Ramses II. Abu Simbel, Luxor, Nefertary, Qadech.
Pygmalion| N° d'inventaire | 16207 |
| Format | 15 x 24 |
| Détails | 380 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2012 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | |
Among the most well-known figures of Pharaonic Egypt to the general public, Ramses II occupies a special place. His reign of sixty-six years and two months was one of the longest in the history of the Two Lands. The political and social stability that characterized him allowed for a flourishing of Egyptian civilization in the 13th century BC, marked by unprecedented architectural, intellectual, and artistic production. Certainly, the Egyptian empire no longer had the extent it had two centuries earlier, under Thutmose III; but the grandiose scenes that illustrate the famous Battle of Qadesh contributed to giving Ramses II the image of the Egyptian conqueror par excellence. Few sites in Egypt and Nubia do not at least preserve the mention of his names, to the point that their presence seems banal to us; but incomparable is the feeling of admiration that takes hold of the visitor when he discovers the temples of Abu Simbel or if he is lucky enough to visit the tomb of Nefertari, his wife. The tomb of Ramses II has known many vicissitudes: dug in the heart of the Valley of the Kings, it is far from the monumentality of that of Cheops on the plateau of Giza, and it did not yield the treasures which, today, make the fame of the modest Tutankhamun. But his mummy, preserved from destruction by the priests, was the first to be the subject of an in-depth scientific study, during a stay in Paris where the deceased sovereign was received with the honors due to his rank. In many respects, Ramses II thus appears as the emblematic figure of the golden age of Egypt, the pharaoh whose glory has spanned the centuries.
Among the most well-known figures of Pharaonic Egypt to the general public, Ramses II occupies a special place. His reign of sixty-six years and two months was one of the longest in the history of the Two Lands. The political and social stability that characterized him allowed for a flourishing of Egyptian civilization in the 13th century BC, marked by unprecedented architectural, intellectual, and artistic production. Certainly, the Egyptian empire no longer had the extent it had two centuries earlier, under Thutmose III; but the grandiose scenes that illustrate the famous Battle of Qadesh contributed to giving Ramses II the image of the Egyptian conqueror par excellence. Few sites in Egypt and Nubia do not at least preserve the mention of his names, to the point that their presence seems banal to us; but incomparable is the feeling of admiration that takes hold of the visitor when he discovers the temples of Abu Simbel or if he is lucky enough to visit the tomb of Nefertari, his wife. The tomb of Ramses II has known many vicissitudes: dug in the heart of the Valley of the Kings, it is far from the monumentality of that of Cheops on the plateau of Giza, and it did not yield the treasures which, today, make the fame of the modest Tutankhamun. But his mummy, preserved from destruction by the priests, was the first to be the subject of an in-depth scientific study, during a stay in Paris where the deceased sovereign was received with the honors due to his rank. In many respects, Ramses II thus appears as the emblematic figure of the golden age of Egypt, the pharaoh whose glory has spanned the centuries.