Ramesses II (1314 BC - 1237 BC) was the pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt (reigned 1304 BC - 1237 BC). His reign was the New Kingdom of Egypt. The last era of prosperity. Son of Pharaoh Seti I. Ramses II undertook a series of expeditions to restore Egyptian rule over Palestine. He had conflicts of interest in Syria with the Hittites, another powerful empire of his time. The two sides had a famous battle (Battle of Kadesh) in 1286 BC. Ramses II was at a disadvantage in the battle, but he ordered it to be described as a great victory for him. The war with the Hittites lasted until 1270 BC, and finally ended with the conclusion of a peace treaty between Ramses II and the Hittite king Catusir III. This document can be said to be the first famous international agreement in history. Both its Egyptian and Hittite texts have been preserved and discovered by modern archaeologists. Possibly out of concern for the Hittite military strength, Ramses II ordered a new city to be built as the capital in the northeastern Nile Delta and named it Bi-Ramses (meaning the home of Ramses).
A life full of legend. The most famous pharaoh in the history of ancient Egypt was a powerful king, an invincible general, an amiable father, and a tireless builder. Ramesses II (Ramses II, Ramesses the Great), who wore these halos, reigned for 67 years (reigned from 1279 BC to 1213 BC), and he still enjoys these high reputations to this day. His enemies fear him, his subjects love him, and the gods bless him. Ramesses, who lived in the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, left an indelible mark on human history.
Ramesses II’s birthday is February 21st. We only know roughly that he was born in Memphis around 1290BC. His father Seti I married Tuya, the daughter of a brave and skilled general, as his queen. They had four children, two boys and two girls. But the eldest son died when he was very young, which allowed Ramesses to ascend the throne smoothly. He began studying in the "Pharaoh School" when he was very young: he served in the army when he was 10 years old, and his father took him to war when he was 15 years old to ensure that he would become a wise and brave king in the future.
It didn't take Ramses long to learn a lot, especially the two skills necessary to be a king: conquering enemies militarily and building a palace. He was successful both in war and in construction. Today, there is no land in Egypt that does not leave his footprints.
When his father died, Ramses was about 25 years old, but he already had enough ambition and tenacious self-awareness. He wanted to surpass all his predecessors in his feats.
"Propaganda is his best weapon, which plays an important role in promoting his kingdom and mission." Edna Brecciaing, professor of Egyptology at the University of Pisa, Italy ) recounted, "A large number of statues and inscriptions tell people about the king's feats and courage, and make his image spread through the ages, and can still withstand the test of time."
His family life It is also seen in the text: eight queens, a group of concubines whose number is difficult to verify and more than 100 children. Ramses had to choose the heir to the throne many times, but this was not because of "too much trouble in the palace", but because he lived to be more than 90 years old. At that time, the average life span of people was only about 40 years old, and many of his children were still alive. He died before. Magenta, who succeeded him to the throne, was ranked thirteenth in the list of heirs to the throne and did not ascend the throne until he was 60 years old. In fact, before his death, Rameses had achieved his goal: he had become a legend to his subjects. But the great pharaoh never expected that not only the epics about his life would go down in history, but also the epics about his death.
Ramesses' most celebrated feat was the Battle of Qadesh against the Hittites. When the young pharaoh's pride almost brought him to defeat, fate favored him. But it was the end result that mattered, at least in the eyes of his subjects.
Franco Cimmino, who wrote a monograph about Ramses, explained: "In ancient times, there was no war with so many historical materials. After Ramses returned from the war, On the walls of his palace, there were giant works of art depicting war scenes in the temples of Abu Simbel, Karnak and Luxor. It shows the soldiers, the Egyptians encamping, the battle scenes and the captured soldiers. Of course, Ramses occupies a prominent position in the picture. In the picture, he defeated the enemy army alone and narrated the story. The two epic poems of the war, the most important of which is "The Poem of Pentaur", which together with the murals in the temples, narrate this history to people."
