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| Egyptian Afterlife | Daily Life |
Rameses The Great - Rameses II
Rameses the Great
| Rameses II was also called Rameses the Great and he lived for 96 years. He reigned over Egypt for 67 years, from 1279 BC to 1212BC. Rameses II took eight wives and is said to have sired as many as 162 children. Ancient Egyptians were short by modern standards, around 1.60 metres (5ft 3 in) on average. But Rameses II's mummy, found in the 1881 cache, is 1.83 metres (6ft) tall. In the seventh year of his father's (Seti I) reign, Rameses II became co-ruler of Egypt. Rameses II and his father began many restoration and building projects. These included the building of several temples and the restoration of other shrines and complexes throughout Egypt. He built a mortuary complex at Abydos in honour of Osiris and the famed Ramesseum. Having outlived many of his older sons, his 13th son ascended to the throne upon his death in 1298 B.C.E. Rameses II built more temples and monuments than any other pharaoh in history. | |
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Seti I |
DID YOU KNOW: Twice a year, the shadowy interior of Rameses II's temple ( the Ramesseum) is pierced by the rays of the rising sun, which illuminate the four statues in the temple's sanctuary.
DID YOU KNOW: Lions represented courage in ancient Egypt. One poem said that Rameses II fought "like a fierce lion in a valley of goats".
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| Egyptian Afterlife | Daily Life |
