Asiatic enemies trampled

A battle scene depicting Asiatic bearded men (West Asia/Eastern Mediterranean) being trampled under the horses that pull the Egyptian royal chariot.

This block with a fragmented scene was discovered (MMA excavations, 1912–13) within the Temple of Ramesses IV, among the foundation where it was being reused as a foundational block.

Some Egyptologists dated this piece to the Ramesside Period at first, but later analysis of the artistry, leads many to now believe this image dates from earlier in the 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep II and such dating is generally accepted.

Builders reused this painted relief block in the foundation of Ramesses IV’s mortuary temple, subsequently excavated by the Metropolitan Museum. In the relief, western Asian soldiers are shown being trampled under the horses that pull the royal chariot, signaling the foreigners’ defeat in battle by the might of the king.

When the piece was excavated, this and another fragment of a battle scene were dated to the reign of Ramesses II. The new date indicates that by the middle of the 18th Dynasty, monumental battle scenes had become part of the decorative scheme of temple walls.

New Kingdom, reign of Amenhotep II, c. 1427–1400 B.C. This sandstone block is now on display at the Met Museum in New York City. 13.180.21