Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Prince Khaemwaset: Scholar, Sorcerer, High Priest
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great — his wars, his monuments, his diplomatic marriages. But one of his sons, Khaemwaset, had a career that was completely different from the typical military prince. He was a scholar, a high priest, and in later legend, a wizard. Luna: I've heard that name — Khaemwaset. Wasn't he the one who restored old pyramids? Lucas: Exactly. Khaemwaset was the fourth son of Ramses and Queen Isisnofret, and he became the High Priest of Ptah in Memphis — one of the most important religious offices in Egypt. Ptah was the god of craftsmen and creation, and Memphis was the ancient capital, so this was a position of immense prestige. He served for over 30 years, from around his father's 16th regnal year until his own death, likely in his late 50s. Lucas: But what makes Khaemwaset especially fascinating is that he developed a deep interest in Egypt's own past. He traveled to the ancient necropolises at Giza, Saqqara, and Dahshur, and he restored the monuments of earlier pharaohs — some of them already over a thousand years old by his time. He left inscriptions on the pyramids of Userkaf, Sahure, Neferirkare, and Shepseskaf, recording his restoration work. Luna: He was basically the first archaeologist, then. Or at least the first one we know by name. Lucas: Exactly. His inscriptions say things like: 'I restored the pyramid of King Userkaf, which had fallen into ruin.' He's almost like an ancient ancestor of the modern Egyptologists who would later study those same sites. And he didn't just restore stone — he also took a keen interest in the Apis bull cult. Lucas: The Apis bull was a sacred animal manifestation of Ptah, worshipped in Memphis. When an Apis bull died, it was mummified and buried in a vast underground complex called the Serapeum. Khaemwaset oversaw the burial of several Apis bulls during his tenure, and he even commissioned new galleries in the Serapeum to accommodate them. These burials were huge state events, with elaborate rituals and inscriptions. Luna: So he was responsible for some of the most important religious ceremonies in the kingdom. And that would have put him at the center of political power too, right? Lucas: Absolutely. The High Priest of Ptah was a major political figure, and Khaemwaset was also the crown prince for much of his father's reign — though the chronology is tricky. Ramses outlived at least twelve of his sons, and Khaemwaset seems to have been the designated heir for many years, but he died before his father, so the throne eventually passed to his younger half-brother Merenptah. Lucas: There's some debate about when exactly Khaemwaset became crown prince. Inscriptions from his 30th year as high priest still don't call him that, but later ones do. He may have been promoted after the death of an older brother, Prince Ramses. And he seems to have been a very effective administrator — he's mentioned in papyri from Deir el-Medina dealing with tomb workers, and he owned estates and oversaw construction projects. Luna: What about his reputation as a magician? I've definitely heard stories about Prince Khaemwaset and magical contests. Lucas: That comes from later Egyptian literature, written in Demotic script during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods — hundreds of years after his death. There's a cycle of stories called the Setna cycle, where Khaemwaset, called Setna in the tales, is a clever magician who adventures through tombs and competes with Nubian sorcerers. They're entertaining stories, but they probably reflect his historical reputation as a wise man and scholar of ancient texts. The association with magic was natural for someone who spent so much time in old tombs and with sacred writings. Luna: That's a great segue — because those old monuments he restored, they weren't just tourist attractions. They were part of Egypt's living heritage, and he seems to have understood that. Lucas: You know, it's interesting — Khaemwaset's work preserving the past reminds me of what we're trying to do with this show: rescuing stories that might otherwise be forgotten. And it's listener support that makes that possible. If you've been enjoying these deep dives into ancient Egypt, and you'd like to help us keep the show ad-free and independent, you can do that at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but every bit helps. Luna: Absolutely. And it's a nice thought that people back then also valued preservation. So, back to Khaemwaset — what was the Serapeum actually like? Lucas: The Serapeum at Saqqara is an incredible underground complex. The burial chambers are huge granite sarcophagi, each weighing tens of tons, lining long corridors. Khaemwaset added a new gallery, the so-called 'Lesser Vaults,' and he left his name on many of the burials. The Apis bulls were buried with great ceremony, and the inscriptions record the dates of each bull's life and death, which is invaluable for chronology. Lucas: He also built a chapel for the Apis bull at the temple of Ptah in Memphis, and he seems to have reformed the cult's rituals. He was deeply pious, and his devotion to Ptah is evident in his inscriptions. One statue of him shows him kneeling with a naos, or shrine, of Ptah, and the text calls him 'the one who satisfies Ptah with his deeds.' Luna: Did his restoration work extend beyond Giza and Saqqara? Were there other sites he touched? Lucas: Yes, he's attested at Abydos, the cult center of Osiris, where he probably participated in the annual mysteries. And he's also linked to the temple of Ptah in Memphis itself. But his main focus was the Memphite necropolis. He had a particular interest in the Old Kingdom pyramids, which were already ancient ruins. He even copied some of the inscriptions he found there, which shows a scholarly bent. Lucas: Interestingly, one of his restorations was on the pyramid of Shepseskaf, the last king of the 4th Dynasty. Shepseskaf's pyramid is unusual — it's more like a giant mastaba than a true pyramid — and Khaemwaset's inscription there is one of the earliest examples of a 'restoration text' in Egyptian history. He's essentially saying, 'I found this monument in decay and made it new again.' Luna: And his name — Khaemwaset — what does it mean? Lucas: It means 'He who appears in Thebes,' or more literally 'The one who has appeared in Waset' — Waset being the Egyptian name for Thebes. That's interesting because he was born in Thebes, but his career was based in Memphis. The name might have been chosen to honor his father's connection to Thebes and the god Amun. Lucas: After his death, Khaemwaset was remembered as a wise and powerful figure. In the Demotic tales, he's portrayed as a master of magical knowledge, able to summon spirits and read ancient scrolls. There's a famous story where he steals a magical book from a haunted tomb and then has to return it after a series of adventures. These stories were still being told a thousand years later, which shows how lasting his reputation was. Luna: So even though he never became pharaoh, his legacy was arguably more unique than that of many kings. Lucas: Exactly. He's a fascinating figure because he represents a different kind of power — not military might, but intellectual and religious authority. He was a prince who chose the temple over the battlefield, and in doing so, he became one of the most memorable figures of the Ramesside period. And his work preserving the past gives us a direct link to the Old Kingdom, a period that was already ancient to him. Lucas: One more thing — Khaemwaset also has a well-known statue in the British Museum, where he's shown with a small figure of his son, Hori, who also became a high priest. That statue is inscribed with his titles and achievements. It's a rare personal memorial from an otherwise quiet figure in the historical record. Luna: I'm glad we got to explore this side of Ramses's Egypt. It's easy to focus only on the big battles and monuments, but the story of Khaemwaset shows there was so much more going on. Lucas: Absolutely. He reminds us that history isn't just about conquest and construction — it's also about preservation, scholarship, and the quiet work of keeping the past alive for future generations. And that's a pretty timeless message.