Ramesses II: The Greatest Pharaoh of the New Kingdom by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

Another medical clue gleaned from the body of Ramesses is the condition of his teeth. A severe abscess in the lower jaw caused by long-term bacterial infection would almost certainly have caused him severe and lasting pain. The abscess has also been pointed to as the potential cause of Ramesses’ death, though it is more likely that extreme old age was the explanation. Given all of these medical facts from the mummy, it is reasonable to conclude that Ramesses the Great lived the last years of his life in a state of severe physical deterioration, probably suffering from both badly limited mobility and frequent pain from his arthritis and infected jaw.

Ramesses would finally die in 1213 BCE at the age of about 90. His reign of 66 years had left him a living legend and had allowed him to construct a legacy that would transcend the centuries and survive even to the present day. By the time of his death, only the tiniest percentage of the population of Egypt would have had any memory of a time in which Ramesses the Great did not rule their land. His building programs, military campaigns, long life and establishment of peace and prosperity in the Egyptian Empire made him a figure who was to be emulated for the rest of Egypt’s history. Just as he had sought to attach himself to the legacies of earlier pharaohs, future kings would strive to attach themselves to his.

Upon his death, Ramesses was interred in a tomb that had been prepared for him earlier in his reign, designated as KV7. The tomb prepared to be the final resting place of Ramesses was surprisingly simple given the vast accomplishments of its occupant, but this would be of little consequence given the events that occurred after Ramesses died (see next section). His crowned prince, Merneptah, took the throne, though was already roughly 60 years old when he did.

The aftermath of Ramesses’ death would be a return to a more normal state of affairs in the Egyptian Empire. During his reign, Merneptah would have to resume the campaigns in Libya and Canaan that Ramesses had ended so long ago. As has so often happened throughout history when great rulers have died, the fall of Ramesses prompted revolutions and rebellions that probably would have occurred earlier had there not been an extremely powerful ruler on the throne. Even with the slight instability that followed his death, however, Ramesses had left his nation in a vastly better state than he had found it. Having secured a lasting peace with the Hittites, quelled the rebellious spirit of the Nubian province and ensured the steady flow of tributes, the great pharaoh had made Egypt even wealthier while leaving it at peace with the only enemy that could have challenged it at the time.

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