What makes Ramses II so dammn greatt?

Question

linkss timeliness? detailsss
amaze me ;D

Answer 1

Ramses II , who reigned for 67 years during the 19th dynasty of the 12th century BC, was known as "Ramses the Great". He is known as one of Egypt's greatest warriors, but also as a peace-maker and for the monuments he left behind all over Egypt. He was the first king in history to sign a peace treaty with his enemies, the Hittites, ending long years of wars and hostility. King Ramses reigned for 67 years (1292–1225 B.C.). Under him Egypt acquired unprecedented splendor. His empire extended from Syria to near the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. King Ramses left monuments throughout Egypt. The principal ones are probably the temple at Karnak, which he completed; the Rameseum, his mortuary temple, at Thebes; the temple at Luxor; and the great rock temple at Abu Simbel with four seated figures of the king on the facade.

Answer 2

Ramses II (reigned 1290-1224 bc), ancient Egyptian king, third ruler of the 19th Dynasty, the son of Seti I. Building on the successes of his father, Ramses attempted to regain and establish control over territory in western Asia that Egypt had held during the 16th and 15th centuries bc. His 67-year reign was one of the longest in Egyptian history and he passed into the popular imagination as the model of an Egyptian pharaoh (king), an outstanding ruler with a semidivine nature, a courageous warrior, and a great builder. Numerous monuments, inscriptions, and papyri testify to the extraordinary dynamism of his personality and provide more documentary evidence for this period than for any other in ancient Egyptian history.

Answer 3

Yes, he was a great builder, no doubt... But...

What these Wikipedia fans among us failed to mention is this...

The earth underwent either a dramatic climate change, and/or tectonic calamities that resulted in a massive migration of disenfranchised -- and armed -- peoples out of Europe and into Asia Minor and Egypt.

This was around 1,200 B.C. or so (which coincides with the destruction of the Minoan peoples, just a matter of generations after the events of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" and near the timeframe of "Exodus" of the Bible).

This massive, destructive mob of homeless wanderers only known as "The Sea People" by the Egyptians plundered, pillaged, and slaughtered as they migrated. It's likely that this was a catch-all name for any displaced race / nationality that migrated from the natural disaster in Europe -- and subsequent economic collapse -- to settle in other occupied lands around the Mediterranean... By force!

The Philistines were a settlement of proto-Greek peoples who are believed to have fled the devastation of the Aegean and settled in present-day Israel (see The Bible).

The Minoan culture (proto-Greeks) were the same peoples of Odysseus and Achilles. They were different Greeks (by culture) than the Greeks of the later Classical Age of Greece (who were not only descended of the Minoans, but of other races, such as the Dorians, who migrated into the Greek penninsula during the 400 years of "The Dark Ages" of which only Ramses II's empire survived).

The Egyptians portrayed the "Sea People" as soldiers with really cool horned helmets, making an amphibious landing in Egypt.

Of the superpowers at the time, the Assyrians, Hittites, Egyptians...

Only the Egyptians were left standing, because under the leadership of Ramses II, the "Sea People" were repelled... Leaving Egypt as the sole beacon of civilization in the world, until the known world got back on its feet.

As a result, the actual FIRST "Dark Ages" was not in Medieval Europe, but lasted 400 years until Greece and Persia helped bring more order to a chaotic, scary world.

So, it's likely that we're all here today because of Ramses II.

Pretty cool, huh?!!!

(For -- by shovelin -- I stand corrected! ;))

Answer 4

Wow, catboy nailed it. but i would have to add, Rhamses II was one of the first great propagandists in history. He was supposed to be a god-king, but at the battle of Kadesh with the Hitites, it ended in a tactical draw. How could he proclaim to his people of his immortal pedigree if he couldn't even defeat their enemies? but since he controlled all the building projects, he was able to proclaim a victory on every piece of alabaster and granite he could find.

Answer 5

Actually, a few of catboy's details are incorrect, as I explain at the end of this answer.

