Download Ramses II: Military Impact

Pharaoh Hatshepsut: Promoter of Egyptian Trade
Hatshepsut was the daughter of the king
Thutmose I. After his death, his son, Thutmose II, became
king. Hatshepsut, the king’s new half-sister, became queen.
But Thutmose II only lived about seven more years. In
ancient Egypt, the oldest male in line for the throne usually
became the next ruler. Thutmose III, Hatshepsut’s nephew,
was next in line. But he was about 10 years old, too young to
govern Egypt. Hatshepsut took over the government in his
place. The Egyptian people probably expected her to rule
only until young Thutmose III was old enough to take over
his royal duties.
But Hatshepsut had other ideas. This bold queen seized power for herself and became the new
ruler. Never before had Egypt been ruled by a woman. Sometimes she wore men’s clothing;
she even wore the fake
beard that was worn by male
pharaohs! She ruled Egypt
for about 20 years, and she
turned out to be a skillful
leader. Like earlier Egyptian
rulers, Hatshepsut wanted
to make sure she would be
remembered for all time.
She ordered a great temple to be
built along the banks of
the Nile. She also had two
enormous granite pillars
called obelisks placed at the
temple of the sun god.
She restored old temples that had
been destroyed during
foreign invasions. Egypt enjoyed a
time of renewed peace
and prosperity under Hatshepsut.
As a ruler,
Hatshepsut concerned herself
with improving life at
home rather than expanding
Egypt’s borders and
building a great empire. One
example is a trade
expedition she sent to Punt, a
kingdom near present-day
Somalia at the southern end of
the Red Sea. Five ships sailed to Punt bearing gifts and trade goods. The expedition returned to
Egypt with many items, including gold, ivory, leopard skins, ostrich feathers, incense, rare
woods, and monkeys.
Hatshepsut was considered one of the greatest rulers, male or female of her time. Born during Egypt’s 18th
dynasty, she was able to rise from princess to queen to pharaoh. Her rise to the throne, though against ideals of
the time, might have inspired others, such as Cleopatra. During this time she was able to expand trade, watch
the Egyptian economy grow and improve, and build and restore temples of Egypt. Hatshepsut did this by
claiming right of male, being in the image of the Sphinx. She strapped a golden beard to her chin and often
dressed in male clothing.
As noted by Wells (1969), Hatshepsut, sometime before 1500 BCE, was supposedly born a beautiful child to
the pharaoh Thutmosis I and his queen, Amose. Although, Hatshepsut, as a girl, was not heir to the pharaoh, she
held much authority as a young child.
This is primarily due to the rule of her father and the high expectations, which had been set for her since birth.
Being the daughter of a powerful pharaoh, Hatshepsut was given no choice of what her adulthood would consist
of.
Hatshepsut had a sister, Princess Neterukheb, and two brothers, Wadjmose and Amennose; who both died
young. Hatshepsut also had a half brother who later became her husband, Thutmosis II. As a child, the royal
scribe taught Hatshepsut how to read and write hieroglyphics. As documented by Sadat (1987) Hatshepsut
questioned her need for education since she thought she would never become pharaoh. Hatshepsut was raised
believing that all good came from the god Amon and that the trinity of power consisted of the king, queen, and
Amon. Wells (1969) states that Hatshepsut was taught the importance of the Nile River as a source of goods and
food to the people of Egypt and her family
Hatshepsut acquired many titles during her rise to power. From Queen Tetisheri she received the title, "God's
wife of Amon." This title was then passed to Hatshepsut’s daughter, Neferure. As noted in Save-Soderbergh
(1961) Hatshepsut was often dressed as a boy, who led her to be titled the "Crown Prince of Egypt." Her
greatest accomplishment and title came in 1473 BCE when she crowned herself, not only queen, but also the
king of Upper and Lower Egypt. Before he died, her father Thutmosis I, named his son, Thutmosis III, of a
minor wife, heir to the throne. Since Thutmosis III was still a young child, Hatshepsut believed he could not run
both Upper and Lower Egypt alone, and soon crowned herself co-pharaoh. At the time Thutmosis III did not
seem to mind his joint reign with Hatshepsut. It was not until he grew into adulthood that Thutmosis III decided
he wanted full rights to the throne.
As the fifth ruler of the 18th dynasty, Hatshepsut accomplished many things in her kingdom. Although many
queens had ruled before her, never had a female ruler taken on the title of king, as stated by Breasted (1909). It
is believed that Hatshepsut posed as a man while out on expeditions or while visible to her kingdom.
Nonetheless, Hatshepsut began a line of strong female Egyptian rulers going as far forward as Cleopatra.
Montet (1964) stated the possibility that Hatshepsut staged the beginning struggles for women’s rights and set
the stage for many to follow her. Another accomplishment of Hatshepsut was the birth of her child, Princess
Neferure. Being queen, pharaoh, and mother took much patience, talent, and devotion. Also, the fact that
Hatshepsut was faced with raising a daughter in Egypt, forced her once again with the same problems of her
childhood. Still, Hatshepsut was a strong woman and accomplished much.
