Multi-Modal Speech Presentation on Ramses II - Assignment Example

Multi Modal Speech Presentation on Ramses II This speech is about one of the most powerful of the Egyptian pharaohs King Ramses II of the nineteenth dynasty. This claim has support from the fact that he is still relevant today in literature, history, education and entertainment. There are several reasons for the persistence of Ramses II throughout history that will be explored using the framework of literature including his building of monuments in Nubia and Egypt, his military campaigns and peace treaty, the Sed festival, his association with Moses and his inspiration for Ozymandias (Dunn, 2011). Despite passing time, Ramses II has remained relevant to this era owing to his achievements. A persistent theme in literature is that Ramses II was powerful and prolific. As such, he is often referred to as Ramses the great. He was the ruler of Egypt from 1279 to 1213 BC (66 years). Historical records show that he lived to be about 99 years old. However, Egyptologists have disputed this account saying that he most likely dies in his 90th year. He is then buried in the Valley of the Kings in a tomb (Clayton, 1994). Greek sources refer to him as Ozymandias, derived from his throne name. One of the most persistent ways of maintaining relevancy in the world is religion. Ramses II succeeded in this front. Literature shows that his religious significance came about after he changed the structure and nature of religion as well as priesthood especially through defacing Amarna (Kitchen, n.d). He is among Egypt’s longest lived kings. The Egyptian tradition required that the king be celebrated after 30 years of reign in a festival known as Sed festival. At this festival, Ramses was considered a god through rituals meant to transform him (Dunn, 2011). The people of Egypt were ready to accept him as a god not only because of his long reign, but also because he made Egypt richer through conquering empires and collecting wealth from them. His legacy lives on as nine other pharaohs decide to take on his name as they begin their rule. In addition, his appearance made people associate him with the god Set. He was the son of Seti and, like his father, he had red hair too. This characteristic is shared by the god set. Although Set was scorned by a vast majority of Egyptians, Ramses did not mind this association and was actually proud of it. His successes forced Egyptians to accept his association as well. His cult following continued for centuries even after Egypt’s pharaonic period was concluded. In the Graceo-Roman period, there was a need to raise the status of the god Khons (Kitchen, 1983). In order to do this, the priests at the time re-wrote mythology so that Ramses II could be allowed to star alongside Khons. He is also relevant in other religions in relation to Moses (Farhat, 2011) Literature mostly focuses on his rule. His actions and successes have a greater impact because he had inherited an undermined Kingdom. The Hittite empire played a great role in undermining the religion and authority of Egypt. Thus, he commenced on a series of military campaigns whose successes helped to bring Egypt back to its former glory. Although most literary works mention his successes, others show that he had mixed results of military successes at the beginning before later years when he was successful. He is not only relevant in Egyptian culture and religion but also in Christianity. In the Old Testament, he is famous as the pharaoh who granted Moses and his people freedom although there are accounts that have records of him recanting this decision debate (Kitchen, 2003). Conflicting characters are presented by literature in this case. One is a pharaoh who was the first to grant freedom to Moses and his people while another representation is a pharaoh who did this too but recanted this decision. The choice between this two is often open to debate (Kitchen, 2003). Consequently, Ramses II remains an intriguing character in history. This results in curiosity about his life among people and increases his relevance. Among the most appreciated qualities in leaders of the ancient world as well as to day is the ability to lead and win a war as well as maintain peace where need be. Ramses was a forerunner of sorts in efforts to maintain peace between nations. He had made several attempts to defeat the Hittite Empire but was unable to do so. As this went on, he realized that the enemies of his and the Hittite empire were most likely to benefit from the ongoing battles that the two rivals (James, 2000). To solve this, in 1258 B.C Ramses II and the Hittite king (Hattusili III) had a peace talk. They agreed to relinquish all claim on each others’ territories and form an alliance. This way, if one of the territories was in need of aid, the other would be obliged to help. Further conflicts were to be prevented by giving back any criminals and refugees who had been arrested or were living in foreign territory. These and other agreements between the two were contained within a document with 18 articles. In most literature, this article is the first known peace treaty. The world today is characterized by peace treaties, which adds to Ramses’ relevance. Understanding the life and times of Ramses II helps in understanding other leaders in Egypt. This information bears greater relevance for the leaders who came after Ramses II. He set the bar of leadership in Egypt high again and pharaohs who came after him had to strive to maintain this standard of ancient Egypt. According to Clayton (1994), during the 66 year reign of Ramses II, all the activities too place in a grand manner. All that was done happened with grand. None of the pharaohs before him had filled ancient Egypt with so many statues, obelisks and temples. In addition, they also had not had as many children as Ramses who had about 100. The most repeated texts to be put on record as regards to Egyptian history celebrate the victory that Ramses had in Kadesh. Art has also contributed to the relevance of Ramses II. Unlike other