This magnificent mortuary temple is
unfortunately half in ruin. It compares in both construction and quality of
material with the mortuary temple of Seti I at Kurna but not in the artistic
execution of the murals. The design is simple for a New Kingdom Structure and
though Ramses' son Mernptah, and his successor Ramses III, made some additions,
they were minimal and did not detract from Ramsis II's original architectural
conception .
Ramses II developed what can only be
descried as an extraordinary building activity during his 67-year reign. He
enjoyed having his state sculptors depict him repeatedly and there is hardly a
pylon, hall or chamber in the temples of Egypt that does not bear his name.
his monuments, mostly massive. Spread from Memphis
and Heliopolis to Abydos
and Thebes, apart from those in thee heart of Nubia. His image is also
perpetuated in gigantic detail in the rocks of Asia.
One can imagine with what joy his
sculptors presented ostentatious projects the they were sure would be accepted.
The image of Ramses II is more indelibly projected into the modern age than any
other . His favorite theme was his famous alliance with the king of the
Hittites. It is in fact depicted on the great pylon that forms the eastern
entrance to the Ramasseum. This campaign was the Pharaoh's only really
important one in Asia over some fifteen years, though h was also responsible
for suppressing some Nubian revolts and carrying out a campaign in Libya.
The entire structure of the Ramasseum
within the girdle-wall measures approximately 275 meters by I68 meter, though a
large portion consisted of subsidiary buildings and storerooms.
Entrance Pylon
The murals on the inner surfaces of the
entrance pylon show, on the northern tower (a) towards the centre of the wall
(lower rows), the Egyptian army on the march with infantry and charioteers. The
Egyptian camp is shown above them with a rampart of shields. This is a lively scene
with the chariots drawn up in long lines and heavy baggage wagons with their
teams nearby. Some of the unharnessed horses are being foddered. Some of th
soldiers converse with one another. One drinks from a wineskin. Two others
quarrel. The Scene to the right of this same tower shows Ramses II seated on
his throne taking counsel with his princes who stand before him. Below him is a
row of captured spies being beaten to extract information.
On the southern tower (b) the actual
attack is shown. The entire left-hand side of the pylon shows the battle of Kadesh
(as depicted also on the pylon of Luxor temple, page 26): Ramses II dashes into
battle in his chariot, dead and wounded cover the ground, others retreat in
confusion only to fall headlong into the Orontes, the Hittites take refuge in
their fortress. The reliefs on right-hand half of the tower show the pharaoh
grasping enemies by the hair whilst smiting them .
First and second Courts
The first court of the Ramasseum (A) is
mostly in ruin. Towards the rear, before the ancient western gate, lie the
remains of what was once a colossus of the king and one of the most enormous
pieces of stone ever shaped to such perfection (c). This massive statue, or
rather the remains of the chest, upper arm, foot, etc., shows work of superb
craftsmanship even to the final polish. When the French expedition under
Napoleon visited Egypt careful measurements were made of the various remaining
parts and it was estimated that the statue's total height must have been over
seventeen meters and its weight over one thousand tons. In other words this
granite statue not only exceeded in size the Colossi of Memnon, but also most
of the statues of Ramses' ancestors. Its transportation from the granite
quarries of Aswan
in one piece is almost impossible to conceive. Hatshepsut's obelisks at Karnak were only one third of the weight.
On passing the colossal remains we enter
the second court (B), which is in a much better state of preservation. It has
colonnades on all four sides, those to the rear on a terrace. Facing the court
are statues of Osiris and the representations on the column shafts show Ramses
II sacrificing to the deities. This court was the one identified with the
Augustan historian Diodorus' description of the 'Tomb of Osymandyes' may be
explained as a corrupt form of User-ma-re, one of the names of Ramses II.
The two colossal monoliths of the king
(d), which must once have towered over the pylons of the Ramasseum, inspired
Shelley to write his famous sonnet Ozyamandias.
In this court are well preserved scenes of the battle of Kadesh (e).
Ramses II dashes into battle (lower row). He is depicted larger than his men,
and the enemy mostly dead and wounded, lie in heaps on the ground. The fortress
of Kadesh, surrounded by a moat, divides a group of the enemy from the battlefield.
These men, far from preparing themselves for battle, are helping their drowning
companions. Though this mural has been considered by some as a pretentious
interpretation, there is no doubt that the complexity of the composition shows
development and sophistication. The individual figures, however, indicate
marked deterioration from the expressive derail of the murals of Seti I's
mortuary temple.
Higher
on the wall (e) are scenes from the Festival of the God Min which was
celebrated when the Pharaoh Came to the throne. The Priests, who stand to the
side of the king and await a procession headed by other priests carrying images
of the royal ancestors, let forth birds to carry the royal tiding to the four
corners of the earth. Further to the right the Pharaoh cuts a sheaf with a
sickle for presenting to the god. Murals portraying such festivals are
immensely effective. The artists' ability to depict battle action is less so in
view of the stylized treatment of the human from.
At the back of the court are some stairs,
and on the rear wall to the left (f) are
three rows of relief work. The bottom row depicts Ramses II as a family man
with his eleven sons. The middle row (left) shows the hawk-headed Montu holding
the hieroglyph for life before the king's face and (right) the king kneels
before the Theban triad while Thoth, who is behind him, writes his years on a palm-leaf.