The conflict between the Egyptians and the Hittites, led by Ramses, arose out of the desire for absolute control of Syria. At the end of April 1275 BC, the Pharaoh led his army towards the Oronte Valley to conquer Kadesh, an important town established by the Hittites in Syria. Ramses led 20,000 soldiers and 200 chariots, which were divided into four groups, named Amon, Ptah, Ra and Seth. The target of this war was the land in northern Syria, and the opponent was King Muwatallish, who had 10,000 soldiers and more than 3,500 chariots. Near the Oronte River, the Pharaoh's troops captured two men who claimed to be Hittite deserters. They said they had important information to pass on to the Egyptians. The two men were brought before Ramses and told him that Muwatalish's troops were far away and that the pharaoh could easily capture the city. Ramesses already regarded Kadesh as a treasure at this time. Before the large army could be assembled, he led the Amun detachment alone to rush to the plain area near Kadesh and camped here. Only when his guards captured two soldiers from the enemy's vanguard did he realize that he was surrounded by the enemy, but by then it was too late. The Hittites hiding in the castle suddenly launched an attack. The Pharaoh's army was caught off guard and fled in all directions. Only Ramses led his personal bodyguards to resist the Hittites' attack. Zimino recounted: “Thanks to two unexpected things, Ramesses was able to escape unscathed: First, after the Hittite soldiers invaded the Egyptian army’s camp, they immediately were busy robbing property, but they took advantage of the victory to pursue The enemy army was forgotten; secondly, the Pharaoh's follow-up troops rushed up in time to rescue Ramses and his soldiers. "At this time, the entire battle situation was completely reversed: the Hittites who should have easily won were in danger. Near dusk, the two sides ceased fighting. In the evening, soldiers from other detachments of Egypt came to reinforce the Pharaoh.
Finally, due to the fierce attack by Ramesses' army and the civil strife in the country, the Hittites were forced to propose peace. The war ended 0:0.
Frank Zimino said: "The real situation may not be entirely the case. Although Muwatalish lost many heavy tanks (compared to the Egyptians, the number was more but also more difficult to maneuver), but his soldiers were almost unscathed, but for Ramses, the Hittite raid cost him at least one detachment. "The battle ended in a draw, which forced Ramses. Si gave up his plan to capture Kadesh.
However, he used his own propaganda to turn this campaign that almost ruined his future into a heroic feat under the leadership of a great leader.
Ramesses engraved this war on many temples. He brought a new style of performance.
In the reliefs depicting the Battle of Kadesh in the Temple of Abu Simbel, the surface that was previously layered with striped decoration is now used to represent exciting scenes, creating a more dramatic and dynamic scene. The image of Ramesses and his chariot depicted in the relief provides an idea of ??this new style, while the detail of the "four arms" has been interpreted in many different ways. Some people think that the extra two arms should belong to the chariot driver, whose body is completely covered by Ramses; while some people think that as mentioned in the stone inscriptions, it should be summoned by Ramses. The arm of the god Amun. The latest hypothesis is that they belong to Ramses himself, and that the artist who created the reliefs painted two extra arms to increase the movement of the picture.
A peace treaty (a modern peace treaty signed more than 4,000 years ago) carved on a clay or stone wall and described in cuneiform or hieroglyphics, which is the resolution of war through "diplomatic" means The first instance of conflict.
After the Battle of Kadesh, the conflict between the Egyptians and the Hittites continued until the death of King Muwatalish. His successor Hattushilish and Latin The Sith signed the earliest existing international treaty in human history. Currently, two versions of the treaty have been found, one as hieroglyphs carved on the walls of the Pillar Hall at Karnak, and the other on clay found during excavations of the ruins of the Hittite capital Hattusa. Babylonian cuneiform tablet. What prompted the two countries to negotiate peace was the threat of the Assiri, a warlike people who continued to harass both kingdoms. The peace treaty was signed around 1269 BC in Ramesses, the newly built capital of Ramesses. This treaty has many modern significance. According to the treaty, the two peoples will no longer wage war between them, help each other when attacked by the enemy, safeguard each other's king's rights and interests, and extradite prisoners who have taken refuge in the other country.
Admire the treasures of the Kingdom of Ramses in the Nile Delta
A bustling huge port, colorful houses, and more than a dozen temples, all of which are meant to highlight the greatness of a person place.
