Is The Prince of Egypt (1998) an Accurate Portrayal of Ancient Egypt?

The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 award-winning animated film based on the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Set in ancient Egypt, the main characters reference actual historical figures. In this article, we will examine how life in ancient Egypt is shown in the movie to find out how closely the details coincide with historical facts.

Ramses (Ramesses) II, also known as Ramses the Great, is the main antagonist in The Prince of Egypt. He attempts to stop Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) from freeing the kingdom’s Hebrew slaves. At the start of the movie, “Seti,” voiced by Patrick Stewart, is the pharaoh of Egypt. His son “Ramses,” voiced by Ralph Fiennes, becomes king after his death. Historically, a king named Seti I did have a son, Ramses II, who became a great pharaoh and reigned from around 1279-1213 BCE. Therefore, the pharaohs in The Prince of Egypt are based on historical figures who ruled during the New Kingdom Period.

Ramses II is one of the greatest and most well-documented Egyptian kings. He launched many construction projects during his reign that propelled him into the forefront of ancient Egyptian notoriety. Ramses II also created the residential city of Pi-Ramesse in the Nile Delta. In the 21st year of rule, he established peace between Egypt and the Hittites. Although we know many details about Ramses II, his representation as Ramses in The Prince of Egypt is fictional.

The Book of Exodus is viewed as a historical myth or a story about a historical event that may have some basis in truth but cannot be used as a factual source. As Nicky Nielsen states in Pharaoh Seti I: The Father of Egyptian Greatness, Ramses II has, “…a perceived link to the Biblical narrative (largely a creation of Hollywood).” The Prince of Egypt focuses on the emotions of the characters and the moral lessons from this biblical story. On the other hand, the animated scenes do show details of ancient Egyptian life that have some historical basis.

The Prince of Egypt starts with scenes of Moses and Ramses as young brothers living in a great Egyptian palace. The temple where Ramses grows up in the movie is likely a reference to the Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak, one of the most illustrious buildings from ancient Egypt. Built by Seti I, the structure is supported by 134 gigantic columns supporting an expansive open-air courtyard. The hall is mimicked in the scene of Moses and Ramses chasing each other down an open hallway lined with columns in their palace.

The animation in these scenes shows the vastness of the space, including colossal statues and smooth limestone surfaces that feel larger-than-life. The Great Hypostyle Hall is inscribed with royal names, ornamental reliefs, and hieroglyphs on a massive scale. Ramses II added ornamentation to the columns and walls of the Great Hypostyle Hall which show him offering praise to the gods during ceremonies that may have been held at the building during the New Kingdom.

Although the Great Hypostyle Hall has stylistic elements in line with the scenes from the movie, historically, it was built as a temple to host celebrations and royal events. Historically, Seti I and Ramses II built palaces on the Nile River Delta, and Seti I named Memphis as his capital. His son, Ramses II, made his home Pi-Ramesse one of the greatest Egyptian royal cities and it became a cosmopolitan city. During his long reign, Pi-Ramesse became a hub for international trade and was the location of a palace reconstructed by both Seti I and Ramses II. Therefore, although the palace from the movie took creative license using elements from the Great Hypostyle Hall, the historical settings where Seti I and Ramesses II lived were in different locations.

Chariots drawn by two horses were used extensively during the New Kingdom in Egypt, especially by the king and royal family. Moses and Ramses riding chariots through the palace is not far off from being historically accurate. The chariot was introduced during the Second Intermediate Period (1650-1549 BCE) and was used by the 17th century mainly for military pursuits. By the time of the 18th century and the start of the New Kingdom, chariots were used in a greater capacity by high officials. Men and women began traveling using chariots for official royal processions, and hunting. By the time Ramses II ruled, the practice of royal males using chariots for hunting and warfare was prominent. In The Prince of Egypt, a young Ramses likely would have been encouraged to learn and practice how to ride a chariot.

In the Temple of Beit el-Wali, for example, there is a chariot scene of Ramses II carved when he was still a prince under his father’s rule. The crown prince steps onto his chariot, wielding a khepesh, an Egyptian sickle-shaped battle ax. Another example from the 18th Dynasty is Tutankhamun’s tomb, which contained six royal chariots, providing one of the best-surviving examples from the New Kingdom. The artifacts were not complete when discovered but are known to have had leather casings from their representation in imagery on the tomb’s walls. The chariots in The Prince of Egypt appear to have colored leather casings similar to the Tano leather fragments that can be found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Scenes in The Prince of Egypt focus on slaves building Egypt’s great temples while enduring terrorizing treatment, but the history is more complicated. During the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom, Egyptians worked in a low-class system of strenuous work that was mandatory. The Prince of Egypt is set in the period of the New Kingdom, where it was common practice to purchase or rent slaves on the economic market and from military campaigns. In the movie, when Moses asks for his people to be free, he is technically asking for nmḥj, the word for a free status given to an enslaved person at this time in Egypt.

There was a long-standing view that the Egyptian pyramids and monuments were built by the violent forced labor of slaves. The imagery in The Prince of Egypt reflects this intense portrayal of punishment and servitude to the King’s construction projects. However, the imagery of prisoners fighting for survival, being treated like prisoners, and being ordered by threats is an inaccuracy from the movie. In ancient Egypt, slaves came as prisoners of war but were treated as lower-class workers. Slaves quickly adapted to the culture, learned the language, and became a part of the society. Sent to teams in the quarries, they were required to learn the skills for their job and were likely treated similarly to other site workers.

Contrary to the scenes in The Prince of Egypt, builders of pyramids, temples, and monuments worked as professionals in construction. Large-scale projects required craftsmen who were experts in managing quarries and processing stone. There is evidence of graffiti written on stone blocks by workers naming their work gang. Ancient Egyptians had social roles they were required to fulfill, and even the craftsmen did not technically have freedom because they served the king. However, the nature of the job required well-fed and highly skilled workers qualified to build elaborate and massive structures.

When Moses meets with Ramses upon his return to Egypt as an adult, Moses demands his brother to use his power as king of Egypt to set the Hebrew slaves free. In one compelling scene, Ramses tells Moses that he cannot release the slaves because of his duty as pharaoh to keep order. The way Ramses reacts shows the commitment of Ramses to following in his father’s footsteps.

His reasoning has historical legitimacy because the main duty of the pharaoh was to retain absolute power over the kingdom at any cost. Any move that appeared weak on the part of the king would lessen the power of the kingdom as a whole. The nuanced emotions shown during this scene is a fictional portrayal yet it is a meaningful historical anecdote.

On a humorous note, Ramses and Moses are shown in a scene at night in the palace debating their contradicting views. Ramses appears depressed, sitting on top of a colossal statue of himself. The creativity in this scene is captivating for its irony and historical interest. The great statues of Ramses II likely were not used for seating, but seeing the pharaoh dwarfed by his enormous statue is a powerful visual in its own right. The weight of the world must have been felt by pharaohs who needed to live up to their expectations within the royal family and the needs of the Egyptian people. Each king left behind a legacy that was essential to their religion and for their remembrance by future Egyptians. The Prince of Egypt does a great job at showing the demands of absolute power, explaining why the character Ramses cannot let go of the Hebrew people.