ancients at the time, Egyptian statues did not depict the exact looks of whom they represented. Thus, it is difficult to tell his looks from looking at the statues. Statues made at the time were based on certain models that had been done previously. Thus, he is often depicted as a traditional king with features that a king would be expected to have. He is dignified, tall, always young, physically strong and perfect (James, 2000). Such of presentation of Ramses II prompted certain scholars to comment that if he truly looked like his statues and portraits, then he was not among the handsomest men in all of history (James, 2000). Certain literature also credits the successes and prosperity experienced during Ramses II’s era as a combination of good circumstances (James, 2000). There were Nile floods during this time which made the lands more fertile leading to better harvests. He also had an extraordinarily larger family, there was international stability and he lived to an old age. Whether attributed to good leadership or good luck, Egypt flourished under Ramses II and became the envy of most of the ancient world. For a long time, only the name of Ramses II was known to the world and the mention of Egyptian pharaoh would automatically be associated with him (Dunn, 2011). The beginnings of deciphering Egyptian languages and symbols as well as the discovering of tombs is what led to the world gaining knowledge of other Egyptian pharaohs, kings and queens like Tutankhamun, Akhenaten and Hatshepsut. Before people began practicing Egyptology, Ramses II was a fabled king like England’s King Arthur. Like with King Arthur, an in accurately informed crop of Kings cropped from his supposed character. He became a character that is a combination of the qualities that people considered positive and necessary for kings. In essence, he was the perfect King, a reference point for pharaohs who came after him. As such, most modern observers did not readily the greatness of Ramses II as the ancient world had. However, after Jean Francois Champollion was successful in decoding the hieroglyphs contained in the Rosetta Stone, monumental building works of Ramses II came to be appreciated by the modern world as well. His fame started all over again among modern observers. However, this was not without some bad press. Bansen described him as an openly tyrannical ruler who made use of his reign to unparalleled levels in order to torment strangers and his subjects to the utmost that his power would allow. William C. Hayes in 1959 described him as an individual who was aggressively over assertive who was not possessed great magnetism and energy but not unmatched intelligence. Hayes also commented that Ramses II lacked in taste. Amelia B. Edwards gave him relatively positive reviews saying that the despotism and pride exhibited by Ramses II actions were in accordance with the temper of his contextual era and his precedent (Edwards, n.d). These reviews were a type of defense for Ramses II. Kenneth Kitchen backs Edwards up by suggesting that the actions and attitudes displayed by Ramses II should not be subjected to crude and in accurate measurement against the social values of time world so that they appear to be of a megalomaniac and boastful nature. Instead, his actions should be measured against the values, norms and ideas of his culture and era. In doing this, he is asking scholars and other interested parties to look at Ramses II within the context that Ramses II grew up and ruled within and not our own context. This is the only way of ensuring that Ramses II gets credit where credit is deserved. Views held by most modern scholars tend to undulate depending on the role or issue under discussion. However, there is a consensus that he did what pharaohs were meant to do and, he prospered more because he had more time to accomplish his roles. According to the expected role of a pharaoh in ancient Egypt, Ramses II flourished. The pharaoh was meant to link people with the gods and had the duty of sustaining Ma’at. Ma’at refers to truth, balance and/or continuity of rightness within the community. Evidence of the balance being maintained would be witnessed through Nile floods which nourish the land and ensure good harvest. The Ma’at was achieved through rituals, cults and other activities such as supporting priesthood and building temples. Ramses II did all this to his best and true to expectations, there were Nile floods. Kings who were not born of long lines of royal blood and great mothers often felt the need to over-compensate to please their people and the gods. Ramses II was not born from a long line of kings. Contemporary representation Modern representations of Ramses have gone through customization dependent on who is telling the story. This is one of the major differences between representations of Ramses II in primary literature compared to contemporary sources. Contemporary sources represent certain faces of Ramses and focus on single accomplishments or features while primary and secondary sources present the whole picture. This is not to say that primary and secondary sources do not lean towards certain representations. For instance, most ancient literature from Egypt represents Ramses in positive light while Greek sources present some of the faults that Ozymandias had. Despite the differences in contemporary representations, he has been preserved in some of the most fundamental ways cementing his relevance to the modern world as well. He has been featured in comics, novels, movies, documentaries, poems and plays. The modern world remembers Ramses II in different ways through unrealistic representations are a common feature. In Christian Jacq’s Egyptian novels, Ramses II is presented as a good hearted, handsome, Christian and courageous king. In Ann Rice’s ‘The Mummy’, the world is presented with a lonely and complicated individual. His introduction to the silver screen happened in 1909 in the film ‘mummy of the King Ramses’ (Ray, 2011). Cecile B DeMile, in ‘The Ten Commandments’ portrays him as a wonderful pharaoh. His