One of the mummified ram skulls found at the siteĮgyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The large number of skulls was “surprising even for Egyptologists,” excavation leader Sameh Iskander tells CBS News’ Ahmed Shawkat. And now, a new discovery is shedding light on perceptions of the ancient pharaoh during the Ptolemaic period, about 1,000 years after his death.Īrchaeologists from New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) have uncovered over 2,000 mummified ram skulls at a temple in the ancient city of Abydos. Ramses II died in 1213 B.C.E., and his celebrity status has endured ever since. Also known as Ramses the Great and Ozymandias, this New Kingdom pharaoh embodies many modern perceptions of ancient Egypt: militarism, diplomacy, advanced infrastructure, vast wealth. Fashioned from a 13-metre limestone block and unearthed in 1820 near ancient Memphis, this prone statue lets visitors witness up close the meticulous work of Egyptian craftsmen of the Ramesside period.For anyone who studies ancient Egypt-and even many who don’t-the name Ramses II looms large. But the most precious example is in the Mit Rahina Museum, near Cairo. One of these gigantic statues of Pharaoh Ramses II is on display in the new Great Egyptian Museum, near the pyramids of Giza. Nearby, the Temple of Amen at Karnak was partly built during the reign of Ramses the Great, who devoted part of the Great Hypostyle Hall to his own cult and erected several of the iconic colossi in his likeness. Within the Theban necropolis, near Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, the funerary temple of the sovereign, the Ramesseum, is less well preserved, but its numerous broken columns and the remains of its 17-metre colossus testify to the place’s extravagance: it stretched across nearly 10 hectares at its creation. The nearby Temple of Hathor is dedicated to Ramses II’s favorite wife, Queen Nefertari. The façade of the Great Temple – which the ruler built for his own cult and that of the deities Amun, Ra and Ptah – the four colossi that represent him and the great hall with Osirid pillars are all perfectly preserved. Rediscovered in 1813 and salvaged from the Nile in the 1960s, the two temples of Abu Simbel are the main testimony to the richness of architectural achievements in Ramesside Egypt. What monuments from his time can you discover in Egypt? Exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, it stirred a craze for the man then known as Ramses the Great.īut if Ramses II is celebrated today as one of the most powerful Egyptian figures in history, it is also due to the sheer amount of palaces, temples, statues and works of art that he had commissioned in his honour, all of which still exist in Egypt to this day. Inside, his mummy was extremely well preserved, and it yielded accurate insights regarding the sovereign’s physical features. His exceptional reign took a new turn three millennia later: in 1881, his coffin was found in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor. It is estimated that during his reign, the longest of the Pharaonic era, the ruler had a dozen wives, a hundred concubines and just as many children! Why is Ramses II the most famous of all pharaohs? There followed 66 years of extraordinary power, in the political and architectural realms, as well as in his personal life. The borders were consolidated and peace was assured. Ramses earned the “Great” moniker among Egyptian rulers in the early years of his reign, notably through his military successes against the Hittites in Asia Minor. Crowned at Karnak (a temple near Luxor), the man who would later be called the “builder king” began one of the most prosperous reigns in ancient Egypt. His accession to the throne took place around 1,279 BCE. This all changed around 1295 when his grandfather, Ramses I, elevated their family to royal status thanks to his military prowess and his friendship with King Horemheb, who made him his successor.įrom then on, the young Ramses, heir of the 19 th dynasty of the New Kingdom, was set to take over from his grandfather, then from his father, Seti I as the ruler of the Two Lands. The future king was born into a commoner family and could not have hoped to become king. Next Who was Ramses II, the pharaoh who broke all records?īorn around 1,303 BCE, Ramses II was not outright destined to become the most powerful pharaoh.
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