jubilee chapels at Per-Ramesses, his capital, with inscriptions that name the gods of the festival — especially the goddess Weret Hekau, 'Great of Magic,' who was associated with the crown. Luna: So he wasn't just going through the motions — he was making a political statement. Lucas: Absolutely. His reign spanned the 19th Dynasty, a period when Egypt faced external threats from the Hittites and internal challenges of succession. The Sed festival was a way of saying to his subjects, to the priesthoods, to foreign diplomats: I am still the chosen one, the gods favor me, and Egypt is stable. And it worked — he ruled for 67 years, outliving many of his sons. Luna: It's interesting how he uses ritual to project strength. Kind of like the way he used the Battle of Kadesh propaganda — it's all about controlling the narrative. Lucas: Yes, and the Sed festival was another tool in that narrative. But there's a practical side too: each festival required massive preparations — building new chapels, storing grain, organizing priests. It stimulated the economy and reinforced the patronage system. So it was propaganda, but it was also good governance. Luna: And speaking of good governance, we should mention that this show is supported by listeners like you. If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, and you'd like to help keep these conversations going ad-free, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Even a small contribution makes a difference. Lucas: That's right — and just like the Sed festival, it's about renewal and continuity. We love bringing these stories to life, and listener support helps us do that. So, back to Ramses: one of the most fascinating aspects of his Sed festivals is the archaeological evidence. Luna: What kind of evidence are we talking about? Lucas: Inscriptions and reliefs, mostly. At the Ramesseum, his mortuary temple, there are scenes of the Sed festival rituals — including the pharaoh seated on a throne under a canopy, receiving the gods' blessings. At Abu Simbel, there's a scene of the ritual run. And at Per-Ramesses, recent excavations have uncovered a large 'jubilee platform' that may have been used for the ceremonies. Luna: Were there any texts that describe what happened during the festival? Lucas: There are some. One text from the reign of Ramses III, who copied Ramses II's style, describes the Sed festival as a time when 'the gods of Upper and Lower Egypt assemble' and the pharaoh 'appears in the glory of his crowns.' But we don't have a full script. What we know comes from art and from earlier records — like the Palermo Stone, which lists Sed festivals for Old Kingdom pharaohs. Luna: So the festival itself was a kind of performance — a public demonstration of divine power. Lucas: Exactly. And Ramses was the ultimate performer. He understood that ruling Egypt wasn't just about military might or administrative skill — it was about being seen as a god. The Sed festival was his encore, over and over again. Luna: It makes you think about how fragile that image must have been. If he'd stumbled during the ritual run, what then? Lucas: That's the thing — they made sure he didn't stumble. The ritual was carefully choreographed, and if he was too weak, they probably had supports or substitutes. But the idea of the pharaoh as a vigorous, eternal ruler was so central that the festival had to go on. In fact, Ramses' son Merenptah, who succeeded him, celebrated a Sed festival too, but only one or two — he couldn't match his father's longevity. Luna: So in a way, the Sed festival became a measure of a pharaoh's success. Lucas: Yes — the number of Sed festivals was a bragging right. Ramses held more than anyone, so he was literally the most successful pharaoh in that regard. And it's a testament to his skill at self-promotion that we still talk about him today.