Ramses II

One measure of Egypt's prosperity is the amount of temple building the kings could afford to carry out, and on that basis the reign of Ramses II is the most notable in Egyptian history, even making allowance for its great length.(Budge 35-39) It was that, combined with his prowess in war as depicted in the temples, that led the Egyptologists of the 19th century to dub him "the Great," and that, in effect, is how his subjects and posterity viewed him; to them he was the king par excellence. Nine kings of the 20th dynasty called themselves by his name; even in the period of decline that followed, it was an honor to be able to claim descent from him, and his subjects called him by the affectionate abbreviation Sese.(Clark 58) Ramses was the third king of the 19th dynasty of Egypt, whose reign (1279-13 BC) was the second longest in Egyptian history. In addition to his wars with the Hittites and Libyans, he is known for his extensive building programs and for the many colossal statues of him found all over Egypt. Of Ramses' personal life virtually nothing is known.(88) His first and perhaps favorite queen was Nefertari; the fact that, at Abu Simbel, the smaller temple was dedicated to her and to the goddess of love points to real affection between them. She seems to have died comparatively early in the reign, and her fine tomb in the Valley of the Tombs of the Queens at Thebes is well known. Other queens whose names are preserved were Isinofre, who bore the king four sons, among whom was Ramses' eventual successor, Merneptah; Merytamun; and Matnefrure, the Hittite princess.(David 293)  In addition to the official queen or queens, the king, as was customary, possessed a large harem, and he took pride in his great family of well over 100 children. The best portrait of Ramses II is a fine statue of him as a young man, now in the Turin museum; his mummy, preserved in a mausoleum at Cairo, is that of a very old man with a long narrow face, prominent nose, and massive jaw.(312)

                                                         The reign of Ramses II marks the last peak of Egypt's imperial power. After his death Egypt was forced on the defensive but managed to maintain its suzerainty over Palestine and the adjacent territories until the later part of the 20th dynasty, when, under the weak kings who followed Ramses III, internal decay ended its power beyond its borders. Ramses II must have been a good soldier, despite the fiasco of Kadesh, or else he would not have been able to penetrate so far into the Hittite Empire as he did in the following years; he appears to have been a competent administrator, since the country was prosperous, and he was certainly a popular king. Some of his fame, however, must surely be put down to his flair for publicity: his name and the record of his feats on the field of battle were found everywhere in Egypt and Nubia. It is easy to see why, in the eyes both of his subjects and of later generations, he was looked on as a model of what a king should be.

            In 1974, Egyptologists at the Cairo Museum noticed that the mummy's condition was getting worse rapidly. They decided to fly Rameses II to Paris so that a team of experts could give the mummy a medical examination. Did you know that even a mummy needs a passport to travel?

 Ramses II was issued an Egyptian passport that listed his occupation as "King (deceased)." (“Egypt”)Once in Paris, Ramses was diagnosed and treated for a fungal infection. During the examination, scientific analysis revealed battle wounds and old fractures, as well as the pharaoh's arthritis and poor circulation. In addition, experts were able to determine some of the flowers and herbs that were used for the embalming.