Ramesses the Great
The Most Celebrated Pharaoh
393, Lot: 788. Estimate $300.
Sold for $700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. |
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Steatite scarab. Egypt, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty. Ramesses II (circa 1279-1213 BC). Face engraved with the name of Ramesses II (14x11mm). A few small chips. Pierced. Cf. Petrie 9-14, 19.3.
From the Carl Devries Collection.
The most powerful and celebrated pharaoh of all, Ramesses ruled for an incredible 67 years (and lived for some 90!), during which he left an indelible mark on Egyptian history. He secured Egypt’s borders and re-conquered lands lost to the Nubians and Hittites, with his campaigns against the latter culminating in the famous Battle of Kadesh (near the modern border of Syria and Lebanon). His military achievements are matched by the remarkable number of children he sired (some 50 sons and 40-50 daughters) and his ambitious architectural program. The many building projects he was responsible for – most notably the Ramesseum and temples at Abu Simbel – served as propaganda during his lifetime and as monuments to his illustrious reign after his death.
Ramesses mummy was discovered in 1881 and is now kept in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
