15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
Any visitor to modern Egypt cannot escape the presence of Ramesses the Great. He commissioned hundreds of statues to be made in his name and usurped many more that were made in the image of previous kings. Everything that Ramesses II had created was usually on a colossal scale, which probably says as much about the king’s ego as his influence on the history of ancient Egypt. Among the most impressive monuments that Ramesses had built were the several so-called “mortuary temples” where the spirit of the dead king was worshipped as a god.
Ramesses II had more mortuary temples built than any other Egyptian king. <ref> Haeny, Gerhard. “New Kingdom ‘Mortuary Temples’ and ‘Mansions of Millions of Years.’” Temples of Ancient Egypt, edited by Byron E. Shaffer (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1997), p. 115 </ref> Among the mortuary temples that Ramesses II had built throughout Egypt were the “Ramesseum” on the west bank of the Nile River near Thebes, an addition to the massive Karnak Temple in Thebes, and the Luxor Temple also in Thebes. Construction of the Luxor Temple began during the reign of Amenhotep III (ruled ca. 1403-1364 BC), but later became known as Ramesses II’s temple due to the large amount of work he did there, which included a pylon and courtyard at the north end and several colossal statues of the king. <ref> Bell, Laney. “The New Kingdom ‘Divine’ Temple: the Example of Luxor.” Temples of Ancient Egypt, edited by Byron E. Shaffer (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1997), pgs. 148-52</ref> The Luxor Temple served as the national shrine for the cult of the deified Ramesses II throughout the remainder of pharaonic history.
<dh-ad/>
