Ramesses II: Anatomy of a Pharaoh: An Introduction

Ramesses II: Anatomy of a Pharaoh An Introduction by Jimmy Dunn

This is the first part of a series of articles on Ramesses II, perhaps even better known as Ramesses the Great, the third ruler of Egypt s !"th Dynasty during the prosperous #ew $ingdom% &uture parts of this series will e'plore this great Egyptian (haraoh as a builder, husband and father, military leader and deity, among other topics% )hile Ramesses II was certainly not a typical Egyptian pharaoh, far various reasons we know a great deal about him, and e'ploring his life in detail should provide readers with a better understanding of all the rulers of ancient Egypt% In his book, *+hronicle of the (haraohs* by (eter ,% +layton, he sums up Ramesses II very nicely, stating that*During his long reign of ./ years, everything was done on a grand scale% #o other pharaoh constructed so many temples or erected so many colossal statues and obelisks% #o other pharaoh sired so many children% Ramesses victory over the 0ittities at $adesh was celebrated in one of the most repeated Egyptian te'ts ever put on record% 1y the time he died, aged more than "2, he had set his stamp indelibly on the face of Egypt%* Ramesses II s father was 3eti 43ethos5 I and his mother was Tuya% Tuya was not one of 3eti I s ma6or wives, and therefore Ramesses II was probably not given the training of a king from an early age 4or as Ramesses II states, *from the egg*5% 0owever, he did serve as a co7regent with his father prior to 3eti I s death%

)e believe that Ramesses II had as many as fifty sons and fifty daughters, though only a few of them are known to us% 0is chief, and most likely favorite wife was #efertari, though he obviously had many others% )e believe he was succeeded by a son named 8erneptah who was an old man himself by the time he ascended the throne% It is difficult to tell from most of Ramesses II s statues and depictions on monuments e'actly what he looked like physically% This is because the ancient Egyptian artists were not always intend on portraying the king in a totally realistic manner% The king probably never set for specific statues% Rather, they were based upon approved models% 0ence, the official image of Ramesses II promoted by the royal artists is not unlike the ageless portraits we find of the 1ritish monarch on stamps or ,merican presidents on currency% 0is images depict him as a traditional king- tall, dignified, physically perfect and forever young, which prompted one modern scholar to comment that*#ow Ramesses the Great, if he was as much like his portraits as his portraits are like each other, must have been one of the most handsomest men, not only of his day, but of all history%* 0is many statues and reliefs show his physical characteristics to include a prominent nose set in a rounded face with high cheek bones, wide, arched eyebrows, slightly bulging, almond7 shaped eyes, fleshy lips and a small, s9uare chin% 0e is often portrayed with a regal smile%

:f course, we have a better idea of his looks as an old man from his mummy, which has a very prominent, long, thin, hooked nose set in a long, narrow, oval face with a strong 6aw% 0e was large for an ancient Egyptian, standing some five foot seven inches 4!%;;; meters5 tall, and it has been suggested that he shows many ,siatic traits, which might also be recogni<able in the mummies of 3eti I and 8erenptah% Interestingly, the mummy s gray hair had been died red, and indeed, modern technology has proven that in his youth he was a red head, which was also not a common trait of ancient Egyptians% Due to a fortunate combination of circumstances, including optimal #ile floods resulting in good harvests, international stability, a large family and of course, the e'traordinary longevity which caused Ramesses to outlive not only his contemporaries, but many of his children and grandchildren, Egypt en6oyed a continuity of government that was the envy of the ancient world% )hether by luck, or good kingship, Egypt flourished under Ramesses II and her people were grateful% )ithin his lifetime, Ramesses II was venerated as a god, particularly in #ubia% This cult following continued to flourish, even after the end of Egypt s pharaonic period% =nlike many Egyptian kings, who always sought to have their name remembered and repeated so that their soul could live on, the Egyptians continued to make pilgrimages to ,bydos, 8emphis, Tanis and ,bu 3imbel in order to make offerings to Ramesses the deity for centuries after his death% During the Graeco7Roman period, in order to elevate the status of a god named $hons, the priests literally rewrote their mythology to allow Ramesses II a starring role alongside the deity% Ramesses II s reputation resulted in an ama<ing following, and even a period of Egyptian history we often refer to as the Ramesside period% During the >2th Dynasty, though not descendents, all but one of the kings took the name Ramesses in their efforts to emulate him% =nfortunately, only one of the kings, Ramesses III, would come anywhere close to Ramesses II s achievements, and in the end, this much weakened era would spell the end of the #ew $ingdom% ?ater still, the weak dynasty of Tanite kings who only had a tenuous grip on =pper Egypt also attempted to recapture some of the lost brilliance of Egypt s golden age by choosing to use Ramesses II s throne name, =sermaatre, as their own%