Ramses II was remembered for a variety of reasons. He was the first king with a fairly long reign in during the 19th Dynasty. His grandfather, Ramses I, had been chosen for the throne by the last king of the 18th Dynasty, Horemheb. Horemheb himself had helped restore Egyptian traditions after the massive religious and cultural changes introduced by the "heretic" king, Akhenaten. Ramses I, was old when he came to the throne. His son, Seti I, the father of Ramses II was also fairly old when he came to the throne. So, Ramses was remembered as one of the first youthful, long-lived kings in a fairly long time.
He was an extremely skilled propagandist, building major monuments throughout Egypt, restoring old monuments, and re-inscribing existing monuments with his name in place of the names of earlier kings.
He built/expanded a major city in the Delta - Pi-Ramesses as a northern capital.
He had an enormous number of sons, many of whom died before he did and were buried in an elaborate, multi-chambered tomb in the Valley of the Kings, KV 5.
During his 67 year reign, he also "won" the battle of Kadesh facing off with the Hittites (another major imperial power) and a group of local petty kings. In reality, the battle was a draw between the Egyptians and the Hittites, but both sides declared a "victory" in their monuments at home. He also eventually established one of the earliest international treaties in history with the Hittites, which included "aid-in-distress" clauses, agreements on extradition of criminals, and agreements to honor the succession of kings.
Ramses II was one of the last great warrior kings and one of the last great builders, if only because of his habit of claiming earlier kings' monuments as his own. For that reason, as well as his enormous number of sons (a sign of virility and a source of pride and respect in many cultures, past and present) he was well remembered. In addition, later, weaker kings adopted parts of his titulary/names in an attempt to associate themselves with his greatness, thus helping his name to live on.


Catboy is incorrect in associating the reign of Ramses II with the time period of the end of the Minoan civilization or with the Sea Peoples in a major way. The end of the Minoan civilization is usually tied to the eruption of the volcano, Thera. While the dating of the eruption is still not precise, it has been narrowed to around 1550 - 1450 BC. This puts it at the very beginning of the Egyptian New Kingdom to about the mid-point of the New Kingdom. Ramses II was born around 1303 BC, well outside the time range estimated for the Thera eruption.

There is a brief mention of a group called the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramses II (more properly, of one of the groups making up the broader Sea Peoples, the Sherdan), but the group was not to become a major issue for the Egyptians until at least the reign of Merneptah, and is not REALLY well known until the reign of Ramses III (ca. 1186-1155 BC) in the 20th Dynasty, a century after Ramses II. The Sea Peoples were a group of different peoples, identified by different "tribal" names by the Egyptians. Their precise origins and the reasons for their movements through the ancient Mediterranean and the Levant are still debated by professional scholars. They do include groups whose names may indicate either their original origins or where they later settled, including the Plst - Philistines - who gave their name to coastal Canaan, eventually known as Palestine.
In any case, during the reign of Ramses III, the Sea Peoples allied with some Libyan tribes and launched an attack by sea through the Egyptian Delta as well as one by land. They were defeated by Ramses III, as depicted on the walls of his temple, Medinet Habu, or at least prevented from a full scale invasion of Egypt. They are shown in a variety of costumes, including feathered headdresses and with duck-prowed boats. The precise relationship of the Sea People to specific groups, including Minoans, Myceneans, or subsets or descendants thereof is still widely debated by scholars, no matter what the History Channel may be airing this week.

The Sea Peoples are usually credited with toppling the already weakened Hittite kingdom as well as introducing a level of chaos in the broader Levant and possibly contributing to the Greek Dark Ages.
The Greek Dark Ages (ca. 1100 - 750 BC) are contemporary with Ramses III's reign, not with that of Ramses II. And Egypt was in decline for much of the Greek Dark Ages as well, as the Third Intermediate period falls within that broader time period. And it is the decline of the Myceneans, not the Minoans, that is usually associated with the Greek Dark Ages.

Answer 6

Hi

Friend refer to this website;http://www.discovergoldenindia.com/index.asp

Answer 7

Ramesses II
1279-1213 B.C.
19th Dynasty

The son of Seti I and Queen Tuya was the third king of the 19th Dynasty. Called Ramesses the Great, he lived to be 96 years old, had 200 wives and concubines, 96 sons and 60 daughters. One son, Prince Khaemwese, was a high priest of Ptah, governor of Memphis, and was in charge of the restoration of the Pyramid of Unas. This son was buried in The Serapeum. Ramesses II outlived the first thirteen of his heirs. Ramesses was named co-ruler with his father, Seti I, early in his life. He accompanied his father on numerous campaigns in Libya and Nubia. At the age of 22 Ramesses went on a campaign in Nubia with two of his own sons. Seti I and Ramesses built a palace in Avaris where Ramesses I had started a new capital. When Seti I died in 1290 B.C., Ramesses assumed the throne and began a series of wars against the Syrians. The famous Battle of Kadesh is inscribed on the walls of Ramesses temple.

