00:00:00[Music]
00:00:13this is not the Egypt of Khufu’s day the
00:00:17Pharaoh is no longer beyond criticism
00:00:19and Rama ceases failure to take Kadesh
00:00:22could dangerously undermine his position
00:00:27ramasees hatches a face-saving plan will
00:00:30suited to this more critical era he
00:00:33reaches for another weapon one even more
00:00:36effective than chariots and the bronze
00:00:37swords propaganda this is a wonderful
00:00:46opportunity for Ramses to broadcast
00:00:48something to his audience that will make
00:00:52him the king that he will someday become
00:00:55ramasees Commission’s a series of stone
00:00:58reliefs to commemorate the Battle of
00:01:00Kadesh on temple walls the length and
00:01:02breadth of the kingdom was a part of
00:01:06these of the heavy spin put on to the
00:01:08onto the whole Kadesh campaign clearly
00:01:11is to make sure that his image remains
00:01:13what he wants it to be that of the
00:01:15all-powerful all-conquering Pharaoh well
00:01:21when he sets up his record of the Battle
00:01:23of Kadesh Ramses proves that he’s the
00:01:25greatest spin-doctor of the ancient
00:01:26world the carvings tell the story not of
00:01:30an inconclusive truth but a clear-cut
00:01:33victory
00:01:37ramasees is portrayed as the hero of the
00:01:39hour who separated from his troops
00:01:41stands alone against the hit item bush
00:01:48he claims he wept and good but he didn’t
00:01:54he’s not going to show what really
00:01:57happened he’s going to show what he
00:02:00wants to have happened so the image that
00:02:02he has depicted there is one that shows
00:02:06him routing the hittites pretty much
00:02:09single-handedly leading the way sending
00:02:12them fleeing trampling them under his
00:02:14horses and chariots and really creating
00:02:18a sense of Egypt and Ramses himself as
00:02:21the personification of Egypt is the
00:02:23ultimate
00:02:27it’s a political masterstroke
00:02:30ramasees has rewritten history and set
00:02:33his version of events in stone for all
00:02:35time
00:02:42but the young Kings lifelong talent for
00:02:45self-promotion has only just begun
00:02:52[Music]