0ence, Ramesses II s name lived on% In !@>>, when we first began to decipher the ancient Egyptian language, many new pharaohs became known to us, and later, as new tombs were discovered, along with other documents, we began to piece together a long line of rulers% :nly then did we know the names of Egyptian kings and 9ueens such as 0atshepsut, ,khenaten and Tutankhamun% 0owever, Ramesses II was never in need of rediscovery, for his name, perhaps corrupted somewhat, was not forgotten% Even in our modern world, he has also been remembered, though often not very realistically% 0e was the handsome, courageous and good hearted king of +hristian Jac9 s Egyptian novels, and a more lonely, complicated man in ,nne Rice s *The 8ummy*% :n the silver screen, he was introduced in the !"2" film, *8ummy of the $ing Ramses, and in !">;, became the great pharaoh of +ecil 1 De8ille s silent screen epic, *The Ten +ommandments*% ,fterwards, Aul 1rynner would become Ramesses in De8ille s more famous !"B. movie by the same name, and 6ust recently, he was not very accurately portrayed in the Dream)orks animated interpretation of the E'odus called the *(rince of Egypt*% The great king was given the birth name of his grandfather, Re7mise, or Ramesses I 4meryamun5, which means, *Re has &ashioned 0im, 1eloved of ,mun*% )e often find his birth name spelled as Ramses% 0is throne name was =sermaatre 3etepenre, meaning, *The Justice of Re is (owerful, +hosen of Re*%

)e may find many variations of his name throughout classical history% Ramesses fame was not limited to Egypt, for he was known throughout the ancient classical world, due perhaps to a highly efficient royal propaganda machine% &rom the +hristian bible we hear of both Ramesses, as well as his capital city of (i7Ramesses% 8anetho, a famous ancient Egyptian historian, included Ramesses II in his Egyptian chronology as Ramesses 8iamun, or Rapsakes% The Greek historian, 0erodotus, refers to him as $ing Rhampsinitus% )riting in .2 1+, Diodorus 3iculus, who was especially impressed by the monument we today call the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramesses II on the )est 1ank at Thebes, knew him as :<ymandias, which is an obvious corruption of the king s pre7noimen, =sermaatre% (liny and Tacitus would later write about him, calling him $ing Rhamsesis or Rhamses, and two thousand years later, in !@!/, (ercy 1ysshe 3helley published :<ymandias, a poem giving his impression of the once mighty RamessesI met a traveller from an anti9ue land )ho said- Two vast and trunkless legs of stone 3tand in the desert% #ear them, on the sand, 0alf sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, ,nd )rinkled lip, and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read )hich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed,nd on the pedestal these words appear- *8y name is :<ymandias, king of kings- ?ook on my works, ye mighty, and despairC* #othing besides remains% Round the decay :f that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away% In fact, prior to our modern discipline of Egyptology, the (haraoh Ramesses II became legendary becoming a fabled king not unlike England s 4+eltic5 $ing ,rthur% ?ike that king, an ill defined combination of real kings grew about his person, combining perhaps the deeds of the !>th Dynasty $ings 3enusret I and III with those of Ramesses II under the general umbrella of 3esothes% Aet, it was not until after Jean &rancois +hampollion decoded the 0ieroglyphics of the Rosetta 3tone that the immensity of Ramesses II s monumental building works could be appreciated by modern observers% #ow, the real king became famous all over again, and not only among Egyptologists, though they certainly began to study Ramesses the Great with a new fervor% 1ecause of the number of his monuments, he seems to have constantly been in the news, as discovery after discovery turned up bearing his name% Early on, he received considerable bad press from scholars% &or e'ample, 1ansen regarded him as*%%%an unbridled despot, who took advantage of a reign of almost unparalleled length, and of the ac9uisitions of his father and ancestors, in order to torment his own sub6ects and strangers to the utmost of his power%* Even in !"B", )illiam +% 0ayes said that he was*a brash young man%%%not overburdened with intelligence and singularly lacking in taste%%% Dyet withE tremendous energy and personal magnetism%* :thers only gave him slightly better marks% 8iss ,melia 1% Edwards, in her travel guide, *, Thousand 8iles up the #ile*, that*%%%it is safe to conclude that he was neither better nor worse than the general run of :riental despots 7 that he was ruthless in war, prodigal in peace, rapacious in booty, and unsparing in the e'ercise of almost boundless power% 3uch pride and such despotism were, however, in strict accordance with immemorial precedent, and with the temper of the age in which he lived%* Essentially, $enneth $itchen, a more modern observer, seems to back Edwards comments, saying that*The deeds and attitudes of a Ramesses II cannot 6ust be crudely measured7off against our own supposed social values, as simply boastful or megalomaniaF they must be compared with what were the norms and ideas in his culture, not ours%*

