Hidden Musicians of History Month: Ramses II

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗵 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮.

Ramses II, the long-reigning pharaoh who built temples the size of shopping centres and carved his own face into every cliff in Egypt.

He was also a performer.

Ancient Egypt treated music as a vital part of public life. Festivals, parades, coronations, prayers, harvest rituals, military celebrations, funerals, victories.

All of them were filled with music. harps, flutes, percussion, chant and dance.

Ramses did not sit quietly on a throne watching everyone else do the work.

He joined in. Egyptian records describe pharaohs singing hymns to the gods during ceremonies. Ramses was known for taking part in these performances, particularly during major temple rituals.

Picture it. A ruler who controlled an empire millions strong deciding that what this sacred event really needed was a bit of vocal commitment from the man in charge.

Was he a great singer? No one knows. Was anyone going to tell him if he wasn’t? Absolutely not. When the king of Egypt starts a hymn, everyone smiles politely and agrees that it was magnificent.

His reign is remembered for war, architecture and propaganda. Yet behind all of that stood a man who understood the power of music. The Egyptians believed that a sung prayer carried more weight than a spoken one. A ruler who sang was seen as someone who stood closer to the gods.

So yes. Ramses II. Builder of empires. Carver of monuments. Conductor of ceremonies. A pharaoh who took his place in the royal rhythm section whenever the moment called for it.

Ramses II

 Warrior king

 Master builder

 Surprising ceremonial singer of ancient Egypt

🎶 𝗜’𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗢’𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹 — 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆

 Inspiring young minds through music — helping teachers grow income, confidence, and creativity, one child and one rhythm at a time.