Ramesses II

Ramesses II smiting a Nubian

Ramesses II smiting a Nubian, depicted in the Temple of Beit el-Wali; a rock-cut temple the king had built in the Nubian region for seemingly propagandist reasoning. The temple was dedicated to the deities; Ra-Horakhty, Amun-Ra, Anuket and Khnum (feminine & masculine Nile deities). The Temple of Beit el-Wali was relocated to higher ground in...

Relief of Ramesses II

This limestone relief, depicting king Ramesses II, is rich in colour despite being just a fragmentary remnant. The king is adorned in yellow, representing glistening gold. The style of portraiture tells us this piece was likely made early within his reign, possibly somewhere between the first two years, as it’s very similar to works created...

Ostracon of a king with a stubbled beard. Walters Art Museum. 32.1

King with a stubbled beard

The ostracon of Seti I seen below is quite a rarity to behold, as a stubbled faced king is a rather peculiar sight in Ancient Egyptian art. Due to the unusualness of the king being depicted with such natural beard growth rather than the famous Egyptian false beard, it is safe to presume this was...

Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings

Ramesses the Great: Egypt’s King of Kings

The life, dramatic reign, and enduring legacy of the pharaoh Ramesses the Great, with lessons for the present, from internationally acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson “The author succeeds in bringing this distant age to life through telling detail and insightful analysis. . . . Whenever he can, the author takes advantage of opportunities to peer beneath...

Thutmose usurped by Ramesside family. British Museum. EA61

Thutmose usurped by Ramesside family

This red granite statue of a king wearing the White Crown (Hedjet), was originally from Karnak, and has been recarved with the cartouches (namesake in rectangular-oval casing) of king Ramesses II and his son, the king Merenptah. It is believed this statue originally dates from the 18th Dynasty, and based upon the face and style,...

Ramesses II sat between the god Amun and his consort the goddess Mut

Ramesses II sat between the god Amun and his consort the goddess Mut

This seated triad statue of king Ramesses II, sat between the deities, and immortal consorts Amun and Mut, is made from solid granite and comes from the Temple of Amun at Karnak, modern Luxor, and dates from c. 1279–1213 B.C. The three sit eternally in each other’s company, embracing as they smile ahead. Ramesses, is...

The Mummy of King Merenptah

The mummy of king Merenptah

The mummy of king Merenptah Rather similarly to the recently crowned King Charles III, Merenptah took the throne later in life. Merenptah became king when he was approximately 70 years of age due to outliving his older brothers. He was the son of Ramesses II (also known as Ramesses the Great), who amazingly lived until...

Colossal of Ramesses II at Mit Rahina Museum, Memphis.

Colossal of Ramesses II, at Memphis

Limestone colossus of king Ramesses II, at Memphis, the colossal of Ramesses II, was discovered in 1820 by Giovanni Battista Caviglia, an Italian traveller. The statue is so large, an enclosure had to be built around it at the open air Mit Rahina Museum. Almost impossible to move, and after multiple attempts to relocate the...

Statue of Viceroy of Kush, Paser, son of Minmose

Sandstone statue of the Viceroy of Kush, Paser, son of Minmose, holding a ram-headed altar, with an invocation inscribed to Amun-Ra, and prayers to Min & Isis on the back. Also, additional prayers to “Horus, lord of Nubia, and Amun-Ra on behalf of the Viceroy of Kush, Paser” feature. A Viceroy is “the governor of...

Pectoral bearing the name of Ramesses II

Pectoral bearing the name of Ramesses II

The pectoral bearing the throne name of Ramesses II written in a cartouche above what is already a dense composition. Two djed pillars fill in the lower corners of the rectangular frame; they symbolize stability and the rebirth of Osiris. Nekhbet and Wadjet, goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, stand side by side within the...