This documentary depicts a time period in Egypt starting in 1560 BC, 1000 years after the large pyramids where built, which is known as the rise of the “Golden Age” New Kingdom where there was an explosion of wealth, creativity and power due to expansion and consolidation of the surrounding areas.  It is a 2001 PBS “Empires” series.

Points talked about in this episode:

— In 1279 BC, a boy was crowned Pharaoh of Egypt named Ramses II, who was the son of a commoner military commander.

— Early in Ramses’ rule a threat rose from the Hittites living north of Egypt in what is now Turkey, being a more technologically advanced people, and Egypt was not prepared for the conflict and had inferior weapons, but Ramses’ troops won the decisive battle due to luck, with Ramses then creating a wildly exaggerated propaganda campaign back in Egypt boasting of a heroic victory where he claimed that he all alone had saved the day.

— Ramses then signed a peace treaty with the Hittite King, creating an alliance with them.

— During Ramses’ rule he spearheaded many massive construction projects including massive monuments to himself.  He had multiple wives and very many children, most of who died before he did.

— Ramses died at 93 years old after reining for 67 years— being much older than the average age of death being 35.

— After Ramses died, Egypt and the Hittite Empire were attacked by well-armed invading hordes coming from the sea by what ancient texts call “The Sea People,” with the Hittite Empire being destroyed and important Egyptian trade routes being blocked, which led to widespread impoverishment in Egypt and it even led to tomb builders plundering the royal tombs that they had previously constructed.

— Egypt fell less then 200 years after Ramses II's rein due to the invasion.