Anyone who visits Darby-Ramses will marvel at the extraordinary beauty of this capital. Palaces, houses, and the palace of Ramesses himself burst with color, and historians described it as being filled with "beautiful balconies, halls paved with lapis lazuli and turquoise." Every part of the city There is a temple at an important location: to the north is the Uto temple dedicated to the patron saint of the ancient northern capital Buto, to the east is the temple of the Asian goddess Astarte, and to the south is the The Temple of Seth and the Temple of Amun to the west. The city has residential quarters for troops and officials, as well as halls used for the Pharaoh's succession ceremony; the busy port is full of ships carrying all kinds of goods, making Bi-Ramses a major commercial center of the kingdom. But these prosperity have disappeared today, and with the help of artifacts unearthed in Avaris, the capital that preceded the existence of Pyramses, people can today determine the precise address of the city.
For more than two thousand years, this place has been an active "construction site", and many pharaohs have built large-scale construction projects in the name of the god Amun: Ramesses will naturally not let go of such an important project. religious center.
The architectural complex of Carnac consists of a number of religious buildings, and their construction spans from the Middle Dynasty to the Roman Empire. The core of the building complex is the Temple of Amun-Ra. When it was first built, it was regarded as a sacred area in Thebes. It was later named "City of Amun" by the residents. A temple dedicated to the god of war Meng was also built nearby. The temple of Montu and the temple dedicated to the goddess Mut, the wife of Amun. A 2-kilometer-long Avenue of the Sphinxes connects the Karnak Temple to the Luxor Temple in the south, which is also dedicated to the god Amun. The Nile River also connects the two sacred cities. On certain major festivals, the statue of Amun will be loaded on a boat and transported from Karnak to Luxor under the escort of a row of boats.
Ramses was more diligent in building construction than any other pharaoh in ancient Egypt. During his reign, he ordered the construction of an unbelievable number of palaces, temples, statues and stelae. Why did he do this?
Mainly through majestic buildings to show their rights and highlight their status as living gods. To achieve his goals, he did not hesitate to occupy some older buildings. Some ancient buildings were restored by him and engraved with his name, some were surrounded by buildings built in his name, and others were used as "material warehouses" and used as materials for the construction of new buildings after being demolished. Material.
The Pyramid of Khafre in Giza suffered this fate. The entire granite was removed and used to build the Great Temple of Butah in Memphis. The architectural style prescribed by Ramses was also used by him to demonstrate his greatness. For example, the temples are filled with majestic statues and stone pillars decorated with hieroglyphics and patterns, and the temple walls are engraved with religious and war scenes to praise the king's sanctity and great achievements.
Ramses himself went to the construction site to check the progress of the project. He even went to the place where the stone was quarried to select the best materials.
Some inscriptions, such as those engraved on the Eighth Stele (now preserved in the National Museum of Egypt), record Ramses' words of encouragement and praise for the construction workers. Ramses was very concerned about their lives and never let them lack food, clothing, shoes, and fresh water so that they could concentrate on their work.
Among Ramesses' new projects was a new capital, which was as luxurious as Memphis and Thebes, Egypt's other two large cities. The city, known as Pi-Ramses (meaning "House of Ramses"), began to take shape in the fifth year of the pharaoh's reign and became his palace. The city was built in the ancient city of Avaris in the eastern Nile Delta, a place close to his heart because his father's summer palace was built here. However, there must be other reasons for choosing this location. Egyptologist Ada Bresciani explained: "This is the hometown of Ramses, which is obviously a major reason. In addition, the reason why the construction here is more..." Ramesses also has its military and strategic significance. The city is close to the eastern border and is often invaded by foreigners, so it must be strictly defended. In addition, it is also an important commercial intersection connecting Egypt and Asia. ”
The new capital occupies a very fertile land. The farmland here is rich in products, the rivers are full of fish and shrimp, and the warehouses are filled with food. The inhabitants of the city came from various parts of the kingdom, such as Libya, Nubia, Canaan, and Amrru. Many of them were former prisoners of war, but they maintained friendly relations with the Egyptians, and all enjoyed the prosperous life here. More than a century after the death of Ramesses, when the pharaohs of the Twenty-first Dynasty (1069BC ~ 945BC) decided to move their capital to the city of Tanis, the glory of Bi-Ramses dimmed, and many treasures in the city All were moved to the new capital.
