c. 13th century BCE–1157 BCE
Ramesses IV was a pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty who succeeded Ramesses III after the harem conspiracy. He expanded quarrying and building projects and sought to emphasise legitimate succession, though Egypt’s resources and international position continued to weaken.
In Pauline Gedge’s House of Dreams, her beauty and ambition eventually carry her into the household of Ramesses III, where access to the pharaoh promises influence but makes every private choice politically dangerous. In Pauline Gedge’s House of Illusions, the box contains the account of Thu’s life and threatens men who have prospered by concealing their part in the conspiracy against Ramesses III.