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Egypt unveils 'rare' ancient pharaoh bust

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Dec 13, 2019, 01:24:30 PM IST

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Ramses, the great

Ramses II, also spelled Ramesses or Rameses, was known as Ramses the Great. He was the third king of the lineage (1292–1190 BCE) in ancient Egypt, whose reign was the second longest in Egyptian history.

Besides the great wars he fought with the Hittites and Libyans, he is known for his extensive building programs and for the many colossal statues of him, all over Egypt.
In picture: Valley of the Kings in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor

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Symbolism of 'Ka'

Ka represented in ancient Egypt the spirit of a human or god that could reside in a statue of the person or deity after death.

Since it is representative of the deities, people often worship and make offerings to the Ka to receive blessings. Divine Kas were believed to be guardians and protectors.

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Golden era of Egypt

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.

He completed the great hypostyle hall at Karnak (Thebes) and continued work on the temple built by Seti I at Abydos, both of which were left incomplete at the latter’s death. Ramses also ordered construction of his father’s funerary temple on the bank of the Nile at Luxor (Thebes) and built another for himself. The heritage is now known as the Ramesseum.

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Ramses II, a popular pharaoh

It seems like Ramses II was an admired pharaoh, both during and after his lifetime. His popularity may have been due to a combination of the prosperity that Egypt enjoyed under his reign as well as his skill as a propagandist.

Ramses’ personal life is still unknown, possibly due to a paucity of records. His first and perhaps favourite queen was Nefertari; the smaller temple at Abu Simbel was dedicated to her.

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