In Karnak (today it is regarded as one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt. It was once a prosperous religious center and the pharaohs held coronation ceremonies here), Ramses also left left his profound footprints. In the majestic great temple of Amon-Ra, he completed the construction of the pillar hall. This hall was built when Amenhotep II (1427BC ~ 1392BC) was in power. It continued to be built during the reign of Horembheb and Seti I. This building is a veritable treasure of ancient architecture: it covers an area of ??more than 5,000 square meters, and 134 giant stone pillars support the roof, especially the two rows of pillars in the middle that weigh 12 tons. Ramses had its walls decorated with reliefs depicting celebratory events and ordered the digging of a sacred lake that survives to this day.
The lake symbolizes the birthplace of all forms of life, where rituals dedicated to the gods Sun and Osiris were held, and where the priests purified themselves before each ritual.
Most of the adjacent Luxor Temple was completed during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhopt III (1387BC ~ 1348BC). Ramses added more to the existing building structure. A corridor supported by 72 stone pillars and a huge arch (the stone tower with the temple gate). The stone pillars divided into two rows are full of decorative patterns, while the walls of the arch are engraved with the description of Kadesh. Relief of the battle. In front of these buildings are six huge statues with faces similar to Ramses and two obelisks, but only one obelisk remains in the Luxor Temple, and the other was destroyed in 1836. Moved to Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The above are just some examples of Ramesses' creative enthusiasm, but to better understand his enthusiasm for celebrations it is necessary to visit the ruins of Ramesses' palace.
Although only a small part of the palace still stands, the entire complex is undoubtedly the greatest building conceived by the pharaoh. It is located in the Thebes area on the left bank of the Nile. This is a funerary temple, but its ultimate purpose is not to house the body of Ramses, but to facilitate people to hold ceremonies to honor him after his death.
This funeral city is surrounded by a high wall. In addition to the main hall, there are workshops, shops, and even a school for training scribes. In this school, archaeologists discovered some papyrus books. Finally, there is an interesting thing: In order to build a funeral city for himself, Ramses ordered some materials from ancient buildings to be demolished. This is precisely what happened to the Palace of Ramses: This palace, which originally represented Ramses' great achievements and has been passed down through the ages, was later partially demolished because other kings wanted to build their own palaces.
The Temple of Abu Simbel is regarded as the greatest work of Ramses and is a veritable treasure of ancient architecture. The four giant statues, 20 meters high, carved from the rock of the mountain, symbolize the pharaohs sitting at the gate of the palace. Now they have become symbols of Egyptian civilization. Professor Sergio Donadoni, one of Italy's famous Egyptologists, explained: "This is really an incredible building that brings architectural elements of Egyptian classical architecture into the mountains."
This temple was built on a hillside with a depth of 60 meters. It was originally intended to worship the three main gods Amun, Ra and Buta, but in fact it was only dedicated to one "true god" - —Ramses himself served.
In addition to the buildings on the ground, there is also a cave temple carved out of the cliff. A typical rock hollow center is the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, located south of Aswan, close to the Second Cataract of the Nile. The temple was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra Haraketi and the Tower of Light, and also commemorated Ramses II himself. It is actually a combination of a temple and a sacrificial temple. The cave temples of Abu Simbel are nestled against mountains and rocks, with cave entrances carved into the slopes of the cliffs. The facade of the temple may be called the pagoda gate, which is 32 meters high and 36 meters long. There are four seated statues of Ramses II about 21 meters high carved on both sides of the pagoda gate opening. There is also a pillared hall inside the cave entrance and an opposite place deep inside the temple dedicated to the carved seated images of the above-mentioned gods and themselves. The total length of the cave is 60 meters. On the birthday of Ramses II on February 21 every year and the coronation day of Ramses II on October 21, sunlight can pass through the 60-meter-deep temple corridor and shine on Ramses II. However, the statues around him did not enjoy this wonderful gift from the sun god, so people called Ramses II the "beloved of the sun". Call this day "Sun Day". Due to the construction of the Aswan Dam, starting in 1968, the temple site was moved to a height of 65 meters, 201 meters away from the Nile River, and the "Sun Day" was also postponed by one day. More than 3,000 years have passed, and the mystery of this wonder, whether it is a coincidence or a carefully calculated spectacle by ancient Egyptian architects, has not been solved.
