In the thirteenth century B.C., Egypt was recuperating from the chaotic Amarna period, which had significantly damaged the empire. Ramesses II, the most important pharaoh of this time, restored Egypt to its previous splendor and reestablished its control in the area. He maintained order inside the empire, protected its boundaries, and constructed monumental structures across Egypt. His unparalleled 66-year rule and other accomplishments earned him the title “Ramesses the Great” around the globe. Pharaoh Horemheb’s death in 1292 B.C. marked the end of the 18th dynasty in Egypt, since he left no successor to the throne. Horemheb nominated his Chief Vizier, Paramesse, to follow him as pharaoh of Egypt, both to reward Paramesse’s unwavering service and because he had a son and a grandson, ensuring a steady line of succession for the empire. As Pharaoh, Paramesse changed his name to Ramesses the First, which means “Established by the might of Ra.” Before his death, he governed Egypt for less than two years. He was succeeded by his son, Seti the First. Seti had a prosperous reign and was able to restore much of the northern provinces lost during Akhenaten’s heretical rule. He nominated his 14-year-old son Ramesses as prince regent of the empire and gave him a large household and personal harem. Seti also appointed the young prince as an army commander and accompanied him on military missions. Ramesses, being a teenager, married his primary wife, Nefertari, whom he adored and lovingly referred to as “The one for whom the sun beams” about this time.
Seti died in 1279 B.C. after a reign of 11 years and was replaced by his son, Ramesses the Second. Ramesses was around 24 years old and had substantial combat experience at this time. In his second year on the throne, he destroyed a group of sea pirates known as the “Sherden,” who may have originated in Anatolia, Ionia, or Sardinia, according to various theories. Along the Mediterranean coast, these pirates had been stealing Egyptian ships and causing havoc on the local populace. Ramesses shrewdly constructed a trap for the Sherden by stationing a number of cargo-laden ships off the shore. The sea pirates accepted the bait, which resulted in a flotilla of Egyptian warships surrounding them. Ramesses was able to defeat and capture the Sherden pirates in a single move. The remaining sea pirates were brought as captives to Egypt and compelled to serve as the pharaoh’s personal bodyguards for the rest of their lives.
In the fifth year of Ramesses’ reign, he battled against Muwatalli II, king of the Hittites, for possession of the Syrian city of Kadesh. This was Ramesses’ most famous conflict. The pharaoh intended a victory at Kadesh in order to extend his empire’s frontiers into Syria and to replicate his father’s triumphal entry into the city ten years before. The Combat of Kadesh was the greatest chariot battle ever conducted, with an estimated 6,000 chariots participating. Ramesses failed to capture the city, although he nevertheless claimed victory upon his return to Egypt. The king went so far as to say that he had rescued the day single-handedly, and he wrote the account on temple walls across Egypt. “Here I am by myself; no one is on my side. My warriors and chariots have abandoned me. When I, their monarch, cried out for help, no one heard me. However, I think that Amun’s grace is considerably superior than a million warriors and 10,000 chariots!” “I was as hungry to fight as a bull. Equipped with my victorious weaponry. I attacked their ranks battling like a hawk pouncing. I resembled Ra as he emerges at morning. My beams consumed the rebels’ corpses. I slaughtered them all without mercy. They collapsed before my horses and died in pools of blood!”
Although the pharaoh’s portrayal of those events bordered on imagination, the Battle of Kadesh did result in a significant achievement: the “Egyptian–Hittite peace-treaty.” In reality, it is the first known peace pact in history and the only ancient contract for which both parties’ written manuscripts have survived. Until the fall of the Hittite Empire in 1178 BC, the Egyptian–Hittite pact successfully maintained peace between the two major powers for the next century. Shortly afterwards, Ramesses subdued a Nubian insurrection and ordered the events to be represented on a temple wall in Nubia, where he is shown gallantly rushing into battle on a war-chariot against a swarm of rebels. The amount of temples a pharaoh could afford was likely the strongest measure of the empire’s affluence at the time, and based on this criterion, Ramesses II’s reign was by far the most significant in Egyptian history. This, together with his early military success, led Egyptologists of the 19th century to call him “Ramesses the Great.”
Ramesses was resolved to engrave his cartouche onto the sculptures of his ancestors in order to ensure his own immortality in stone. Concerned that future pharaohs might do the same to his works, he ordered that his inscriptions be cut considerably deeper into the stone than was customary, which not only made them more resistant to future alteration but also to erosion. Ramesses also ensured that his legacy would endure the ravages of time by constructing on a bigger scale than any previous emperor. Six temples were built in Nubia by the pharaoh, the most famous of which being the two cut into the cliffside at Abu Simbel. The first temple is known as “The Great Temple” and is dedicated to Ramesses II. Its construction lasted around 20 years and was finished in the 24th year of the pharaoh’s reign. It is regarded as the most magnificent and majestic of the temples he constructed during his reign. Four huge sculptures of the pharaoh, each wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, stand in front of the temple. The head and body of one of the middle sculptures were shattered by an earthquake in 27 B.C., and the fragments remain in front of its feet to this day.
The second temple at Abu Simbel is known as “The Small Temple” and is devoted to his magnificent royal bride, Queen Nefertari, as well as the goddess of love, Hathor. The temple’s entrance is flanked by two sculptures of Nefertari clothed as Hathor and four gigantic statues of the king. This is one of the few occasions in ancient Egyptian history when the size of the statues of a pharaoh and his queen are identical. Ramesses constructed a second enormous statue of himself out of red granite at The Temple of Ptah near Memphis, but it was subsequently found in six parts. It was successfully rebuilt by stabilizing it from the interior with iron bars and is presently located at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The pharaoh also constructed the Ramesseum, a vast funerary structure dedicated to preserving his legacy as a living deity.
Due to its closeness to the Nile River, the complex in Upper Egypt has been severely destroyed by flooding over the previous three millennia. Ramesses then constructed a new capital in the far north of the empire, which he named Pi-Ramesses, which means “House of Ramesses.” Pi-Ramesses was situated on the Pelusiac branch of the Nile River, and it flourished rapidly to become one of the greatest towns in ancient Egypt, with about 300,000 inhabitants. It flourished for another century after Ramesses’ rule, until it was abandoned in 1060 B.C. due to the drying up of the Pelusiac branch, which left the city without a water supply. After Nefertati’s death, Ramesses erected a massive, elaborately painted tomb in the Valley of the Queens in her honor. The wall murals inside Nefertari’s tomb are regarded as among of the finest works of art in the whole history of ancient Egypt. Ramesses joined an exclusive group of pharaohs who had governed Egypt for 30 years at the age of 54. This event was commemorated every two to three years by a rite known as the Sed festival. The objective of the celebration was to renew the pharaoh’s vitality and strength while they were still on the throne, as well as to celebrate their achievements. Ramesses celebrated 14 Sed festivals during his lifetime, which was more than any previous pharaoh had ever celebrated. Ramesses had more than 200 wives and over one hundred children, the majority of whom he outlived.
At the conclusion of his life, Ramesses was plagued by a number of health problems, including hardening of the arteries, tooth rot, and arthritis. His reign lasted for 66 years, and he passed away in 1213 BC, when he was 90 years old. He was laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings. Merneptah, who was his son and was 70 years old at the time, succeeded him as king. Merneptah was the rightful heir to the kingd
SOURCES:
- Bob Brier,P.h.D. The History of Ancient Egypt (Great Courses, 1999)
- Morris L. Bierbrier. Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras. (The Scarecrow Press, 2008)