The Bentresh Stela (Stele of Bakhtan)

The Bentresh Stela (also called the Stela of Bakhtan) is one of the most intriguing narrative monuments from Ancient Egypt, blending elements of myth, political theology, and religious propaganda. Though it claims to describe events during the reign of Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 B.C.), modern scholars agree that it was erected centuries later, during the Late Period of Egyptian history, most likely between 700 and 500 B.C.

The stela was discovered in 1829 by Jean-François Champollion, the famed decipherer of hieroglyphs, during his expedition to Egypt. It was found in the vicinity of the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak, in Thebes (modern-day Luxor).

The stela stands over 2 metres tall, carved in hieroglyphic script and topped with a lunette scene. In this upper panel, Ramesses II is depicted making an offering of incense to Khonsu, who is seated in divine splendour. This scene, like the text below, is idealised and anachronistic, it mimics New Kingdom iconography, though it was carved centuries later.

Below the image, the narrative unfolds in 28 horizontal lines of hieroglyphs. The inscription is elegantly carved, with clear Late Period features. The writing mimics older styles, reflecting the reverence for Egypt’s glorious past and the attempt to anchor contemporary religious practice in ancient authority.

The stela recounts a vivid tale of international diplomacy and divine healing, set in the reign of Ramesses II but written much later, suggesting a mythologised past used to convey present-day religious power.

In the story, the pharaoh Ramesses is visited by an envoy from a distant eastern land called Bakhtan (possibly a fictionalised version of Bactria or a blend of eastern exoticism). The emissary brings grave news: the king’s sister-in-law, the Princess Bentresh, has fallen ill. None can heal her, and she is believed to be possessed by an evil spirit.

Ramesses first sends a human physician, but when the illness persists, he turns to divine intervention. He dispatches a statue of the god Khonsu, particularly Khonsu-the-Effective-Healer, whose power is so great that upon its arrival in Bakhtan, the possessing spirit immediately confesses its wrongdoing and flees. The princess is cured.

Grateful, the foreign prince wishes to retain the statue, but Khonsu appears in a dream and demands to be returned to Thebes. The prince complies, sending the statue back with gifts and honour, and Khonsu returns to his temple, triumphant.

Though the stela is not a historical document in the literal sense, it is highly valuable for understanding Late Period religious ideology. The power of Khonsu as a healing and protective deity, able to cast out demons and restore health. This directly promoted the cult of Khonsu at Karnak, particularly in his aspect as Khonsu-the-Effective-Healer, whose small sanctuary is adjacent to the main temple. The story places Egypt at the spiritual centre of the world, with foreign lands reliant on its gods and kings for aid. It’s a tale of international reverence, even cosmic deference to the will of Egypt’s gods. By attributing the tale to the era of Ramesses II, one of Egypt’s greatest kings, the stela links Late Period priests with a golden age, reinforcing their right to perform powerful rituals and maintain divine favour.

Therefore, the Bentresh Stela is not a historical report, but rather a sacred narrative, carved to honour Khonsu, impress visiting pilgrims, and reaffirm Egypt’s spiritual dominance. By cloaking its story in the grandeur of Ramesses II’s name and the exoticism of a faraway land, the stela draws the reader into a world where gods travel, kings intercede, and healing is a divine act of mercy.

Today, it stands not just as a monument to ancient belief, but as a masterpiece of religious storytelling, where politics, piety, and magic all converge beneath the watchful gaze of the moon.

The name Bentresh (also transliterated as Bentreshet or Bentreshyt) is thought to be Egyptianised. While the exact etymology is unclear, it may contain the word “bent” (daughter) and “resh” (possibly a foreign name element or title), but the name appears only in this stela, so it may have been invented for narrative effect.

Ramesses II in Ancient Mythology

Ramesses II reigned for nearly seven decades (c. 1279–1213 B.C.), one of the longest and most influential reigns in Ancient Egyptian history. Entire generations were born and died under his rule, much as they did under Queen Elizabeth II in our own time. In an age without mass communication, such longevity transformed a monarch into a living symbol of continuity, stability, and divine kingship. Just as Elizabeth came to embody the very notion of “the Queen” (familiar and iconic across nations) so too did Ramesses become, in the collective memory of the ancient world, the archetypal “Pharaoh”.

Ramesses II’s presence was carved into the landscape of Egypt itself. From Abu Simbel to Pi-Ramesses, he left behind a legacy of temples, stelae, colossi, and inscriptions. His name; “Usermaatre Setepenre Ramesses Meriamun“, was even engraved upon monuments older than himself, asserting his divine authority across time. Under his rule, Egypt stood as a formidable diplomatic and military power, forging treaties, waging campaigns, and allying with foreign royal houses. He concluded the earliest known international peace treaty with the Hittites and married their princesses, spreading his renown across the courts of the ancient world.

It is little wonder, then, that Ramesses II became the pharaoh most often associated with stories both within and around Egypt, including the Biblical Exodus, it is Ramesses II often identified with the unnamed king who defied Moses. While the chronology may not align precisely, with some scholars favouring an earlier date, perhaps during the reign of Seti I or even the time of the Hyksos; the symbolic association endures. Ramesses’s legacy had already assumed near-mythic proportions, even within his own lifetime.

It is within this context that the Bentresh Stela must be understood. By the Late Period, the name of Ramesses II had become virtually synonymous with kingship itself. Following his death, no fewer than eleven pharaohs would bear the name Ramesses, a testament to the enduring power of his legacy. Therefore, the Ramesside namesake remained a towering symbol of empire, divine favour, and the splendour of Egypt’s golden age, long after his reign had passed into history.

For a monument designed to exalt the healing power of Khonsu, anchoring the tale in the reign of Ramesses imbued it with instant gravitas. His presence lent the narrative not only familiarity but sacred prestige. Just as later generations would speak of “Pharaoh” or “the Queen” and be universally understood, so too would the ancient viewer recognise Ramesses as the embodiment of ideal kingship. In placing their tale in his time, the priests of Khonsu did more than recount a story of divine intervention; they cloaked it in the majesty of a monarch whose name still echoed, like sacred thunder, along the Nile.

By the time the Bentresh Stela was carved in the Late Period (c. 700–500 B.C.), the Exodus story, or at least the tradition behind it, would likely have already existed in some form. It is difficult to pin down a precise date for the composition of the Book of Exodus, but many scholars suggest that the core narrative was shaped and written down during or after the Babylonian Exile (6th century B.C.). However, oral traditions or proto-narratives may have circulated earlier, particularly in the 9th–7th centuries B.C. So, the tale of a Hebrew deliverance from Egypt may have coexisted in some form with monuments like the Bentresh Stela, though the Egyptian text itself shows no awareness of it and serves a very different purpose: promoting the power of the Egyptian gods, not critiquing them.