Ramses the Great's Builders: The Workers Behind the Monuments

We often marvel at Ramses II's colossal statues and temples, but who actually cut the stone, hauled the blocks, and carved the hieroglyphs? This episode turns the spotlight away from the pharaoh and onto the army of craftsmen, laborers, and slaves who built his monuments. We examine the organization of work crews at the Ramesseum and Abu Simbel, the specialized roles of quarrymen and sculptors at Aswan and Gebel el-Silsila, the supply chain that fed and housed thousands, and the evidence we have of their daily lives—from graffiti left by work gangs to the workers' village at Deir el-Medina, which predated Ramses but set the pattern. We also discuss the use of prisoners of war and foreign labor, including Sherden and Libyans, and what the Turin Papyrus and other records reveal about compensation, discipline, and even strikes for overdue rations. This is the story of the hands that made Ramses's vision real—a side of his reign that is less glamorous but no less essential to understanding Egypt's greatest builder. #RamsesII #AncientEgypt #DeirElMedina #Workers #Ramesseum #AbuSimbel #Aswan #GebelElSilsila #Sherden #TurinPapyrus #BuildingTheMonuments #Labor #NewKingdom #19thDynasty #Kemet #History #FexingoHistory #Egyptology Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo