Rameses II - part 3
Jan 23rd, 2007 by admin
However, there were some great works during his reign, such as the rock-hewn temple of Abu Simbel, dedicated to Amon, Ra-Harmachis, and Ptah. It measures 185 feet long and has a height of 90 feet. The four colossal statues of the king in front of it, cut from the living rock, are 60 feet high.Â
He also added to the temple of Amenhotep III at Luxor and completed the hall of columns at Karnak - still the largest columned room of any building in the world today.
Although he is probably the second most famous king in Egyptian history, second 
perhaps only to Tutankhamon due to his treasures rather than his deeds, Rameses II’s achievements cannot be compared with the great kings of the 18th dynasty.Often remembered as a great and prolific architect, the truth is Rameses often “stole” the work of his predecessors, using any excuse possible to carve his own cartouche on others’ creations, mainly for the purpose of promoting his name and for propaganda reasons.
He had an extremely long reign during which Egypt certainly prospered to a degree, but after his death the nation fell into a decline that it never truly recovered from.
The body of Rameses II was found at Deir el-Bahri in a beautiful wooden coffin and is one of the best preserved mummies found to date.