Quick answer
Ramesses III ruled Egypt around 1184–1153 BC, the second king of the Twentieth Dynasty and the last great warrior pharaoh of the New Kingdom. He repelled Libyan invasions and the Sea Peoples, built the temple of Medinet Habu, and was murdered in a palace conspiracy led by one of his wives, as a CT scan of his mummy confirmed in 2012.
Who was Ramesses III?
Ramesses III was the son of Setnakhte, founder of the Twentieth Dynasty, and he spent his 31-year reign defending Egypt as the Bronze Age world around it collapsed. He was not a descendant of Ramesses II, who had died some 30 years before he took the throne, but he modelled himself closely on his famous namesake. He copied Ramesses II’s titles, built a mortuary temple based on the Ramesseum, and even gave several of his sons the same names as Ramesses II’s sons, Khaemwaset and Amenherkhepeshef among them.
His reign began in crisis: the Hittite empire had fallen, trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean were breaking down and migrating peoples were pressing on Egypt’s borders. That Egypt survived intact was largely his achievement, but the strain showed in the empty granaries and court intrigue of his last years.
His reign at a glance
The main events can be dated by his regnal years, mostly from the inscriptions of Medinet Habu and papyri from Deir el-Medina. Dates in years BC are approximate.
- About 1184 BC: becomes king after the short reign of his father Setnakhte.
- Year 5: defeats a Libyan coalition attacking the western Delta.
- Year 8 (about 1177 BC): defeats the Sea Peoples by land and at the Nile mouths.
- Year 11: a second Libyan war, led by the Meshwesh tribe.
- Around year 12: his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu is largely complete.
- Year 29: the tomb builders of Deir el-Medina go on strike over unpaid rations.
- Year 32 (about 1153 BC): murdered in the harem conspiracy; his son becomes Ramesses IV.
Did Ramesses III really defeat the Sea Peoples?
He certainly beat back a major invasion, though historians debate how large the battles were and how much of the Medinet Habu account is royal exaggeration. The Sea Peoples were a loose coalition of groups, among them the Peleset (usually identified with the Philistines), the Sherden and the Tjeker, who moved by land and sea as the old Bronze Age kingdoms fell. Ramesses claims to have trapped their ships in the Nile mouths and showered them with arrows from the shore.
The record of the victory, carved on the outer walls of his temple, is often described as the earliest surviving depiction of a naval battle. Our Medinet Habu guide tells you where to find the scenes and how to read them. Some scholars argue the conflict was really a series of smaller clashes, and that settling defeated groups as garrisons in Egypt and Canaan was as important as winning battles.
The first recorded strike in history
In year 29, around 1155 BC, the craftsmen who cut and painted the royal tombs downed tools because their grain rations were weeks late, the first strike in history known in detail. The workmen lived at Deir el-Medina and were paid in wheat and barley from the stores of the West Bank temples. When the deliveries failed, they marched out of their village and sat down behind the royal mortuary temples, declaring that they were hungry and thirsty and had no clothes, oil or fish.
The events were written down by the scribe Amennakht on a papyrus now in Turin, known as the Strike Papyrus. Officials eventually released some grain, but the protests recurred, and they are a vivid sign of the economic pressure behind the grand reliefs. It is one of the reasons the Twentieth Dynasty is seen as the beginning of the New Kingdom’s long decline.
Who murdered Ramesses III?
He was killed in a plot organised by a secondary wife named Tiye, who wanted her son Pentawer on the throne instead of the chosen heir. She is not to be confused with Queen Tiye, the wife of Amenhotep III, who lived some 200 years earlier. The Judicial Papyrus of Turin and related documents record the trials held under his successor: dozens of people were convicted, including harem women, palace officials, a general and a scribe accused of using wax figures for magic. Several of the judges were themselves punished after partying with the accused women. Pentawer was allowed to take his own life.
For a long time it was unclear whether the plot had succeeded. In 2012 a CT scan of the king’s mummy revealed a deep cut across the throat, made with a sharp blade and probably fatal at once, with a protective Eye of Horus amulet placed in the wound by the embalmers. Later study suggested a toe had also been severed, possibly by a second attacker. An unidentified young man buried with the royal mummies, known as Unknown Man E, shares the king’s male-line DNA and has been suggested as Pentawer, but that identification remains unproven.
What is special about his tomb?
His tomb, KV11 in the Valley of the Kings, is one of the longest and most varied, and it has an unusual kink in its corridor. It was begun by his father Setnakhte, whose workmen accidentally broke into the neighbouring tomb of Amenmesse; the corridor was abandoned, and when Ramesses III took the tomb over his builders shifted the axis sideways to continue. Small side chambers off the entrance corridors are painted with rare scenes of weapons, boats, kitchens and furnishings, and two musicians playing harps, which is why it is often called the Tomb of the Harpers. It is also known as Bruce’s Tomb after the Scottish traveller James Bruce, who copied the harpers in 1768.
At the time of writing KV11 is usually among the tombs covered by the standard Valley of the Kings ticket, but the selection rotates, so check on the day.
Where to see Ramesses III in Egypt today
The essential stop is his mortuary temple, Medinet Habu, on Luxor’s West Bank, about 30 minutes by car from East Bank hotels; allow an hour, ideally in the late afternoon.
- Valley of the Queens: the brightly painted tombs of his young sons Amenherkhepeshef (QV55) and Khaemwaset (QV44) show the king leading them before the gods; see our Valley of the Queens guide.
- Karnak: in the first court on the right stands his small, complete barque temple, lined with statues of the king as Osiris, and he began the nearby Temple of Khonsu.
- His mummy: moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo in the 2021 Pharaohs’ Golden Parade; at the time of writing it is displayed in the Royal Mummies Hall.
Frequently asked questions
Was Ramesses III related to Ramesses II?
Not directly. He belonged to a new dynasty founded by his father Setnakhte, but he admired Ramesses II so much that he copied his names, titles and temple design.
How did Ramesses III die?
He was murdered around 1153 BC in a conspiracy led by his secondary wife Tiye. A CT scan in 2012 found that his throat had been cut.
Who were the Sea Peoples?
A coalition of migrating groups from around the eastern Mediterranean, including the Peleset (Philistines), who attacked Egypt and other kingdoms at the end of the Bronze Age, around 1200–1150 BC.
Is Medinet Habu worth visiting?
Yes. It is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, with deep-cut reliefs and original colour, and it is far quieter than the Valley of the Kings. Our two-day Luxor plan shows how to fit it in.
Where is the mummy of Ramesses III?
In the Royal Mummies Hall of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, at the time of writing. It was found in 1881 in the royal mummy cache at Deir el-Bahari.
