Ramases II - The greatest of the pharaohs of EgyptRameses II, he was the third of his line in the nineteenth dynasty, son of Seti I and grandson of Ramesses I. He reigned for nearly seventy years during the midst of a period known as the New Kingdom, when Egypt was at its peak. During his reign (1279-1213), Egypt experienced a time of prosperity and stability, not only internally, but also externally. He is responsible for building more famous monuments and structures than any other pharaoh, having many structures and statues renamed as if he had commissioned them himself. By the end of his unusually long reign of sixty-six years, he was famous throughout the then-known ancient world. Ramesses I was chosen as heir to King Horemheb, the last king of the 18th dynasty after having served as general, vizier, commander. of the army of the sovereign of the two lands, high priest of all the gods and hereditary prince of the whole country. King Horemheb chose Ramesses as his successor because he had no children, he too was chosen by the previous pharaoh. Ramesses I not only had a son, Seti, a soldier married to Tuya, also from a military family, but also a grandson, also called Ramesses. Strong military experience was important and all of these factors likely contributed to Horemheb's decision. Having sons and grandsons ensured that Ramesses would have heirs to carry on the new dynasty. In 1295 BCE, Horemheb died, Ramesses I's first royal act, supervising his secret burial rites in the Valley of the Kings. Ramses I took this time to choose his own tomb and began preparations to be buried next to his friend Horemheb. Ramesses I and his son Seti planned fabulous buildings and had existing buildings and monuments remade with...... middle of paper ...... the Alley of the Golden Mummies. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2000)Menu, Bernadette Ramesses II, Greatest of the Pharaohs (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1999)Thomas, Susanna Ramesses II Pharaoh of the New Kingdom (New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 2003)Wallenfels, Ronald and Sasson, Jack M. The Ancient Near East (New York, Detroit, San Francisco, London, Boston, Woodbridge CT.: Charles Scribner's Sons, The Gale Group 2000)World Encyclopedia from the book Volume R (Chicago: Scott Fetzer Company 2003)McMahan, Ian The Secrets of the Pharaohs (New York: Avon Books, Inc. 1998)Bunson, Margaret The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (New York: Facts of File, Inc . 1991)Johnson, Paul The Civilization of Ancient Egypt (New York: Harper Collins Publishers 1978, 1998 and 1999) Tiano, Olivier Ramses II and Egypt (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc.. 1995)