Where did Ramses II slaves come from?

Answer 1

They may have been the Biblical Hebrews (pre-Exodus). Although "Ramesses (Ramses) II is generally believed to have ruled Egypt 1279-1213 BCE", soem say he actually ruled Egypt between circa 650-610 BC. He is the Pharaoh Necho of The Bible (Tanaach). From the historical reconstruction now based on the following (and more) examples:

The carbon-dating of Tutenkhamen at 800 BCE (not 1300 BCE);

The meaning of "Hatshepsut" as "The sign of the Sheba of the South" hence circa 950 BC; and

The completely obvious reference to Israel in 586 BCE from Merneptah (Merenptah) son of Ramesses II when he wrote that "Israel's Seed is cut-off (castrated); The Land (Retinu) razed to the ground";

It is clear the ramesside kings lived and ruled 800 years after Moses (Moshe).

The old idea that the "Raamses" of Exodus 1:11 and "Rameses" of Genesis 47:11, two incidents 430 years apart chronologically, were somehow contemporaries of Moses, overlooked the idea of the redaction. This is where an ancient city is recorded in an edited text of a very old text with the name of the city contemporary with the scribes copying the ancient text into a new copy. This had to be done every generation with the Bible's scrolls. Normally the names of cities did not change much over time but Pithom or Memphis did change a lot. Thus a redaction was clearly necessary or at least most advisable in circa 500 BCE. It was also known as Tahpanhes or Si-en Ptah, Migdol, Noph, Moph, and the "city of the ramessides". In fact Ramesses II and his sons probably rebuilt a lot of Memphis-Pithom (Memphit = Phit-mem = Pithom, see Budge "Heri P-Temai") with Israelite labour around 600 BC. Jeremiah went and told the Jews to return to Israel in his 44th chapter.

The Jews did indeed build both Pithom in 1500 BCE and Memphit-Phithom in 600 BCE when it was known as the ramesside capital ("ira miskenot"). Unfortunately, instead of reading Exodus 1:11 "The Israelites built the Pithom (Ramesseum)", two cities were assumed to have been built in the same era on two different sites. It is true the two cities were built by Jewish labour because the verb in the text requires this. However, they were not two capital cities in two different sites in the same era. Instead, they were two cities built on the same site in two different eras (1500 and 600 BC).

Answer 2

Ramesses (Ramses) II is believed to have ruled Egypt 1279-1213 BCE. If the Hebrews were the slaves referred to in this Question, then the Exodus must have taken place much later than traditionally accepted. However the extensive Egyptian records from the time of Ramesses show no indication of the turmoil recorded in the Bible. Moreover, had Egypt suffered the great loss of wealth and people, and suffered the humiliation of losing an entire army in pursuit of the slaves, he would probably have been deposed - but instead ruled as pharaoh until his nineties.
The Egyptians generally had little need for slaves, so it is perhaps more likely that there was no one important class or group of slaves under Ramesses.

Answer 3

the people who betrayed ma'at and the prisoners of wars. also the people who couldn't pay of their debts. to stop themselves being enslaved the people had to pay money.

Answer 4

Most likely he was indifferent he cared little as long as his programme of construction was fulfilled.