Ramesses' building accomplishments are two temples at Abu Simbel, the hypostyle hall at Karnak, a mortuary complex at Abydos, the Colossus of Ramesses at Memphis, a vast tomb at Thebes, additions at the Luxor Temple, and the famous Ramesseum. Among Ramesses' wives were Nefertari, Queen Istnofret, his two daughters, Binthanath and Merytamon, and the Hittite princess, Maathornefrure. Ramesses was originally buried in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Because of the widespread looting of tombs during the 21st Dynasty the priests removed Ramesses body and took it to a holding area where the valuable materials such, as gold-leaf and semi-precious inlays, were removed. The body was then rewrapped and taken to the tomb of an 18th Dynasty queen, Inhapi. The bodies of Ramesses I and Seti I were done in like fashion and all ended up at the same place. Amenhotep I's body had been placed there as well at an earlier time. Seventy-two hours later, all of the bodies were again moved, this time to the Royal Cache that was inside the tomb of High Priest Pinudjem II. The priests documented all of this on the linen that covered the bodies. This “systematic” looting by the priests was done in the guise of protecting the bodies from the "common" thieves.

Ramesses was followed to the throne by his thirteenth son, with his queen Istnofret, Merenptah.

Ramesses II, perhaps even better known as Ramesses the Great, the third ruler of Egypt's 19th Dynasty during the prosperous New Kingdom. Future parts of this series will explore this great Egyptian Pharaoh as a builder, husband and father, military leader and deity, among other topics. While Ramesses II was certainly not a typical Egyptian pharaoh, far various reasons we know a great deal about him, and exploring his life in detail should provide readers with a better understanding of all the rulers of ancient Egypt.
We believe that Ramesses II had as many as fifty sons and fifty daughters, though only a few of them are known to us. His chief, and most likely favorite wife was Nefertari, though he obviously had many others. We believe he was succeeded by a son named Merneptah 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 exactly 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.

Ramesses II's reputation resulted in an amazing following, and even a period of Egyptian history we often refer to as the Ramesside period. During the 20th Dynasty, though not descendents, all but one of the kings took the name Ramesses in their efforts to emulate him. Unfortunately, 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 New Kingdom. Later still, the weak dynasty of Tanite kings who only had a tenuous grip on Upper Egypt also attempted to recapture some of the lost brilliance of Egypt's golden age by choosing to use Ramesses II's throne name, Usermaatre, as their own

Were we to take the depictions and reliefs of Ramesses II, Seti I, there successors and their predecessors at face value, it might lead us to sometimes believe that their contact with neighbors was always on the field of battle. Many of these reliefs on the exterior of temple walls portray war as both thrilling and glamorous, having also religious undertones. On these walls we are, repeatedly, almost like the high budget advertisements of our modern society, treated to scenes of the king vanquishing the enemy and thus fulfilling his duty to defeat the forces of chaos and preserve ma'at. Again and again, we see the brave pharaoh driving his chariot behind fiery steeds as he fearlessly leads his nervous troops into the fray. He stands single handedly sometimes in his two man chariot alone, firing arrows as he charges ahead, or at other times, beats his cringing enemies to death with a club.

The message is clear. Pharaoh triumphant sacrifices his enemies to the greater glory of Egypt and her gods. The Defeated enemy invariably adopts an attitude of total submission, for he knows that it would be futile to struggle against his fate. These enemies very often included the Nubians to the south of Egypt, the Libyans to Egypt's west and the Asiatics to the east. They appear again and again to suffer at the hands of pharaohs, as depicted on temple walls, even when they were not a threat.