Having the title of God’s wife of Amon, Hatshepsut was able to influence and receive the support of the priests
of the temple. Hatshepsut also built a magnificent temple in Thebes, Deir el Bahri, showing she believed she
was of diving birth. Hatshepsut sent many ships on voyages to bring back other country’s goods. After an
expedition to Punt, a crew brought back exotic goods like ivory, myrrh, wood, monkeys, and gold. Hatshepsut
was able to open and increase trade expansion, keep a country at peace for the length of her rule, and begin to
perfect domestic advancement. Cottrell (1960) believed Hatshepsut was loved by many due to the thousands
that worked for and supported her every day of her rule. However it is not understood what happened to the
powerful Hatshepsut. Some think she was either poisoned by Thutmosis III or left the country.
Pharaoh Ramses II: Military Leader and Master Builder
The pharaoh Ramses II ruled from about 1290 to 1224
BCE. Called Ramses the Great, he is one of the most famous
pharaohs. He reigned for more than 60 years, longer than
almost any other pharaoh. He is best known for his military
leadership and for building numerous monuments. Ramses did
everything in a big way. He had over 100 wives and more than
100 children! He wasn’t shy about glorifying himself, either. He
had hundreds of statues of himself erected all around Egypt.
Some of them were over 60 feet high.
Ramses was a fearless soldier from a young age. He
fought alongside his father in various battles. He was made a
captain in the Egyptian army at the age of 10. Ramses
tried to defend an Egyptian empire that extended north,
and famously fought against the Hittites in Anatolia
(modern-day Turkey). However, Ramses was also a
peacemaker. He and the Hittites signed the world’s first
peace treaty. This peace lasted until the Hittite Empire
collapsed around 1190 BCE.
One of Ramses’s most impressive projects was a
temple. It was carved into the side of a cliff on a bank of
the Nile River. A smaller temple honored his favorite wife, Nefertari. Four giant seated statues
of Ramses framed the entrance to the main temple. The figures were sculpted right out of the
rock face of the cliff. They are among the finest examples of Egyptian art.
Ramses built more temples and monuments
than
any other pharaoh in history. When he died, he
was
buried in a tomb that he had constructed for
himself. He is one of the best-preserved
mummies ever found.
King Ramses the Second took the throne of Egypt in his early twenties (around 1279 BC)
and ruled for 66 years until his death (1213 BC). He was the third ruler of the 19th Dynasty
and ruled for an amazing 67 years, the second longest reign of the ancient Egyptian
pharaohs.
He is known as Ramses the Great for his contributions to Egypt, including his war
campaigns to the Mediterranean and into Nubia, as well as his construction projects, such as
cities, temples and tombs.
Perhaps the best-known achievements of Ramses the Great are his architectural endeavors,
most notable the Ramesseum and the temples of Abu Simbel. Ramses II's interest in
architecture resulted in the erection of more monuments than any of the other ancient
Egyptian pharaohs. A significant number of architectural tributes attributed to Ramses 2 still
dominate the landscape of Egypt today.
Ramses II: Military Impact
The reign of Ramses 2 was marked by numerous military battles and he became one of the
famous Egyptian pharaohs known for his military strength. Much of his reign was occupied
with taking back territories that were lost to Egypt during the rule of other ancient Egyptian
pharaohs (most notably Akhenaten) was preoccupied with establishing a monotheistic
religion. Ramses II's army was 100,000 men strong, enormous for that period in time.
Ramses 2's most famous battle is the Battle of Kadesh, which took place at the city of
Kadesh (situated in present day Syria). Fought in 1274 BC against the Hittites, it was the
largest chariot battle ever. Ramesses made a tactical error in that fight by dividing his forces,
causing one of his divisions to be swept away. Eventually none of the parties gained victory
and Ramesses had to retreat because of logistic difficulties.
The military genius of Ramses II helped to secure Egypt's borders from foreign invaders
and pirates along the Mediterranean and in Libya. He managed to fend off invasions from the
Hittites and Nubians.
In addition, his campaigns restored land to Egypt that had been previously lost to these
empires. By forming peace treaties with these empires after warring with them, Ramses II
helped to solidify Egypt's borders on all sides, allowing for increased internal stability. Many
of these campaigns were completed in the first twenty years of Ramses II's reign.
Ramses II's Religious Impact
The religious impact that Ramses 2 had on Egypt is not to be overlooked either. After
reigning for thirty years, Ramses II celebrated the Sed festival, in which the king was
turned into a God.
Ramses II defaced the monuments of previous reigning dynasties which had fallen out of
favor, and sought to return Egyptian religion to how it had been before the reign of
Akhenaton.
Since the people of Egypt worshiped Ramses II as a god, it also helped to ensure that his
son, who at that point commanded the army, would rise to power following his death, without
anyone trying to seize the throne.