Wilkinson, Toby. Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings. Yale University Press, 2023.
Though Ancient Egypt is a subject with mass appeal, it is not too often that historians zero in on one figure when writing a book, instead presenting generalized overall histories or broader cultural surveys (usually on religious practices and/or architectural feats). One figure who has gotten singular treatment is the famed pharaoh Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great. Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson has written an easy-to-red biography of this tremendous figure. It runs under 200 pages. As Wilkinson explains in his introduction, it is very difficult to actually determine and present the character of ancient people in the past, especially when they were carefully propagandized as God-kings. Though he confesses that he can accomplish no such character revelation, he does try to provide a few insights on Ramesses II. While he never outright argues it, Wilkinson's monograph suggests an egomaniac who was so determined to be remembered that spent his country's resources on vast, self-aggrandizing construction projects.
Wilkinson argues that Ramesses was not a first-rate military leader nor the most successful backer of artistic achievement. There were other pharaohs who conquered much more territory and led much more prosperous leaps. But thanks to his astonishingly lengthy reign of over sixty years, Ramesses provided Egypt with a period of stability and greatness that sustained its existence for centuries afterwards.
