Ramses (or Rameses) II, a pharaoh of the 19th dynasty of ancient
Egypt. He reigned about 1299-1232 B.C. Ramses built many
temples, often with huge statues of himself, at sites including
Karnak and Abu Simbel. According to inscriptions made during his
lifetime, he was one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs, but research
has shown that these accounts of his accomplishments are
exaggerated. Nevertheless, Ramses II was a vigorous ruler and
aggressive military leader, and during his reign Egypt was a
major power in the Middle East.  Ramses' grandfather, Ramses I,
came to the throne after the Egyptian empire had largely
disintegrated during the reign of Pharaoh Akhnaton. Ramses II
continued the efforts of his grandfather and his father, Seti I,
to restore the empire. In a struggle for control of Syria, he
met the Hittites in a great battle at Kadesh, which he claimed
as a victory but which was actually a stalemate. Later the
Egyptians and Hittites negotiated the first recorded
nonaggression pact in history.