animated interpretation from DreamWorks, Prince of Egypt, was not an accurate portrayal. These representations in classical history are also highly customized and mainly dependent on first impressions he made on people through his works or character. The Christian Bible included his name and actions making him known to most of the ancient world. He is also found in the works of the Egyptian Historian Manetho, Herodotus, the Greek historian and Diodorus Siculus who knew him as Ozymandias. Percy Bysshe Shelley published a poem of the same name containing his opinion of the pharaoh (Shelley, 1819). The poem has been used in television shows including Beauty and the Beast in an episode called Ozymandias, the entire poem was read. In the poem, Shelley, immortalizes the tyrannical and ostentatious nature of Ramses II. The focus of the poem is on this nature alone thus, making it a challenge for anyone with a different opinion of Ramses II (Zachary, 1998). In the graphic novel watchmen, Ramses II is the inspiration for the character of Adrian Veidt through the alter ego Ozymandias. In prince of Egypt and The Ten commandments, he is portrayed as a vengeful individual who is jealous of the attention that his father pays to his step brother Moses. Contemporary documentaries thrive of architecture and statues among other things. As such, Ramses II is a gold mine for documentaries. In addition, more people are taking up the challenge of identifying his 100 children. This is also mirrored in most magazine articles that report on the discoveries made about Ramses II. In Discover Magazine, Shanti Menon (1996) writes about the discovery of tombs where Ramses II buried about 50 sons in a kind of family mausoleum (Menon, 1996). The magazine focuses on discoveries made about Ramses II rather than his character. Documentaries such as BBC’s Ramesses the Great focuses of investigating the claims made about the pharaoh’s accomplishments using modern technology to approve or disapprove of these claims (Ray, 2011). The documentary goes further to associate him with the planet Jupiter, which is the largest in the solar system. They call him the Jupiter of pharaohs. This is relevant especially since the only other ancient individual associated with the planet is Greek mythology’s Zeus, the ruler of the god, who is actually the Roman god Jupiter. Other similarities between him and Zeus include that Zeus had many children as well and had many statues of him built. However, the documentary does not maintain this positive image of Ramses II, instead, the go further to say that he is just hot air. Documentaries and magazines take on the character of Ramses II in an exploratory manner by covering his achievements one role after another. A BBC magazine article follows a systematic methodology in analyzing his achievements with most of the analysis giving a negative review (Ray, 2011). The article shows Ramses II as an individual who thinks much of himself. Thus, he endeavors to name his city after himself and has one of the largest families of that era. Like Kevin Kitchen and Amelia Edwards, certain magazine articles make a little effort to view Ramses II from the perspective of his context. They acknowledge that modesty was not considered a virtue that should be possessed by a pharaoh at the time. Thus, though Ramses II appeared to be ostentatious, he was simply doing what was expected of him without having malicious intent in doing so. The peace treaty that was signed with the Hittites is among the most persistent methods that Ramses II has maintained presence in contemporary media. This is especially because a copy of the document hangs in the General Assembly building of the United Nations. In conclusion, the many faces of Ramses II are presented differently by primary and secondary sources as well as contemporary ones. Primary and secondary literature place more focus on the scholarly benefit of knowing Ramses II as well as his key role in Egyptian history. Some of his achievements cannot be disputed and this is a common feature in both contemporary and primary and secondary sources. However, as is the nature of an individual’s historical record, the literature available on Ramses is subjective depending on who is reporting it and what role he chooses to focus on. He is intriguing to individuals, which is clear by the number of research projects, papers and documentaries done about him. His relevance is preserved in history books, films, architecture, cartoons, religion, discoveries and politics. Ramses II is bound to remain relevant for many years to come. References Clayton, P. (1994). Chronology of the Pharaohs. Thames & Hudson. Dunn, J. (2011). Ramessses II: Anatomy of a Pharaoh. Retrieved from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ramesses2intro.htm Edwards, A. A. B. (n.d.). "Chapter XV: Rameses the Great". Retrieved from http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/edwards/nile/nile-XV.html Farhat, A. Q. (2011). Pharaoh of Moses: A Quranic prophecy fulfilled. Retrieved from https://www.alislam.org/egazette/articles/Pharaoh-of-Moses-201005.pdf James, T. G. H. (2000). Ramesses II. New York: Friedman/Fairfax Publishers Kitchen, K. (1983). Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life and Times of Ramesses II, King of Egypt. London: Aris & Phillips Kitchen, K.A. (n.d.).Pharaoh Ramesses II and His times. History and Culture. 763-774. Retrieved from http://www.ericlevy.com/Revel/Intro2/Pharaoh%20Ramesses%20II%20and%20his%20Times.PDF Kitchen, K. A. (2003). On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Menon, S. (1996). Fifty Sons of Ramses. Discover Magazine. Retrieved from http://discovermagazine.com/1996/jan/fiftysonsoframse617 Ray, J. (2011). Ramesses the Great. BBC History. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/ramesses_01.shtml Shelley, P. B. (1819). Rosalind and Helen, a modern eclogue, with other poems. London: C. and J. Ollier Zachary, S. (1998). The Construction of Lyric Subjectivity in Shelley's 'Ozymandias'. Studies in Romanticism. 37(2), 217–233 Read More