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60 free Ramesses II trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Ramesses II trivia quiz covers the pharaoh who reigned for 66 years and covered Egypt with his own image. The easy questions cover the basics: the dynasty he belonged to, the great battle against the Hittites, the temples he cut into the cliffs of Nubia, the queen whose tomb is the finest in Egypt, the Greek name Shelley used for him and the actor who played him opposite Charlton Heston. From there it moves through his grandfather the vizier, his accession at 25, the Sherden pirates, the new capital in the Delta with its own zoo, the campaign chronology and the Sed festivals he celebrated more often than anyone. The harder end covers the two versions of the Treaty of Kadesh that each claim the other side sued for peace, the silver plaque, the tomb of his 52 sons, the Ramesseum's thousand-tonne statue, Burckhardt and Belzoni at Abu Simbel, the mummy's journey to Paris in 1976, the red hair and the abscess that may have killed him, the hair thief of 2006, the sarcophagus fragment identified in 2023 and why Egyptologists say he was not the pharaoh of the Exodus. Every answer was checked against Ramesses II's encyclopaedia entry before publishing and the supporting sentence is stored with each question. Our Ancient Egypt and Tutankhamun quizzes are natural companions.
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Q 01Ramesses II was the third pharaoh of which Egyptian dynasty?
The Nineteenth
He is generally regarded as the greatest and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom.
Q 02How long did Ramesses II reign?
66 years
It was the longest recorded reign of any pharaoh, possibly matched only by Pepi II a thousand years earlier.
Q 03By what name did ancient Greek sources refer to Ramesses II?
Ozymandias
It comes from the first part of his throne name, Usermaatre Setepenre; Shelley borrowed it for his sonnet.
Q 04How old was Ramesses II when he came to the throne?
25
He had been made prince regent by his father Seti I at about fourteen.
Q 05What position had Ramesses II's grandfather, Ramesses I, held before Horemheb named him successor?
Vizier and military officer
Ramesses II was not born a prince; he was about eleven when his grandfather became king.
Q 06On what date do most Egyptologists place Ramesses II's accession?
31 May 1279 BC
He died on 13 August 1213 BC after reigning 66 years and 74 days, according to a 2016 reconstruction.
Q 07How many military campaigns did Ramesses II conduct, all victories except one draw?
At least 15
His army is estimated at some 100,000 men.
Q 08Which sea pirates did Ramesses II defeat in his second year, later recruiting many into his bodyguard?
The Sherden
They wore horned helmets with a ball on top and may have come from Ionia or Sardinia.
Q 09Against which empire did Ramesses II fight the Battle of Kadesh?
The Hittites
Their king was Muwatalli II; the battle took place in Ramesses's fifth regnal year.
Q 10On what date did Ramesses arrive at Kadesh, according to Egyptian sources?
1 May 1274 BC
He had marched through Canaan for exactly a month; his troops were caught in a Hittite ambush.
Q 11How did the surviving Hittite charioteers escape after the Egyptian counterattack at Kadesh?
They swam the Orontes River to the city walls
Ramesses held the field but could not sustain a siege, and the enemy won the campaign overall.
Q 12How is the Battle of Kadesh generally judged by historians?
A stalemate
Ramesses claimed a great triumph on his temple walls, but the Egyptians retreated and the enemy briefly held Damascus.
Q 13How many chariots was the arms factory at Pi-Ramesses supposedly able to produce in two weeks?
About 250
Q 21Why did Ramesses II insist his carvings be cut deeply into the stone?
So successors could not easily erase them
Deep relief also caught the Egyptian sun, linking him to Ra; his cartouches appear even on buildings he did not build.
Q 22What is the name of Ramesses II's mortuary temple in western Thebes?
The Ramesseum
Diodorus Siculus marvelled at it; a school for scribes was found among its ruins.
Q 23How much did the enthroned statue of Ramesses at his Theban mortuary temple weigh?
More than 1,000 tonnes
It also turned out 1,000 weapons a week and 1,000 shields in a week and a half.
Q 14In his tenth-year campaign at Dapur, Ramesses boasted of fighting for two hours without wearing what?
His corslet
Six of his young sons, still wearing side locks, took part in the assault.
Q 15At what point in his reign did Ramesses II conclude his treaty with the Hittite king Hattusili III?
Regnal year 21
The crisis had been triggered by Hattusili's deposed nephew Mursili III fleeing to Egypt.
Q 16How do the Egyptian and Hittite versions of the 1259 BC treaty differ?
Each says the other side came suing for peace
The treaty was carved at Karnak; it has 18 articles.
Q 17On what material was the Hittite peace treaty delivered to the Egyptians?
A silver plaque
Ramesses received it on 10 November 1259 BC by the standard chronology.
Q 18How many Sed festivals did Ramesses II celebrate, more than any other pharaoh?
Thirteen or fourteen
The jubilee traditionally came in year 30 and every three years after; he sometimes held them every two.
Q 19What was the name of the new capital the pharaoh founded in the eastern Nile Delta?
Pi-Ramesses
Its full name meant 'Domain of Ramesses, Great in Victory'; the palace had its own zoo.
Q 20For a time in the early 20th century, the site of Pi-Ramesses was mistakenly identified as which city?
Tanis
Ramesside statuary had been carried there; the real site lies about 30 km south near modern Qantir.
The syenite colossus stood 17 metres high; only fragments of base and torso remain.
Q 24In which year did Ramesses and Nefertari travel to Nubia to inaugurate the temple at Abu Simbel?
1255 BC
The temple has been called ego cast in stone: its builder meant to be one of Egypt's gods.
Q 25Which Swiss traveller rediscovered Abu Simbel in 1813?
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Sand blocked the entrance for four more years until Belzoni got inside on 4 August 1817.
Q 26How much did the colossal statue of Ramesses II erected in Cairo's Ramesses Square in 1955 weigh?
About 83 tonnes
Found in six pieces near Memphis, it was moved again in 2006 to escape exhaust fumes, and now stands near the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Q 27What was unusual about the royal bust of Ramesses II unearthed at Mit Rahina in December 2019?
It was the first-ever Ka statue made of granite
The only previously known Ka statue is wooden and belongs to a 13th Dynasty king.
Q 28A fragment of Ramesses II's original sarcophagus, identified in 2023, had been reused around 1000 BC by whom?
A high priest named Menkheperre
Frédéric Payraudeau spotted the cartouche of Ramesses II on the granite piece.
Q 29About how old was Ramesses II when he died?
90
He suffered from arthritis, hardened arteries, heart disease and severe dental problems.
Q 30What is one suggested cause of Ramesses II's death?
A ruptured abscess in his jaw
A significant hole was found in his mandible; his lungs are missing, so drowning cannot be tested.