The Ramesseum is the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II, built on the west bank of the Nile at ancient Thebes — modern-day Luxor — and believed to date to the 13th century BCE. Visitors today wander through atmospheric, tumbledown colonnades and hypostyle halls, many open to the sky after millennia of erosion and stone-robbing. Among the most striking features on site is a colossal fallen statue of Ramesses II that, according to the existing site record, once rose more than 60 feet tall — its shattered torso and face now lying across the sandy floor, exactly as they have for centuries. The temple sits on the west bank of the Nile, the ancient Egyptian "land of the dead," roughly 450 miles south of Cairo and across the river from the great temple complexes of Luxor and Karnak. Gates drove to Luxor specifically to investigate Ramesses II's connection to the biblical Exodus story — consulting on-site with an Egyptologist to weigh the archaeological evidence, or lack thereof, for Hebrew slavery in ancient Egypt.
Construction of the Ramesseum is believed to have begun under Ramesses II, who ruled Egypt for approximately 67 years
Percy Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias,' inspired by the fallen colossal statue of Ramesses, is published — bringing the ruins into wider Western cultural consciousness
Gates investigates the Ramesseum in Expedition Unknown S10E11 "Mysteries of Moses," consulting Egyptologist Bahaa Gaber on the Exodus connection
Egyptologist Bahaa Gaber, who Gates describes as an 'old friend,' serves as the expert guide at the Ramesseum in S10E11. Gaber is direct about where mainstream Egyptology currently stands: there is, as he tells Gates on camera, no archaeological evidence for the mass enslavement of Semitic people in ancient Egypt at the scale described in the Book of Exodus. That doesn't mean scholars dismiss the question — it means the physical record, as presently understood, doesn't corroborate the biblical narrative in a straightforward way.
The identification of Ramesses II as the Exodus pharaoh is, as Gaber explains, largely a product of chronological reasoning rather than direct evidence. Researchers who attempted to anchor the Exodus to a historical period often pointed to the 13th century BCE — a period when Ramesses II was one of Egypt's most powerful and longest-reigning pharaohs, ruling for approximately 67 years well into his 90s, according to the episode's narration. His building campaigns were prolific, and his name and image are found across Egypt, which made him a plausible candidate by sheer cultural prominence. But Gaber makes clear that in Egyptian historical memory, this pharaoh is not a villain — he is Ramesses the Great.
The fallen colossus at the Ramesseum is among the most evocative artifacts at the site — a once-enormous seated statue, believed to have originally stood over 60 feet tall, now lying in massive fragments on the temple floor. It is thought to have inspired Percy Shelley's 1818 poem "Ozymandias" (Ozymandias being a Greek rendering of Ramesses' throne name), a meditation on the inevitable decay of power. The statue's collapse, whether from earthquake or deliberate destruction, lends the site an atmosphere of melancholy grandeur that Gates clearly responds to on camera.
What Gates' episode contributes is less a new discovery than an honest framing of an old debate. By visiting the Ramesseum and hearing from Gaber directly, the show situates the Exodus question where mainstream scholarship actually places it: genuinely uncertain, actively debated, and unresolved — not because researchers haven't looked, but because the evidence simply hasn't materialized in the way popular culture might expect.
Percy Shelley's 1818 poem 'Ozymandias' — one of the most famous sonnets in the English language — is believed to have been inspired by the fallen colossal statue at the Ramesseum. 'Ozymandias' is a Greek rendering of Ramesses II's throne name.
Ramesses II ruled Egypt for approximately 67 years, reigning well into his 90s — making him one of the longest-reigning pharaohs in ancient Egyptian history, according to the Expedition Unknown episode.
The toppled seated colossus of Ramesses II at the Ramesseum is believed to have once stood more than 60 feet tall, making it among the largest ancient statues ever found.
Despite being cast as a biblical villain in popular culture, Ramesses II is remembered in Egypt simply as 'Ramesses the Great' — a distinction Egyptologist Bahaa Gaber emphasizes to Gates on camera.
The Ramesseum is generally accessible to visitors on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor, near the Valley of the Kings and other mortuary temples such as Medinet Habu. Visitors should check current entry requirements and local advisories before traveling, as site access and ticketing arrangements can change. Walking through the open-air ruins requires comfortable footwear and sun protection, as much of the temple is unshaded.
Luxor, Egypt — the Ramesseum is located on the west bank of the Nile, approximately 2-3 kilometers from central Luxor.
The cooler months between October and April are generally considered the most comfortable time to visit Luxor, as summer temperatures in Upper Egypt can be extreme. Early morning visits tend to offer better light for photography and smaller crowds before tour groups arrive.
Ancient Egyptian tomb (Moses investigation)
Also investigated during Gates' Moses-focused inquiry, directly connected to the same Expedition Unknown episode exploring the historical and archaeological evidence surrounding the Exodus narrative.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem appears in Gates' investigations of biblical history and sits at the geographic and narrative center of the Exodus story that the Ramesseum episode explores.
Holy Land
The Holy Land is the destination the Exodus story leads to, and Gates' broader Moses investigation spans multiple sites connecting Egypt to the ancient Levant.