If the famous pharaoh left behind a monumental list of works of art and exploits of all kinds, his reluctance to bequeath the throne ultimately led to the collapse of his dynasty
Few individuals in Egyptian history aroused as much curiosity and skepticism as Ramses II or Ramses the Great, the third pharaoh of the 19th dynasty
Today Ramses II is undoubtedly mainly known for the monumental number of works he left behind, including palaces temples statues, and steles, all of which praise his exploits as a pharaoh Every battle was triumphant, every construction was spectacular, every statue and public work was magnificent and every act was an almost superhuman feat
When it came to power, the Ramses family was out of place Rather than southerners from the elite circles of Thebes, its members were northerners from the Nile Delta who had risen thanks to their roles in the army Seeking support, Ramesses II used these massive monuments to attract peoples attention as part of a campaign to proclaim his greatness for all to see.
He lived about ninety years and reigned for almost seventy years Although his public achievements are well known to Egyptologists thanks to his construction campaigns, questions remain about his marital and parental life
THE GREAT ROYAL WIVES
One of the most striking aspects of Ramesses IIs life concerns the women around him his great wives and royal concubines his secondary wives and his daughters, whom he sometimes married It is still unknown whether these incestuous unions were intended to be consumed or if they served as a political showcase He had a staggering number of sons and daughters; according to some sources, he had more than a hundred, many of whom died before him due to the longevity of his reign
Of all his wives, only two had important roles Nefertari and Isis Nofret, the first two great royal wives of Ramesses II While the first is evident in Egyptian sources and there are countless depictions of it, we have very few traces of the second, suggesting that Ramses wished to hide his existence What could be the reasons for such unequal treatment?
When he became coregent with his father, Seti I Ramesses II was given a palace in Memphis located south of the Nile Delta, as well as a large harem including the first two great royal wives If we ignore the origins of Nefertari and Isis Nofret, this did not prevent the development of crazy speculations about them. Everything suggests that Nefertari was the favorite wife of Ramesses II The statues and paintings in his tomb, located in the Valley of the Queens, attest to his beauty
However, it is difficult to know what she really looked like, with certain representations opening the way to certain doubts In Karnak for example, a small statue of Nefertari stands at the foot of a colossus of Ramesses II Subsequently, Pharaoh Pinedjem I usurped this colossus and had his name inscribed on it, potentially modifying the features of the two figures in the process Was it limited to the name change? Does this beautiful face still belong to Nefertari? According to Egyptologists, this would indeed be the case
Nefertari took part in official events alongside Ramses She is represented at her coronation during the feasts of the god Min and at the time of Nebunenefs enthronement as high priest of Amun His diplomatic skills resulted in the signing of a peace treaty between Ramses and the Hittites several years after the Battle of Kadesh, ca 1274 BCE, which led to a stalemate between the two powers
Ramses II showed a clear preference for Nefertari for whom he showed a devotion worthy of a great love story When he built the great temple of Abu Simbel, he ensured that Nefertari, then deceased appeared on the facade alongside his mother, Tuya
In this temple, Nefertari is represented as Sothis deification of the star Sirius, whose appearance presaged the annual flooding of the Nile Further north, another temple, smaller and dug into the rock, is dedicated to Nefertari herself. She is deified there in the guise of the goddess Hathor A tribute is engraved on its facade: Nefertari, the one for whom the sun shines.”
Was IsisNofret the great forgotten one? It seems so. Until Nefertaris death, around the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Ramses II, the portrait of IsisNofret did not appear in the numerous temples that the king had built in Nubia nor in those of Karnak and Luxor, where we find various references to Nefertari Isis Nofret was eventually depicted in some temples for her connection to her children Indeed, if Nefertari was represented more than Isis Nofret, it was the latter who gave birth to Ramses IIs two favorite children
SONS AND DAUGHTERS
Ramesses II had a hundred sons and daughters with the women of his harem Among his recognized children, some played important roles but only the children of Nefertari and IsisNofret appear on his monuments In the temple of Beit el-Wali in Nubia, young Ramses then coregent with his father, is depicted suppressing a Nubian uprising.
The pharaohs royal chariot is flanked by two characters: Amonherkhépeshef, his elder, whom he had with Nefertari and Khâemouaset, the son of IsisNofret
According to Egyptologists, of all his sons, Khâemouaset was Ramses IIs favorite Instead of taking up arms against his older brother, also named Ramses, Khâemouaset became high priest of Ptah, a title in Memphite doctrine equivalent to the high priest of Amun in Thebes He also restored a number of pyramids in his fathers name. His work is still visible on the pyramid of Unas from the 5th dynasty
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