Documentary / History / Civilization

RAMESSES II, secrets of a Pharaoh

Ramesses II, the most famous pharaoh of all time!

His reign, which lasted over 66 years, was marked by numerous monumental achievements, but also by a historical controversy: was he truly the great pharaoh he claimed to be, or an unparalleled political strategist and master of communication?

Discover his military triumphs, his monumental architectural achievements, but also his personal and political struggles. Was Ramesses II just an ordinary man, driven by the quest for power, love, and immortality?

Through breathtaking visual reconstructions and interviews with leading experts on Ancient Egypt, “Ramesses II: Secrets of a Pharaoh” offers a unique perspective on the life of this extraordinary leader. Deliberately anachronistic, this documentary series plays with the codes of urban popular culture to understand who the man behind the legend was. A man who did everything in his power during his lifetime to become immortal in the memory of humankind!

Watch from Arte Distribution

Ramesses II, the usurper (Episode 1)

If the name of Ramses II has endured through the millennia, it is largely thanks to the monuments that bear his mark throughout ancient Egypt. However, it is impossible that all these temples could have been built during his reign. It took Egyptologists more than two centuries to solve this archaeological puzzle.

What was the secret of Ramses the Builder? Usurpation!

Ramses II deliberately replaced the names of his predecessors with his own on monuments he did not commission.

In this episode, you will discover the reasons for such audacity and uncover a little-known aspect of the great monarch’s personality.

A warrior sovereign, a master of communication, and a builder of colossal monuments, Ramses II also presents a lesser-known side: that of a patriarch at the head of an extraordinary family that could rival the best hit series about dynasties.

Married to more than 12 royal wives, including five of his own daughters, he gifted Nefertari, the mother of his first son, the most magnificent buildings a queen could possess. What place did she hold in the monarch’s heart? Was she his one true love?

Destined from a young age to assume the highest office, Ramses II devoted his life to training his heirs. However, his first 12 sons would predecease him. A personal tragedy he would relentlessly strive to overcome in order to build an exceptional dynasty and leave his indelible mark on history.

The autopsy of Ramesses II’s mummy in Paris in 1976 revealed a previously unknown side of the monarch, far removed from the image of the great warrior he wished to project to posterity.

Did Ramesses II seek to push the boundaries of human life, even at the cost of excruciating suffering? What tangible scientific evidence justifies such an advanced age in such a distant era?

In any case, Ramesses II did indeed die, but he would experience a second life in the afterlife of the ancient Egyptians. For the first time, the world of the Egyptian gods was recreated, a terrifying world fraught with peril, where Ramses would have to confront the fearsome serpent Apophis, god of darkness and the apocalypse.

Prepare to discover Ramesses II, the man who wanted to become immortal!

Making Of

Diffusion :

2024 – RMC DÉCOUVERTE/ARTE DISTRIBUTION

Duration :

3×52 min

Direction :

Nicolas Brénéol

Production :

2024 – AH! Production

Country :

France