An examination of Ramesses II's campaigns, as depicted on the walls of his various temples, seems to show that his military leadership was not overly impressive, if stripped of their hyperbole. If the Battle of Kadesh, his most documented campaign, is any indication, he was almost certainly an unimaginative strategist who was better as a front line warrior than as a military leader. We must give him credit for his personal involvement in a number of campaigns, as well as his good intentions, and he did expand Egypt's territory, even in southern Syria. Because of the peace treaty with the Hittites, he was also able to use these possessions to increase the wealth of Egypt.

Just as the Egyptian temple walls were a fortress against the chaos of the secular world protecting the peace, or ma'at within, so too were Egypt's borders. The Two Lands (Egypt) might also be viewed in a certain way as a temple to the Egyptian gods, for pharaoh ruled the world. He had an religious duty to protect its borders from the corrupt and vile foreigners. So from a fairly early age, Ramesses, as the future pharaoh, was trained in the art of warfare. We know that he probably accompanied his father, Seti I on some of his campaigns, and as he grew older, was placed in charge of various military actions.

In fact, when Egypt's ships and northernmost towns suddenly found themselves under serious threat by pirates (Sherden), it was Ramesses II, while still co-regent in one of his earliest actions as a commander, who was placed in charge of their elimination. Posting soldiers and ships at strategic points along the coast, Ramesses II waited patiently until the Sherden appeared. He surprised and captured them, inducting many of their survivors into the Egyptian army. While the Battle of Kadesh often dominates the scholarly view of Ramesses II's military prowess, he nevertheless did enjoy more than a few outright victories over the enemies of Egypt.

Ramesses II must be applauded for his protection of Egypt proper's borders. After all, this was one of pharaoh's prime directives. Not long after he neutralized the threat posed by Sherden pirates, he established a defensive line along Egypt's northwestern frontier. Archaeologists have identified at least three of these forts to the west of the modern city of Alexandria, and another two in the western Delta at Tell Abqa'in and Kom el-Hisn. These were probably only a part of an extensive chain of forts protecting Egypt's northwestern regions.

While not a new innovation, these forts which were often built near water holes in order to deny access to Libyans infiltrating the prosperous Delta, probably became very useful when, during the reigns of several of his successors (Merenptah and Ramesses III), Libyans attempted a larger scale invasion into the region.

Yet, Ramesses II's military aspirations were to the east, and for good reason. Since Nubia was virtually a province of Egypt during his reign, and there was little to be gained to Egypt's west, imperial gains could really only be realized in southern Syria. During the Old and Middle Kingdoms there were occasional campaigns against specific fortified Canaanite towns, but Egypt's real involvement with the region was in trade. In fact, so important was this trade to the Canaanites, that after the collapse of Egypt's Old Kingdom, the Canaanite economy failed as well. However, it was not until the New Kingdom, following Ahmose's expulsion of the Hyksos, that Egypt's military attention became focused on southern Syria. By the time of Tuthmosis III, Egypt would see its greatest expansion into southern Syria. However, Egypt never seems to have been very committed to this expansion, or perhaps more correctly, their strategy for holding the region was faulty. There was never a sizable, permanent Egyptian military presence committed to the region. Instead, Egypt depended on the loyalty of local chiefs to oversee their interests, which soon became an undependable means of controlling the region. Egypt would be repeatedly required to mount military campaigns into southern Syria in order to hold, or as often as not, prevent the total collapse of these holdings.

This weakness in Egypt's strategic goals were never clearer than in the reign of Ramesses II's father, Seti I. He seems to have had considerable military success in the region, probably for a brief time, increasing Egypt's expansion almost to the extent of his early 18th Dynasty predecessors. This may have included most of southern Syria, as far north as Kadesh. Yet, by the time of his death, much of that territory was lost, and there is no doubt that Ramesses II sought to return it to Egyptian hands.

As early as the forth year of Ramesses II's rule, the important kingdom of Amurru was returned to Egyptian hands, but this also signaled a great battle to come, for it would ultimately result in the Battle of Kadesh, an action that Ramesses II claimed as a victory, but which most Egyptologists see, at best, as a draw between the Hittites and Egypt. It resulted in a peace treaty that, while excluding the city state of Kadesh which Ramesses II had sought to control, nevertheless allowed a measure of peace and prosperity throughout the remainder of Ramesses II's reign