Showing posts with label Ramesseum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramesseum. Show all posts

Ramesseum



The Ramesseum

This was the temple established by Ramses II (r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) at Thebes (Luxor). Called “the Temple of the Million Years,”  the  construction  was  part  of  Ramses II’s mortuary  cult.  The  temple  was  dedicated  to  the  deified Ramses II  and  to  the  god  Amun, addressed  “the  United With Eternity.” The site was called the Memnomium, or the Tomb of Ozymandias, by the Greeks.

The  structure  was  included  by  a  brick  wall  and superimposed on a temple constructed originally by Seti I. Pylons drawn Ramses II’s Battle of Kadesh and his Syrian victories. The Ramesseum had a Hypostyle Hall, courts, and a throne room. A big statue of Ramses II,  more  than  55  feet  tall,  was  discovered  in  the  first court.  An  astronomical  chamber  was  likewise  found  on  the site, composing a second hypostyle hall.

In the southwest, a temple devoted to Seti I and Queen Tuya, the  royal  parents  of  Ramses II,  was erected,  and  an  avenue  of  sphinxes  surrounded  various edifices. There were likewise chambers that served as sanctuaries for the different solar barks. A royal hall was part  of  the  design.  The  Twenty-second  (945–712 B.C.E.) and also Twenty-third  (828–712  B.C.E.)  Dynasties  used  the storage  areas  of  the  Ramesseum as a burial  site.  A papyrus  discovered  on  the  site  contained  a  version  of “the  Tale  of  the  Eloquent Peasant,”  and  medical  texts referring  the  treatment  of  tightening  limbs  were  also found.

In  the  reign  of  Ramses IX (1131–1112 B.C.E.), priests  serving  the  Ramesseum were  caught  transferring golden  objects  from  this  shrine.  An  confederate,  a  gardener  named  Kar,  confessed  how  measures  of  golden decorations were taken. He also named his confederates, some  of  whom  were  in  the  priesthood.  They  were seriously punished, as their crimes included not only theft but desecration in violating a religious site.

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