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| 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.