Ramses the Great's Kadesh Reliefs: The First Propaganda War

In this episode of Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh, Lucas and Luna dive into the battle reliefs at the Ramesseum and Karnak that depict the Battle of Kadesh. But these aren't straightforward historical records—they're carefully crafted propaganda. Lucas explains how Ramses reshaped a near-disaster into a personal victory, rewriting history on stone. They explore the specific scenes: the rescue by the Amun division, the personal bravery of the pharaoh, and the controversial 'Hittite spy' story. Lucas also introduces the Egyptian term for the reliefs—sS n qd—and discusses how the hieroglyphic captions interact with the images to create a narrative of divine favor. The episode also touches on the Kadesh Treaty as a later diplomatic resolution, contrasting the bellicose reliefs with the pragmatic peace. Donation segment ties listener support to preserving knowledge of ancient storytelling. #RamsesTheGreat #BattleOfKadesh #Karnak #Ramesseum #EgyptianPropaganda #Hieroglyphs #NewKingdom #Hittites #Kemet #WarReliefs #AncientEgypt #Pharaoh #Userrenputaanehktu #AbuSimbel #History #FexingoHistory #NorthAfrica #Archaeology Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo