Ramses II's Hidden Army: The Mercenary Revolution

Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History · Oct 16, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While Ramses II is celebrated for his monumental architecture and the peace treaty with the Hittites, his true military innovation lay in transforming Egypt’s army from a conscripted peasant levy into a professional, multi-ethnic force. This episode explores how Ramses integrated defeated enemies—particularly the Sherden Sea Peoples—into his own ranks, turning former raiders into elite bodyguards and shock troops. We examine the archaeological evidence at Medinet Habu and Deir el-Bahari, where reliefs show these foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Egyptian soldiers under the pharaoh’s…