The Ten Commandments (1956) expands the popular idea by an Egyptologist that Ramesses II was the Biblical Pharaoh of the Exodus named Shishaq. But most Egyptologists maintain that Shishaq was an other Pharaoh Shosheng I living 3 centuries before Ramesses II - it is understandable that Hollywood prefered to choose Ramesses the Great for his popularity among the public than the less well-known Shosheng I, but history matters and one should not make revision just because it's more appealing for a film.

At the beginning of his reign, when Ramesses II was only 15, the Egyptian empire was under threat from the Hittites, who lived in what is now Turkey. They were far more advanced than the Egyptians and were already pushing against the northern border of Egypt's empire. An inexperienced, young king presented them with the perfect opportunity to extend their own empire. Within a few years, they had invaded and captured the strategically important trading town of Kadesh.

Ramesses II falled into a trap when the Hittites sent spies to lull the Egyptians: the spies pretended that the Hittites army were still far. Ramesses just believed them and didn't bother to check the information but actually, his ennemies were camped just across the river, ready to attack. Luckily, the reinforcements which Ramesses had ordered arrived just in time. They surprised the Hittites and left the Egyptians holding the battlefield. Ramesses had been fortunate and he began a huge campaign that claimed he had won the battle single-handed. Across Egypt, temple walls were carved with this official version of the battle. It was spin-doctoring on a grand scale.

He knew the Hittites would return to attack towns like Kadesh and that he wouldn't be able to defeat them. He intelligently cut a deal. Long negotiations led to a peace treaty with the Hittites, which was cemented when Ramesses married a Hittite princess and brought her home to his new capital, Per Ramesses.

Now at peace, Ramesses could concentrate on his two great loves - his chief queen, Nefertari, and himself. He constructed the Ramesseum, a temple, purpose-built to manufacture tales of his greatness. At its heart was the House of Life, a massive library dedicated to glorifying the pharaoh. It contained some 10,000 papyrus scrolls that created an official image of Ramesses that was larger than life.

Ramesses II was the most industrious builder and most ambitious pharaoh that ever ruled Egypt. Great new constructions were raised in Memphis, Thebes, Hermopolis, and Nubia (Nubia that pharaohs plundered for 400 years by ensuring that all its gold poured into Egypt for ruling the empire).

His death at the exceptional age of 93 (at that time the average for egyptians was 40) would mark the beginning of the end for the Egyptian empire. New enemies were attacking the empire and less than 150 years after Ramesses died, his empire fell, his descendants lost their power and their Kingdom.