Ramses the Great's Arctic Monkeys: The Gebel Barkal Stela

In episode 131 of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna journey south of Kemet's border to Gebel Barkal — a sacred mountain in Nubia that the Egyptians called the 'Throne of the Two Lands.' Ramses the Great carved a monumental stela there, a 26-foot granite proclamation boasting of his conquests and divine favor. But this wasn't just propaganda — it was a deliberate act of cultural integration, equating the Nubian god Amun of Napata with the Egyptian Amun-Re. The stela also records Ramses's campaign against the 'wretched Kush,' a phrase that masks a more complex relationship of tribute, intermarriage, and military occupation. We explore the stela's text, its location at the mysterious Gebel Barkal — a flat-topped mesa that the Egyptians believed was the birthplace of Amun — and its role in anchoring Egyptian control over Nubia's gold routes. Along the way, we touch on the viceroy Setau, the temple of Amun at Napata, and the later Kushite pharaohs who would reverse the dynamic. A story of empire, stone, and the enduring power of sacred geography. #RamsesII #GebelBarkal #Nubia #Kush #AmunRe #Napata #Setau #EgyptianPropaganda #AncientEgypt #19thDynasty #Kemet #Hieroglyphs #Stela #GoldRoutes #SacredMountain #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo