Ramses II's Medical Legacy: The World's First Surgeon

Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History · Sep 13, 2026 · 7m · transcript

While Ramses II is celebrated for his monuments and military victories, his reign also marks a pivotal moment in the history of medicine. This episode explores the life of Hesy-Re, often called the world's first named physician, and traces how medical knowledge evolved from the Old Kingdom into the New Kingdom under Ramses. We examine the Edwin Smith Papyrus, an ancient surgical textbook that reveals a rational, observational approach to trauma long before Hippocrates. Lucas and Luna discuss how the royal court at Per-Ramesses relied on healers like Wetjes-heru to treat battle wounds and…