ANCIENT HISTORY : LINE OF FIRE: RAMSES, WARRIOR PHARAOH
Father to Ramses II >
Nefertari:
Mother to Ramses II >
Muwatalli II:
Opponent at the Battle of Qadesh >
LINE OF FIRE: Ramses, Warrior Pharaoh
Background
Ramses II was seen as the great warrior king of Egypt after his campaigns to dominate the Middle East. This culminated in the momentous battle with the Hittites at Qadesh in 1296BC.
This bloody battle marked a stalemate between the Hittite power and the force of 20th Dynasty Egypt. During the battle, Ramses and his troops marched almost 900 miles in a month to meet the army of King Muwatallis. A war marked by the clash of chariots...
The Great Pharaoh
Ramses II was one of the longest reigning Egyptian pharaohs, ruling for 66 years and dying at the age of 90. He is attributed with having 200 sons and 200 daughters by a 1920s source, Terence Gray. But modern scholars have numbered his offspring at a more modest 170.
Egypt during Ramses’ reign was one of great prosperity with the building of two temples at Abu Simbel in Nubia. He also founded a new royal capital at Per-Ramesse, meaning the House of Ramses on the eastern Nile delta. A keen self-promoter, more statues of Ramses exist than any other Egyptian pharaoh.
Ramses the Great has marked a place in history with his military campaigns. In particular, with the Hittites who were the main opponents of the Egyptian empire in the East. The Battle at Qadesh was waged against the Hittite forces of Muwatallis on the Orontes River, and was probably the largest chariot battle ever fought, with 5,000 vehicles involved.
The conflict with the Hittites carried on for many years until finally in the 21st year of Ramses’ reign, an agreement was made with Hattusilis III, thought to be one of the earliest peace treaties in the world. An enlargement of the treaty hangs on a wall at the United Nations headquarters.
Another claim to fame, Ramses is attributed as being the pharaoh of whom Moses demanded the release of the Jews from Egypt, according to Eusebius of Caesarea, a theologian during the time of Constantine.
By the time of his death in 1237, Ramses had not only outlived many of his contemporaries but also his 11 eldest sons. Ramses’ mummy was found at Deir al-Bahari in 1881 and placed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo where it can still be seen.
War Chariots
Chariots were an essential element of Egyptian warfare and played a big part in Ramses’ campaigns. They were modelled on Assyrian carriages and built predominantly from crafted woods, decorated with rich metals, precious and semi-precious stones and glass inlaid in metal plates. It’s thought that Rameses’ chariot was made almost entirely of gold.
Chariots were made from an assortment of raw materials, so a variety of craftsmen were required to work on them, such as carpenters, tanners and goldsmiths.
Usually, the front piece of the frame was built of fine wood lined with canvas and plaster. Wheels were made from elm wood, with four spokes in the older models and six in the later ones. The axle was of tamarind wood and long enough to allow close turns and good shock absorption.
To reduce vibration, leather or linen cushions were placed on the platform floor. Chariots were extremely expensive and Egyptian noblemen, who financed the chariots themselves, could spend the entire family estate in their purchase. However, the costs were easily met by the wealth gained from the spoils of war.