Question 1

True or false: Ramesses II was the first pharaoh to be mummified.

Accepted Answer

False. Mummification in Egypt began around 2600 BCE, nearly 1,400 years before Ramesses II. The first known mummies date to the Old Kingdom period.

Question 2

True or false: Ramesses II married the famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII.

Accepted Answer

False. Cleopatra VII lived over 1,200 years after Ramesses II. She reigned from 51–30 BCE, while Ramesses II died in 1213 BCE. They never met.

Question 3

True or false: Ramesses II lived to be over 90 years old, an extraordinary age for his time.

Accepted Answer

True. He reigned for 66 years and died at about age 90 or 91, an exceptional lifespan for the time.

Question 4

True or false: Ramesses II ordered the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Accepted Answer

False. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 BCE, more than 1,200 years before Ramesses II came to power.

Question 5

True or false: Ramesses II built the Great Pyramid of Giza as his personal tomb.

Accepted Answer

False. The Great Pyramid was built by Pharaoh Khufu over 1,000 years before Ramesses II. Ramesses built the Ramesseum and Abu Simbel.

Question 6

True or false: Ramesses II signed the world's first known peace treaty with the Hittites.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1259 BCE, Ramesses II and Hittite king Hattusili III agreed to a treaty ending decades of conflict. The clay tablet copy is on display at Istanbul's Archaeology Museum.

Question 7

True or false: Ramesses II had over 100 children, many of whom he outlived.

Accepted Answer

True. He fathered at least 90 sons and 60 daughters, and some of his eldest sons died before he did, including his heir Khaemwaset.

Question 8

True or false: Ramesses II concluded a peace treaty with the Hittites after the Battle of Kadesh.

Accepted Answer

True. After the Battle of Kadesh, Ramesses II and Hittite king Hattusili III established a peace treaty around 1259 BCE, one of the earliest surviving international agreements.

Question 9

True or false: Ramesses II was the pharaoh who opposed Moses during the Exodus, according to the Bible.

Accepted Answer

False. No direct archaeological evidence links Ramesses II to the Exodus; the Bible never names the pharaoh, and scholars debate the timeline.

Question 10

True or false: Ramesses II fathered over 100 children during his long reign.

Accepted Answer

True. Ramesses II had about 100 children, including 50–60 sons and 40–50 daughters, with multiple wives and concubines. This is documented in ancient records and inscriptions.

Question 11

True or false: Ramesses II ordered the construction of the great temple of Abu Simbel in Nubia.

Accepted Answer

True. Ramesses II built the Abu Simbel temples around 1264 BCE to commemorate his victory at Kadesh and to impress his Nubian neighbors. The temples were relocated in the 1960s.

Question 12

True or false: Ramesses II was buried inside a solid gold coffin like King Tut.

Accepted Answer

False. Ramesses II's mummy was found in a simple wooden coffin. King Tutankhamun’s gold coffin is an exception; most pharaohs, including Ramesses II, were not buried in solid gold.

Question 13

True or false: Ramesses II’s mummy was discovered with its hair dyed red using henna.

Accepted Answer

False. The red hair on Ramesses II’s mummy is natural, as confirmed by microscopic and chemical analyses showing natural pheomelanin pigment, not henna dye. The henna theory was disproven.

Question 14

True or false: Ramesses II personally led the Egyptian army into battle at the age of 80.

Accepted Answer

False. Ramesses II's famous Battle of Kadesh was fought in his 20s. After peace with the Hittites, he focused on building projects; no evidence exists of him leading troops at age 80.

Question 15

True or false: Analysis of Ramesses II's mummy revealed that he had naturally red hair.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1974, a forensic study found red pigment throughout the hair shafts of Ramesses II's mummy, confirming the color was natural and not from henna or dye.

Question 16

True or false: Ramesses II had a pet lion that accompanied him during military campaigns.

Accepted Answer

False. No credible evidence supports a pet lion; lions appear in Egyptian art as symbols of power, not as royal pets.

Ramesses II Trivia Questions