Watkins 1
Bianca Watkins
CMWCC 105
Peterson
Cultural Analysis Paper
Sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, the New Kingdom is a period known for its
prosperity in the ancient land. Spanning from the 16th century until the 11th century BC, the New
Kingdom includes the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth dynasties of Egyptian rule. As a result of
the invasion of the Hyksos, this became the opportunity for the New Kingdom to restore a true Egyptian
leader to the throne. Over thousands of years many have claimed that it was the nineteenth dynasty’s
pharaoh, Ramesses II1, who’s reigned lasted sixty seven years, which restored Egypt. Called Ramesses
the Great, he was regarded to as pharaoh in Egyptian history and single-handedly improved his country
for the better.
The Hypostyle hall2, built at the Temple of Karnak, is one of the greatest halls of its kind in Egypt.
Built with 134 stone columns, Hypostyle hall was possibly built entirely by eighteenth dynasty pharaoh
Seti I and finished by Ramesses II, is possibly one of the purest showcases of the New Kingdom and its
triumph over foreign invasion. Most of the [Hypostyle hall] was dark except for the centre aisle which
was lit by small windows cut into the roof. This hall represented a marsh in the beginning of time. It was
filled with columns that looked like papyrus plants. In the dark corners, the columns look like papyrus
with closed flowers. In the centre where the light shined in, the columns look like papyrus flowers
blooming in the sun. Scenes of religious rituals were carved into the walls.3 Such as, sacrificing cattle and
small animals to the god of justice, Amun-Re.
1
See appendix 1
See appendix 2
3
The British Museum, Ancient Egypt
2
Watkins 2
Every wall and column inside the Hypostyle hall is covered with inscriptions, displaying
almost everything that took place there; however, there are some with a sampling of
the rituals taken place at Karnak. War scenes on the exterior walls not only worshiped
the king as a warrior, they also magically protected the temple by showing the forces of
chaos-the enemy-defeated by the forces of cosmic order, called Ma’at led by the king
himself.4
In return for worship and offerings to the gods, life, prosperity, and health were rewarded to the
pharaoh and all Egypt. It has been described as one of the most historic achievements in Egyptian
architecture.
The Temple of Beit el-Wali5 is a rock-cut temple of ancient Egypt in Nubia, built by Ramesses II
and dedicated to the gods Amun-Re the god of justice, Re-Horakhti the god of the sun, Khnum the god
of clay and Anuket god of the Nile River.6 It was one of the first in a series of temples built by Ramesses
the Great in Nubia, the temple’s name meaning ‘House of the Holy Man.’ Understanding the gods
chosen to dedicate this temple to, shines a light on Ramesses II internal respect for other deities, not
letting his kingship cloud his mind with arrogance. The great pharaoh was known for being a fierce
warrior and the monuments he left behind all over Egypt, but he was also a peace-maker. Egyptian
control again reached across the Sinai into Palestine and Syria and to the Euphrates.
At home, foreign conquest meant peace and prosperity; tribute and valuable materials
poured into Egypt. Strong trade contacts with modern Somalia and Arabia were
developed; these contacts brought incense, ivory, myrrh, and slaves to Egypt in
exchange for jewelry, weapons, and tools. The pride taken in these achievements can be
seen in the art and architecture sponsored by the conquering pharaohs of the New
Kingdom, who launched massive building programs to honor the gods and to publicize
and magnify their own accomplishments. 7
The monuments King Ramses left throughout Egypt were the completed temple at Karnak; the
Rameseum, his mortuary temple at Thebes; the temple at Luxor; and the great rock temple at Abu
4
Brand, The Karnack Great Hypostyle Hall Project
See appendix 3
6
Hildred,"The Temple of Beit el-Wali in Nubia."
7
Upshur, World History
5
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Simbel with four seated figures of the king on the façade. The period of his rule was characterized by
one of great luxury, increased slavery, and the growth of a vicious army. One of Ramesses II many wives,
however the most important, Nefertari8, whose tomb is considered to be the most beautiful in Egypt
implicates his love and dedication. He was believed to have sired between one hundred to two hundred
children. Ramesses the Great was an ambitious builder, a successful general, and a popular ruler. It was
his duty to preserve the union of Upper and Lower Egypt which he did by marching twenty thousand
soldiers north into the lands east of the Mediterranean to defend his empire against Hittite invaders
around 1286 BC. His empire stretched from South Syria into Nubia.
Ramesses II was the pharaoh most responsible for erasing the Amarna Period from history. The
Amarna Period was an era of Egyptian history when in the latter half of the eighteenth dynasty the
ruling pharaoh moved towards Akhetaten, meaning ‘Horizon of the Aten,’ now called modern day
Amarna. The pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten, to reflect the dramatic
change in worship from Egypt’s polytheistic or multiple deities religion to only worshipping one sun god,
Aten. He, more than any other pharaoh, sought to deliberately deface the Amarna monuments and
change the nature of the religious structure and priesthood, in order to return it back to the original way
of worship. Ramesses II also achieved what few pharaohs have, after reigning for thirty years, the great
king joined the group of Egypt’s longest-living kings. By tradition, the 30th year of reign is celebrated with
a festival called the Sed Festival, during which the king is actually transformed into a god. This festival is
probably only witnessed once in a lifetime by citizens, and symbolically renews the crowning ceremony.
Also as part of the ceremony the pharaoh gives offerings to the goddess Sechat-Hor with her holy milkthe drink of immortality.
8
See appendix 4
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Ramesses the Great is the reason the age of the New Kingdom regained control of Egypt after an
invasion of foreign rule, Ramesses expanded the Egyptian Empire and continued to keep foreign
invaders at bay. Using his military skills, the Egyptian army amplified and a peace treaty was achieved
which established prosperity into Egypt’s economy. Ramesses II ruled for sixty seven years, becoming
one of the longest reigning kings of Egypt and known as a living god. After dying around the age of 90
and outliving many of his wives and children, the great king suffered from severe dental problems,
arthritis, and hardening of the arteries. Nine more pharaohs would take the name Ramesses in his
honor, but few ever equaled his greatness. Nearly all of his subjects were born under his reign and truly
believed the world would end without him, as their pharaoh. Unfortunately, the peaceful Egyptian
Empire could not last forever. New enemies started to attack ancient Egypt and internal struggles
caused instability throughout the kingdom. Less the 150 years after Ramesses II died, the Egyptian
Empire fell, his descendants lost their power, and the New Kingdom came to an end.
Bibliography
Brand, Dr. Peter J. The Karnak Great Hypostyle Hall Project.
http://history.memphis.edu/hypostyle/index.htm (accessed 10 05, 2009).
Hildreth, Craig. "The Temple of Beit el-Wali in Nubia." Tour Egypt. 2005.
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestory/elwali.htm (accessed 10 02, 2009).
The British Museum. Ancient Egypt. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/temples/explore/main.html
(accessed 10 4, 2009).
Upshur, Jiu-hwa L., Janice j. Terry, James P. Holoka, Richard D. Goff, and George H. Cassar. World
History, 4th edition. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
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Appendix 1
Appendix 2
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Appendix 3
Appendix 4