The History of Ramses II: The Greatest of All Pharaohs of His Time Essay

Introduction

Ramses II was an Egyptian leader who ruled the ancient civilization between the periods of 1303BC and 1213 BC.¹ He was also called by the name Ramesses-the-great due to the great honor that was bestowed upon him during his time. This was also because of the fact that he was the greatest of all pharaohs of his time. He was celebrated the most due to the great power that he had. The leaders who came after him regarded him as a great ancestor due to the legacy that he left behind after his tenure.

He led the Egyptians into Levant and led military interventions that led Egypt to take over Canaan. His leadership began when he was in a tender age of only 14. This was when he was appointed Prince Regent and came to the throne at the age of 15.² He then governed for the next 66 years where he made Egypt to progress in a number of ways.

A leader is a person who is in charge of a group of individuals and seeks their aid and support in order to accomplish the set goals and objectives. Civilization is a term used to refer to a certain society of people who have attained a certain level of advancements. To progress is to become increasingly better in terms of modernization, quality of life and liberty. All these words are compatible in that a leader may lead a certain civilization and cause it to progress in various aspects including modernization.

Contributions

One of Ramses’ contributions included the building of cities, monuments and temples. This was what he mainly focused on during his early years of reign. The city of Pi-Ramesses was also another of his contributions since he established it. It was located in the Nile Delta and this was where he based his campaigns while in Syria. This city was established from the remains of Avaris, which was a city they had overthrown earlier. That was the place where he built the main temple and called it Set.³

Another contribution by Ramses was the removal of the Amarna Period. He erased it completely from history. He also changed the structure of religion. This was in the structure of the priesthood. He wanted to take it back to what it had been, before Akhenaten changed it. Another contribution was in the building of the many monuments in Egypt. These monuments have been preserved to the present time and are now a great attraction.

Various buildings, some of which he did not build, bare his cartouches. There are statutes, remains of palaces and stones that show evidence of his great honor. He was said to have been obsessed by buildings. Ramesseum was his memorial temple that was built as one of his first constructions. He brought change to the mode of construction since he eternalized himself in stone. Evidence of his great work is still seen in his constructions and these include the archeological complex and the Mortuary temple.

Impact and influence

Ramses was a great and successful leader since he was able to send troops to various areas to take back the territories that had earlier been captured before his tenure.⁴ He took up areas from the Nubians and the Hittites. He was also able to secure the borders of Egypt. His power was also seen when he managed to suppress revolts from the Nubians and sent troops to Libya. Among his great battles, the battle of Kadesh was ranked the greatest. It is now being documented a lot as he is remembered for it. This displayed his military prowess and power. His great army totaled as many as 100,000 soldiers and this reciprocated the great power his army had.

Ramses also made an impact by guarding his coastline from the Sherden sea pirates. The pirates had attacked the vessels carrying the cargo that had been destined for Egypt. His strategy was a clever one. He had expected an attack from the pirates and therefore, prepared in advance. He first placed his troops and vessels at strategic positions in the sea and waited for the pirates to strike first. His army then pounced on the pirates and caught them by surprise.⁵ It only took one swing to capture all of them.

Lessons learnt

Ramses’ leadership skills can be emulated by leaders of today. One of the areas that can be used is the tactics. Ramses was well informed of the impending danger at the coastline and that was why he was able to send his troops into the sea to prepare to attack the pirates. A successful leader should have a means of getting such information of great importance to national security and not be caught off-guard. This could be done using spies. Another thing that leaders of today could emulate from Ramses is to strive to leave a legacy behind. Every leader should be remembered for the good things he had done and not just be forgotten.

Conclusion

Ramses was a great leader who ruled over the Egyptian territory and made an impact to the history of leadership. This explains why his name is so famous and his works have been documented in most history books. His works of construction still stand in Egypt and are even tourist attractions.

References

1. Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: The American University in Cairo Press.
2. Grimal, N. (1992). A history of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Blackwell.
3. Kitchen, K. (1983). Pharaoh Triumphant: The life and Times of Ramesses II, King of Egypt. London: Aris & Philips.
4. Kuhrt, A. (1997). The Ancient Near East. London: Routledge.
5. Tyldesley, J. (2000). Ramesses: Egypt’s Greatest Pharaoh. London: Viking/Penguin Books.

Footnotes

1. Tyldesley, J. (2000). Ramesses: Egypt’s Greatest Pharaoh. London: Viking/Penguin Books.
2. Kuhrt, A. (1997). The Ancient Near East. London: Routledge.
3. Kitchen, K. (1983). Pharaoh Triumphant: The life and Times of Ramesses II, King of Egypt. London: Aris & Philips.
4. Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: The American University in Cairo Press.
5. Grimal, N. (1992). A history of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Blackwell.