8odern thought on Ramesses undulates from scholar to scholar, and depending on what role is discussed% 0owever, somewhat of a consensus among Egyptologists seems to be that Ramesses II simply did what Egyptian pharaohs were suppose to do, though he had a longer period of time than average to do so% Essentially, Ramesses II is believed to have been a very traditional king in many respects, who followed in the footsteps of his predecessors%

Ideally, an Egyptian pharaoh was simply a link in a long chain of custodians who s ill defined but well understood role passed from king to king% 0e was the mortal link with the gods upon who s shoulders rested the responsibility of maintaining 8a at in Egypt, and to some e'tent throughout the known world% 8a at might be defined as *truth*, but might be better e'plained as a continuity of *rightness* which could insure that things would continue to function normally% If 8a at were in balance, there would be reasonable #ile inundations 4floods5 which would nourish the soil and produce good harvests, victory in battle and there would not be illness in the land% 8a at was mostly obtained by pleasing the gods, which involved supporting their cults as well as following a righteous path% ,nd among other re9uirements such as making offerings, participating in festivals and protecting the sacred land of Egypt, pleasing the gods often involved building temples and supporting their priesthood% :f course, there would be little need for a king to actually promote himself in order to fulfill these duties% Aet, despite the belief by the ancient Egyptians that the $ing was at least semi7 divine, they were, as we now know, all too human% ,lmost every Egyptian pharaoh seems to have felt a need to prove himself to his people 4as well as to the gods5% In fact, they wanted to prove themselves superior to their predecessors, and yet, at the same time, many of these kings actually suffered considerable self doubt, particularly when they were not born to a long dynasty of kings and also not to a *Great )ife* of the king, as was the case with Ramesses II%

Therefore, they e'erted considerable efforts to build monuments and grand statues in order to re7enforce their role as a living god, as well as to defeat the enemies of Egypt in battle and in each case, they ensured that their name and titles were celebrated in connection with these deeds% &urthermore, they often e'aggerated every possible deed, even to the point of fabricating war victories and usurping the monuments and statues of their predecessors% Ramesses II was not the first, nor the last to follow such practices% 0e was certainly an avid builder, erecting temples and statues from one end of the #ile Galley to the other% ,nd even when he may have failed in war, he nevertheless made it a victory by inscribing it as such on his monuments%

3o in reality, regardless of our modern misgivings about Ramesses II, as a king of Egypt s #ew $ingdom, Ramesses fulfilled his functions, as he was basically e'pected to, and in return, 8a at seems, at least to his ancient Egyptian sub6ects, to have been fulfilled, for the country e'perienced a long period of prosperity during his e9ually long reign% References:
Title Atlas of Ancient Egypt ictionary of Ancient Egypt, %he +istory of Ancient Egypt, A Monarchs of the "ile Author Baines, John; Malek, Jaromir #ha&, 'an; "icholson, (a)l 1rimal, "icolas o$son, Ai$an Date Publisher 1980 Les Livres 199* e !rance Reference Number "one #tate$

+arry ", A-rams, 'nc,, '#B" 0.8109. ()-lishers /00*./ "one #tate$ '#B" 0.93849*. 00.5 '#B" 0.19. 81*0/3.0 '#B" "ot Liste$ '#B" 0.8109. 08:0.1 ;p-k,< '#B" 1.*844. /09*.: '#B" 0.384. 04*84.0

1988 Black&ell 199* 2)-icon (ress 0000 65for$ 7niversity (ress

65for$ +istory of Ancient Egypt, #ha&, 'an %he 2amesses8 Egypt9s 1reatest (haraoh 2amesses ''8 1reatest of the (haraohs alley of the =ings

%yl$esley, Joyce 0000 (eng)in Books Men), Berna$ette >eeks, =ent 2, 1999 +arry ", A-rams, 'nc, 0001 !rie$man?!airfa5

>ho >ere the (haraohs@ ;A history of their names &ith a list A)irke, #tephen 1990 of carto)ches<

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