The Great Rames Accomplishments

The majority of ancient Egyptian structures studied by architectural historians and planners alike, were erected to honor a pharaoh or as a grand tomb for their journey through to the afterlife. Whether the structure was in the form of a temple, tomb or statue, the ritual and spiritual influence is unquestionable. The location, scale, and materials used to construct these monuments are all defining factors of how the space is used and functions.

The three leaders I decided to write about are Ramses II, Caesar, and Alexander the Great. Each one of these kings were good in their own way however, also bad in other ways. Ramses II was born in 1303 BCE and died in 1213 BCE. He was the third pharaoh from Egypt in the Nineteenth Dynasty. Caesar was born in 100 BCE in Rome and died in 44 BCE. He made the Roman Empire possible. Lastly, Alexander the Great was born in 356 BCE in Macedon and died in 323 BCE. He was the king of the Ancient Greece. All three of these kings ruled in their own ways, but if I had to choose my one favorite, it would be…

Spalinger states that the University of Chicago sent an expedition team to the Beit el-Wali temple in the early sixties and the team discovered many carvings that depict Ramesses II participating in three main battles and possibly more. While not much is known about the early life of Ramesses, all signs point to him being highly involved in Egypt’s military and quite possibly even similar to a current day general. The carvings that the team found portrayed Ramesses as very powerful and often victorious. While it is highly unlikely that many succumbed to the forces of Ramesses, it is also very unlikely that the Egyptians would document defeat of their nation by carving losing battles into sacred temple walls.

Guarding the entrance to the 100 feet tall temple are four enormous statues of the Pharaoh, who ruled for roughly 66 years during the 19th dynasty. Each statue stands 67 feet high and depicts Ramses seated on his throne, wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Adorning the sides of the thrones is the symbolic unification of Egypt by the Nile Gods. The whole upper body of one of the figures is destroyed, damaged by an ancient earthquake. You can still see the remains of the torso and head at the base near the feet. Statues of Ramses mother Mut-Tuy, principal wife Nefertari, and son, Prince Amonherkhepshef, stand at his sides, almost as high as his knees, and smaller statues between his legs are thought to represent either his daughters or lesser wives. The frieze topping the temple facade shows 22 baboons worshipping the sun. The recessed statue above the entrance is that of the falcon-headed Ra-Harakhti (associated with Horus) and is flanked by two Bas-reliefs of Ramses, presumably worshipping him. Three connected halls inside the temple dig 185 feet deep into the mountain, where pictures of the King's "grand" accomplishments can be seen covering the walls. The temple was completed near the 24th year

Architecture, literature, and the sculpture of 7.25 ton granites busts are all talents of Ramses II, and all of which paved his way to fame, power, and an eternal profile that was misunderstood by historians around the world. A man of many talents and achievements, Ramses II was as calculating as he was skilled. He managed to raise an empire to greatness, promote himself to a position of power so that no opponent would ever dare to challenge his reign, and (accidentally) fool historians everywhere centuries after his death. How did he do it? He did it through public promotions, careful calculating and planning, and the sheer power of Egyptian intelligence. Ramses II has plenty of historians fooled that he was a pride drinking ruler, hungry

The temple was originally carved out of the mountainside next to the Nile during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC. It was to serve as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. He also wanted to intimidate Egypt's neighbors, the Nubians. It was Ramses' way of trying to make an impression upon Egypt's neighbors, as well as to force Egypt's religion upon them. Propaganda in Egyptian art was common. Art can attempt to persuade, publicize and influence the people’s attitudes. Their art work includes paintings, stone carvings, statues, and sculpture and funeral artifacts. Daily life such as field work, special events, political and social hierarchy, battles

One of the four 66-foot statues of Ramses II, seated at the entrance of the main temple at Abu Simbel

The greatest king of the Ramessides monarchs was named Ramesses II. He is known for his many architectural accomplishments, as well has holding the second longest reign of kings

Over three thousand years of Egyptian history, only some of the several hundred who ruled Egypt can be considered great kings. Ramesses III, who was the second ruler of Egypt’s 20th Dynasty, was the last of great pharaohs on the throne. His reign was a time of trouble throughout the Mediterranean. The fall of Mycenae caused people from all over the region to go crazy and topple empires.

In the late 19th century, the Seated Statue of Ramesses II was uncovered in the Temple of Harsaphes, Heracleopolis, by Sir William Flinders Petrie (Horne 1985, 22). Currently, it rests in the Mummies Gallery in the Egyptian section of the Penn Museum. The king sits heroically with his hands resting on his lap and wears the nemes headdress on his head. Made of quartzite sandstone, the statue sits at an impressive height of 226 cm, with a width of 74 cm and length of 149 cm. On his arms, there are faint traces of red and the nemes headdress has touches of blue and yellow. When it was originally crafted, the statue’s colors would have been more prominent than they currently are; there also would have been a false beard inset that has been lost to history.

Ramses had a harsh and profound life, yet he was able to accomplish, build, and expand so many ideas across Egypt and even into today. Ramses II made most decisions based on his involvement whether that was war, politics, or ruling. Egypt had to rely on Ramses II to be Pharaoh when his father died. This step in which Ramses had to take at the age of 19 was hard to fulfill with only some training by his father. Ramses was able to accomplish many innovations that have survived to be around today. As ruler Ramses was also the leader of his army and led many battles including the famous war between the Egyptians and Hittites. Ramses created the first treaty to be written down after a war. Ramses has been known to be one of the most profound

One known Egyptian temple is The temple of Ramses II, and the temple of Nefertiti dedicated to Hathor, they stood for a very long time, until they had a

Also, the Temple to Rameses II is not itself a part of a temple complex. There is a sister temple for his wife that is close by. For this paper, just stick with talking about Ramese's Temple as the paper could get

Djeser-Djeseru, or Hatshepsut’s Temple, was designed by Senenmut, the royal architect. This temple was different from the ones from this same era, mimicking the most traditional buildings. Most of the paintings in this building are known to be reliefs where Egyptians carved stories into stones coloring them afterwards. Those ornaments are more for narrative and tale telling purpose, although it was also used for decorative purpose too.

Egyptians are famous for their giant works of sculptures. Some examples of this include the Great Sphinx of Giza and the statues of Ramses II at the Abu Simbel temples. (Duckster, 2014) The Great Sphinx was made out of limestone and is located by the Nile River and has a face of a man and the body of a lion which pertains to their mythology of human head on an animal’s body and vice versa. The ancient Egyptians also built pyramids. The pyramids are triangle because it was in correlation to the sun rays and a way for their souls to ascend to heaven. They buried the pharaohs in the tombs of the pyramids. Pyramids contained false chambers to trick thieves and were often looted for valuables from the deceased. The pyramid of Giza is