In the top row he is making a sacrifice to Ptah and offering incense to Min.
Hypostyle Hall
The Hypostyle Hall ( c ) , which follows a
small flight of stairs at the centre back of the court , is markedly similar to
the one at Karank .
Both have three aisles , the taller
columns at the centre with calyx capitals and the lower ones at the sides with
bud capitals . As at Karnak, the difference in
height is made up by a wall with openings for light . The hypostyle hall of the
Ramasseum is less cumbersome than that of Karnak
. The columns appear more graceful and better proportioned . Throughout the
hall the representations depict Ramses II in battle .This time the troops with
ladders storm the fortress of Zapur (g- lower row). The pharaoh dashes into the
thick of battle in his chariot ( to the left ) , leaving the enemy in flight or
scattered on the ground . To the right the attacking Egyptians scale the
fortress on ladders and push up to the walls under the protection of storming
–sheds and shields . The sons of the pharaoh took part and proved themselves
worthy of their heroic father Each is identifiable by his name engraved beside
him .
On
the western walls (h) and (i) the sons of Ramses II are shown ( in the lower
rows ).
Above them ( at h ) the pharaoh is
followed by a goddess in the presence of Amon and Khonsu with the lion-headed
Sekhmet behind him .
Beyond the hypostyle hall are two smaller
hypostyle halls falling one behind the other in the middle of the remaining
chambers which spread back wards and sidewards from the few standing walls, The
first ( D ) has astrological representations on the roof and on the eastern
walls ( j ) and ( k ) priests bear the sacred boats of Amon , Mut and Khonsu ,
each decorated with the head of its god . On the rear right – hand wall ( I )
Ramses is seated beneath the sacred tree
of Heliopolis ,
on the leaves of which his names are being written by Atum . who is seated on a
throne to the left, with a goddess and Thoth to the right .
The second hypostyle hall ( E ) is mostly
in ruin . It has some sacrificial representations including a scene ( m ) of
Ramses burning incense to path and the lion-headed Sekhmet .
The portrayal of Ramses II
Ramses II will always remain a central figure
in Egyptian history and one that can be forgiven for claiming full credit ,
here and there , for work begun by his ancestors . He was the pharaoh who dug
out the heart of a mountain at Abu Simbel in order to fashion within it a great
temple in thanks giving for his victory over the Hittites .
According to his royal scribe , pentaur ,
when he and his chariot driver were separated from the army and hopelessly
surrounded by the enemy , the fearless Ramses II six times charged the foe
single – handed . He hewed them down with his sword and trampled them under the
wheels of his chariots ,According to pentaur , Ramses overthew 2,500 enemy chariots , scattered
100,00 warriors and drove the rest into the water !
Evidence of Ramses II as a military
tactician is often over looked . He never put local militia in charge of
frontier posts . He placed Nubians in the north , sent Delta tribes to the
south , placed tribes from the western Delta to the east , and tribes of the
eastern Delta were sent to control the west . ( These activities were recorded
in the Temple at Abu Simbel
).
Ramses II also seems to have been a ware
of the threat to Egypt from the ' people of the sea ' , and , in fact ,
successfully defended Egypt from them : when excavating a line of fortresses
built by Ramses II in the western Delta
, labib Habachi observed this : the great battle against the sea people only
took place in the reign of Ramses II's successor , Ramses III.
Is well preserved , in some places in
nearly prefect condition .This temple grew through successive years and , as
the campaigns of Ramses were graphically recorded with is growth , his military
exploits can be followed step by step from the rear , or in other words from
his last military campaign on the foremost pylon , back wards in time .
First pylon first
court
The first pylon is covered on both sides
with representations and inscriptions recording Ramses III victory over the
Libyans in the 11th year of his reign. On the right-hand tower (a)
the Pharaoh stands before Amun in the traditional pose of dangling enemies by
the hair whilst smiting them with a club. The left hand tower of the entrance
pylon repeats these scenes and inscriptions. Passing through the centeral
portal, we enter the first court (A) and view an interesting representation on
the inner side of the first pylon (b). This is also of the Libyan campaign.
Second Pylon, Second Court
At the back of the court is the second
pylon recording the Pharaoh’s battles in the eighth year of his reign. On the
left-hand tower © he leads three rows of prisoners to Amon and Mut. These
prisoners do not have beards, which usually denote Asian peoples.
The rear walls of the terrace (m) and (n)
have three rows of representations. In the two upper rows the Pharaoh is shown
worshipping various deities. The lowest row depicts the royal princes and
princesses.
Great Hypostyle hall
The great hypostyle hall follows. The roof
was originally supported by twenty-four columns in six rows of four, with eight
columns forming the double centeral row considerably thicker than the others.
The wall reliefs show Ramses II in the presence of various deities. Adjoining
each side of the hypostyle hall are a series of chambers which stored costly
jewels, musical instruments, etc.
Beyond the hypostyle hall are three
smaller chambers (C,D and E). The first two have eight columns each and the
third has four pillars. The surrounding chambers are dedicated to different
deities.
Exterior
On the outside of the temple there are
important historical reliefs commemorating the wars of Ramsis III. Those on the
western wall (t) have scenes of the Pharaoh’s battle against the Nubians. The
northern wall has ten scenes from the wars against the Libyans and a naval
victory over a northern people. The naval battle (at u) is an extremely
animated representation: including the king, the archers and the fleeing
enemies.
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