Near the Abu Simbel temple, there is a smaller cave temple dedicated to his wife Nefertari.
There are 6 statues arranged on the front of the temple, including 3 statues of Ramses II and 3 statues of Nefertari depicting the image of the god Hathor.
But The fate of the Abu Simbel Temple was troubled. Shortly after its completion, an earthquake caused it to suffer huge losses. Many stone pillars and statues were broken, and the damaged part also included the entire upper half of the temple's facade. . Most of the damage was later repaired, but the architects at the time were unable to do anything about the statue and could only leave its fragments scattered nearby.
Ramses engraved his confession of love for his queen on her tombstone, "My love for you is unique. When you lightly walked past me, I took you away." My heart."
Centuries after Ramesses' death, the building was completely abandoned and the sand began to gradually bury it until only the head and shoulders of the huge statue at the entrance were exposed. Outside. In 1813, a Swiss scholar John Burckhardt discovered it. After remaining dormant for four years, Italian Giovan Belzoni began to excavate it. After several months of work, a path was finally opened in the sand and stones, and after thousands of years, someone was finally able to enter the interior of the temple.
After a long time, this magnificent temple, chosen by Ramses to represent his powerful power and divine destiny, finally faced destruction and was almost buried underwater forever. In 1960, Egyptian President Nasser began to order the construction of the large Asswan Reservoir. Once completed, the reservoir will form an artificial lake about 500 kilometers long, which can turn many barren land into fertile farmland. This is a vital project for the country, but it will permanently bury many relics of Egypt's pharaonic civilization underwater, including the Temple of Abu Simbel. This incident also makes it famous throughout the world. The world's popularity increased rapidly.
Not far from the Abu Simbel Temple to the north, there is a smaller mountain temple. This is the temple dedicated to Nefertari by the pharaoh. People know nothing about the princess's origins. She seems to come from a commoner family. But one thing is beyond doubt, both the Pharaoh and ordinary people loved her deeply.
The princess's name means "the most beautiful woman", and numerous portraits attest to her charm. Ramesses married her shortly before he succeeded to the throne and was inseparable from her ever since, seeing her both in religious ceremonies and at state events. She can often be seen cuddling closely with her husband in paintings and other artifacts. Nefertari also played an important role in political life, maintaining good relations with the Hittite queen through letters and gifts.
She gave birth to six children for the Pharaoh: two daughters and four sons, but they all died young and failed to inherit the throne. In fact, Merenptah, the son of another princess, Istnofret, became Ramses' successor.
Nefertari was supposed to inaugurate the Temple of Abu Simbel with Ramses, but it is very likely that she failed to make the trip. According to a hypothesis between fiction and history, Nefertari died in front of the temple that was supposed to share eternity with the Pharaoh. At that time, she entrusted her eldest daughter to preside over the inauguration ceremony with her father. Nefertari was buried with great ceremony in the Valley of the Queens.
In 1904, Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli discovered her tomb, but her mummy and funerary objects were stolen. Despite this, the exquisite restored murals in the tomb still make Nefertari's tomb a jewel of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Ramesses died in 1213 BC in Bi-Ramses. After 70 days, his mummified body was buried in the most solemn way a great pharaoh could enjoy.
At that time, his son Monipta, the heir to the throne, took a royal boat and led a large fleet along the Nile River to send his father's body to Thebes. Along the way, all the subjects shed tears to pay tribute to this great Pharaoh who brought them peace and prosperity. After the fleet arrived in Thebes, the funeral procession headed for the tomb excavated in the Valley of the Kings. In addition to Ramses’ coffin, the tomb contained other items that allowed Ramses to live a wealthy life in the underworld. The endless treasures of life, and finally the door of the tomb was sealed so that the Pharaoh could rest in peace. But things went counterproductive. Decades later, the treasures buried in the tomb were looted, and Ramses' mummy never rested in peace. The Egyptian clergy responsible for guarding had to move the pharaoh's mummy many times to prevent tomb robbers from opening the bandages on the mummy and stealing the gold ornaments hidden inside. Around 1000 BC, Ramses and several other pharaohs The mummy was hidden in the temple of Hatshepsut in Deirel Bahari, a small town near Thebes. It was discovered by French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero in 1881 and finally placed in the Egyptian National Museum.