Today Ramesses II, a.k.a. "Ramesses Great," serves as a potent symbol of modern Egyptian's national identity and sense of history.

He is the epitome of an Egyptian pharaoh. A great builder, warrior, living god, and tireless self-promoter, he became a legendary figure soon after his death, and his legacy lived on in Egypt's cultural memory more than a thousand years after his death. He was well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans even after the ability to read his inscriptions died out.

When French philologist Jean-François Champollion unlocked the key to the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone, Ramesses was the one of first of the royal names to be read.

During the 19^th and 20^th centuries, archaeological discoveries and modern media spread Ramesses’ fame and established him as a fixture in the public's fascination with ancient Egypt through popular books, photography, magazines, films like The Ten Commandments, and television.

This lecture will explore the modern reception of Ramesses in modern culture and his "superstar" status as the ultimate symbol of the pharaonic past.

Email us at arce.dc.news at gmail dot com for a link to register for this event.

Ramesses II temple, Abu Simbel, in 19th-century art