NeoKemetAI
New Kingdom · c. 1295–1186 BCE

Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt

The Ramesside age. Ramesses II fights at Kadesh, signs the first known peace treaty and fills Egypt with colossal monuments.

Rulers

  1. Ramesses I
  2. Seti I
  3. Ramesses II
  4. Merenptah
  5. Amenmesse
  6. Seti II
  7. Siptah
  8. Twosret

Order and dates of rulers are debated for many dynasties. Names in gold have a full profile.

19th Dynasty

Ramesses II

Ramesses the Great · c. 1279–1213 BCE

The third king of the 19th Dynasty, Ramesses II outlived many of his children and became, in later memory, the model of what a pharaoh should be. Nine later kings took his name.

temple

Karnak Temple Complex

Luxor (ancient Thebes), east bank · c. 1971 BCE

Karnak was the religious heart of the New Kingdom, the "most select of places" where Amun-Ra was worshipped. Almost every pharaoh from the Middle Kingdom to the Ptolemies added a…

rock-cut temple

Abu Simbel Temples

Abu Simbel, Nubia · c. 1264 BCE

Four seated colossi of Ramesses II, each about 20 metres high, guard the entrance of the Great Temple. A smaller temple beside it is dedicated to Hathor and to Queen Nefertari.

Cut-away 3D model of the tomb of Seti I descending through the hillside, from the entrance stairway to the pillared burial chamber and the tunnel beyond.

KV17

Tomb of Seti I

Valley of the Kings, western Thebes

Seti I, father of Ramesses II, commissioned the most ambitious tomb in the valley. The Theban Mapping Project describes it as the longest and deepest tomb in the valley, and…

KV7

Tomb of Ramesses II

Valley of the Kings, western Thebes

One of the largest tombs in the valley, KV7 was visible in antiquity but has been repeatedly flooded, leaving its decoration badly damaged. A French mission led by Christian…

Cut-away 3D model of Nefertari's tomb, showing the upper antechamber and side chamber, the descending stairway and the four-pillared burial chamber below.

QV66

Tomb of Nefertari

Valley of the Queens, western Thebes

Built for the favourite wife of Ramesses II, QV66 is often called the Sistine Chapel of ancient Egypt. Its walls show Nefertari guided by gods through the afterlife on a…

19th Dynasty

Younger Memnon

British Museum, London

Carved from a single block of granite, the bust uses the stone's two colours to separate the king's head from his body. A hole on its right shoulder is said to have been drilled…

NeoKemet on YouTube

Watch the film

2 h 26 min

History for Sleep · 2 h 26 min · 20 Sept 2026 · 17 chapters

Boring History for Sleep | Every Pharaoh Dynasty of Ancient Egypt

A slow, calm walk through every dynasty of ancient Egypt — from Narmer to Nectanebo II — read one name at a time, for sleep.

Playlist: Sleep Documentaries