[music playing]
NARRATOR: On the border
with Ancient Nubia,
Ramses built another massive
monument, the mountain
temple of Abu Simbel.
Colleen has come here
searching for clues about how
Ramses's military
skill contributed
to the success of his empire.
This is, like, the greatest
hits of Ramses's victories.
[music playing]
NARRATOR: Ramses consolidated
his empire in the south
and pushed north to confront his
powerful enemies, the Hittites.
[music playing]
In temples all over
Egypt, he recorded
his victory against
the Hittites,
or so he wanted us to think.
[music playing]
NARRATOR: Around 1300
BC, the Egyptians
fought their arch
rivals, the Hittites,
at the fortress city of
Kadesh in possibly the largest
chariot battle in history.
The light Egyptian chariots had
the edge over the heavy Hittite
war machines.
Ramses recorded the
victory as a massacre.
But in reality, it
was more of a draw.
The two kings agreed a truce,
resulting in the world's
first recorded peace treaty.
[music playing]
It enabled the Egyptians to
spend all of their resources
on peacetime pursuits,
building massive constructions
like this, and usher in
a golden age for Egypt.
NARRATOR: Instead of waging
costly military campaigns,
Ramses built his success
through a mastery of diplomacy.
But to win the hearts
of his citizens,
he still needed to depict
himself as a mighty warrior.
[music playing]
He's on his chariot
alone, with the reins
tied behind his back so that
he's free to shoot his bow.
We know that this is a
little bit of propaganda
because even the
hieroglyphic tax says
that his shield-bearer Mena was
riding in the chariot with him.
NARRATOR: Ramses was a master
of ancient public relations,
happy to bend the truth
to promote an image which
would appeal to his people.
[music playing]
In the temple's inner
sanctum, Colleen
discovers another secret
of Ramses's success.
Here, by placing his statue
between the greatest gods
of Egypt, Ramses used a
clever trick of the light
to engineer his own divinity.
[music playing]
Twice a year, the sun
rays reach all the way
through the temple, illuminating
these figures in the sanctuary.
[music playing]
NARRATOR: Colleen
believes Ramses used
this solar alignment to
convey a powerful message,
that he was the living
embodiment of the Sun God.
Truly, here at Abu Simbel,
Ramses II is not just a king,
he is a god.
[music playing]
