Ramesses III: The Warrior Pharaoh Who Defended Egypt’s Empire
Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. Some scholars date his reign from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC, and he is considered the last pharaoh of the New Kingdom to have wielded substantial power.
The falling of Egyptian political and economic power was experienced during his long reign which was also associated with a sequence of invasions and internal economic issues not only for the pharaohs in his era. This was accompanied by a drop in the cultural aspect of Ancient Egypt.
Ramses III
But he was successful in his defence and that was able to slow down the deterioration though that left his successors with a weaker military. He is also a warrior Pharaoh whose strong military tactics have been used to characterize him. He was in the lead by defeating the invaders also called the Sea Peoples which had ravaged other civilizations and empires. He was in a position to rescue Egypt from its way to a downfall when most other empires collapsed during the Late Bronze Age, but the effects of the invasions had an impact on Egypt.
One of the largest mortuary temples to western Thebes, which is currently known as Medinet Habu, was erected by Rameses III. It was the Harem conspiracy by his second wife Tiye and her eldest son Pentawere that assassinated him. This eventually led to a succession crisis that further led to the weakening of Ancient Egypt. He was succeeded by his own son Ramesses IV and was his successor though there were many other sons of his who became future rulers.
His reign is mostly remembered because of his conquests of the Sea Peoples which was a confederation of sea raiders who terrified various societies in the eastern Mediterranean during the twelfth century BCE. By meticulous organization and military expertise, Ramesses III was able to beat these invaders on land and on sea and Egypt remained independent at a time when most of the region was falling.
Ramesses III was commemorated in the inscriptions on the temples, papyri and reliefs, the great mortuary temple of Medinet Habu being the one in which the story is most frequently preserved. These documents give a detailed description of battles, administration policies and religious activities.
Historical Background of the Twentieth Dynasty
Ramesses III was not closely related to Ramesses I or Ramesses II. He was the son of Setnakhte and Tiy-Merenese who wrote her name in a cartouche. The background of Setnakhte is unclear. He took over the throne in a period of crisis and political instability probably at the hands of Twosret and he was probably a remote relative of Ramesses II by a different family to that of Seti II, Siptah and Twosret.
Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt ruled Egypt from approximately 1189 to 1077 BCE. This period followed the Nineteenth Dynasty, when rulers like Ramesses II had expanded Egypt’s power across the Near East. The political environment of the eastern Mediterranean was by this time evolving radically by the time the Twentieth Dynasty commenced.
Warfare, migration, and disruption of the economy were destroying many powerful states such as the Hittite Empire and various Mycenaean kingdoms. The Sea Peoples which were groups commenced their movements all through the area assaulting the trade routes and coastal cities.
Egypt was among the few civilisations that could withstand this wave of revolution. Ramesses III was very instrumental in that survival.
Accession to the Throne
Ramesses III is believed to have reigned from March 1186 to April 1155 BC. This is based on his known accession date of I Shemu day 26 and his death on Year 32 III Shemu day 15. Some scholars estimate a reign of 31 years, 1 month and 19 days. Alternative dates for his reign are 1187–1156 BC.
In a description of his coronation from Medinet Habu, four doves were said to be “dispatched to the four corners of the horizon to confirm that the living Horus, Ramses III, is still in possession of his throne, that the order of Maat prevails in the cosmos and society”.
His early years as king were marked by efforts to secure Egypt’s borders and maintain internal stability. Foreign threats were already emerging, and the pharaoh needed to respond quickly to protect the kingdom. His reign would ultimately last about 31 years, making him one of the longest-ruling kings of the late New Kingdom.
Tenure of constant war
Wars Against the Sea Peoples
Tenure of constant war of Ramesses III
During his long tenure in the midst of the surrounding political chaos of the Late Bronze Age collapse, Egypt was beset by foreign invaders (including the so-called Sea Peoples and the Libyans) and experienced the beginnings of increasing economic difficulties and internal strife which eventually led to the collapse of the Twentieth Dynasty.
In Year 8 of his reign, the Sea Peoples, including Peleset, Denyen, Shardana, Meshwesh of the sea, and Tjekker, invaded Egypt by land and sea. Ramesses III defeated them in two great land and sea battles.
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The Land Battle: First, he defeated them on land in the Battle of Djahy on the Egyptian Empire’s easternmost frontier in Djahy or modern-day southern Lebanon.
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The Naval Battle: The second one was the Battle of the Delta, in which Ramesses enticed the Sea Peoples and their ships into the mouth of the Nile, where he had assembled a fleet in ambush.
Although the Egyptians had a reputation as poor seamen, they fought tenaciously. Rameses lined the shores with ranks of archers who kept up a continuous volley of arrows into the enemy ships when they attempted to land on the banks of the Nile. Then, the Egyptian navy attacked using grappling hooks to haul in the enemy ships. In the brutal hand-to-hand fighting which ensued, the Sea Peoples were utterly defeated.
Ramesses III incorporated the Sea Peoples as subject peoples and settled them in southern Canaan. Their presence in Canaan may have contributed to the formation of new states in this region such as Philistia after the collapse of the Egyptian Empire in Asia. During the reign of Ramses III, Egyptian presence in the Levant is still attested as far as Byblos and he may have campaigned further north into Syria.
Further south, inscriptions of Ramses III have been found in southern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia which were inscribed as the pharaoh led an army through the area according to archaeologists. He was also compelled to fight invading Libyan tribesmen in two major campaigns in Egypt’s Western Delta in his Year 5 and Year 11 respectively. By the early 12th century, Egypt claimed overlordship of the Cyrenaican tribes. At one point a ruler chosen by Egypt was set up briefly over the combined tribes of Meshwesh, Libu, and Soped.
Economic Conditions During the Reign of Ramses III
The First Recorded Labor Strike
The high cost of these battles slowly exhausted Egypt’s treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia. The severity of these difficulties is stressed by the fact that the first known labour strike in recorded history occurred during Year 29 of Ramesses III’s reign, when the food rations for the favoured and elite royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of Set Maat her imenty Waset (now known as Deir el-Medina), could not be provisioned.
Something in the air (possibly the Hekla 3 eruption) prevented much sunlight from reaching the ground and also arrested global tree growth for almost two full decades until 1140 BC. The result in Egypt was a substantial increase in grain prices under the later reigns of Ramesses VI-VII, whereas the prices for fowl and slaves remained constant. Thus the cooldown affected Ramesses III’s final years and impaired his ability to provide a constant supply of grain rations to the workmen of the Deir el-Medina community.
These difficult realities are completely ignored in Ramesses’ official monuments, many of which seek to emulate those of his famous predecessor, Ramesses II, and which present an image of continuity and stability. He built important additions to the temples at Luxor and Karnak, and his funerary temple and administrative complex at Medinet Habu is amongst the largest and best-preserved in Egypt; however, the uncertainty of Ramesses’ times is apparent from the massive fortifications which were built to enclose the latter. No temple in the heart of Egypt before Ramesses’ reign had ever needed to be protected in such a manner.
Building Projects during The Reign of Ramesses III
Ramesses III continued with the tradition of monumental building that was set by his predecessors. His most significant architectural creation is the mortuary temple at medinet habu of the west bank of Luxor.
The temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.
One of the most preserved temples in Egypt is the Medinet Habu. It has elaborate reliefs on its wall depicting military triumphs, religious ceremonies and royal rituals. The administrative buildings, storage spaces as well as defensive walls were also part of the temple complex.
Ramesses III Legacy
This king had a vast donation of land, gold statues and monumental buildings to the many temples in Egypt (Piramesse, Heliopolis, Memphis, Athribis, Hermopolis, This, Abydos, Coptos, El Kab, and other cities in Nubia) recorded in the Great Harris Papyrus or Papyrus Harris I commissioned by his own son and successor Ramesses IV.
It further documents that the king sent a trading mission to the Land of Punt and mined the copper in Timna in the southern Canaan.
Ramesses began the reconstruction of the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak from the foundations of an earlier temple of Amenhotep III and completed the Temple of Medinet Habu around Year 12. He made the walls of his Medinet Habu temple with his naval and land battles with the Sea Peoples. To this day, this monument is one of the most intact temples of the New Kingdom.
KhonsuTemple Karnak RamessesIII
Assassination
The Harem Conspiracy
Towards the end of his reign, a palace conspiracy was set against Ramesses III. The members of the royal harem, officials and servants started plotting to assassinate the king and have another prince on the throne.
The Judicial Papyrus of Turin is a type of judicial records that describe the investigation and trials that were undertaken. The contemporary CT scanning of the mummy of Ramesses III indicates that he might have actually committed suicide through the deep cut in the throat which implies that the plan might have worked.
Ramesses III’s Death and Burial
KV11 Tomb of Ramses III
Ramesses III died around 1155 BCE. He was buried in tomb KV11 in the Valley of the Kings. KV11 is one of the largest tombs in the valley, decorated with colourful scenes from the Books of the Underworld.
This mummy was subsequently transferred to a royal hoard at Deir el-Bahari to keep it safe against tomb robbers.
