206: Ramesses II User-Ma’at-Ra

RAMESSES ACCESSION

King Sety I died in June of 1292 BCE, approximately. The next day, Ramesses officially became King. We know the date of this event, thanks to a festival that was celebrated in years to come.  The celebration of Ramesses’ appearance (or xai) was observed by the people of Deir el-Medina, every year, in the III month of Shemu (the harvest season), day 27.  So, Ramesses came to power in high summer.

The name Ramesses means “Born of Ra,” or “Born of the Sun-God.” It’s a royal name, specifically. Non-royal people, who want to use the same phrase, will spell “Ra” phonetically, r-a, because they don’t have the prerogative to invoke the deity directly. For Ramesses, as a prince and then a king, the divine spelling was appropriate. So, he’s known as Ra-Mes-Ses, “Born of the Sun God.”

As the King of Southern and Northern Egypt (the nsw bity), Ramesses would need a specific name. A way to single him out, in the long litany of rulers. For his new, royal, identity Ramesses called himself User-Ma’at-Ra.  There are three parts to that, Usir (meaning “Powerful”), Ma’at (meaning “Order” or “Truth”), and Ra (meaning the sun god). So, the name breaks down as “The Order of Ra / The Truth of Ra is Powerful.” The name is quite similar to that of his father Sety, who called himself Men-ma’at-Ra, or “Ra’s Order is Established.” Apparently, there’s a father-son emphasis on the Ma’at of Ra. The focus on Ra is typical, most royal names honour the Creator. But Sety and Ramesses also emphasise the cosmic order (Ma’at) as the foundation of reality. Maybe that gives an insight to their regimes, the core of their religious authority. Either way, a name like User-Ma’at-Ra was a good strong identity for the newly appearing King.

On the walls of temples, like Karnak, Ramesses II left images of himself before the deities. Great beings like Amun-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu (the rulers of Waset); Sakhmet, lady of war; Montu, the battle falcon; Djehuty (Thoth) the master of writing and record-keeping; Heru (Horus), the embodiment of kingship itself; and many others besides. In these images, Ramesses makes offerings to the beings who order the universe. In return, the gods bless Ramesses, consecrate his rule, and promise him long life.

RAMESSES AT KARNAK

Note: The following scenes appear in the Great Hypostyle Hall volumes. The discussions and images are labelled by PLATE number.

Ramesses and Montu (Plate 35)

We open with an image that, at least in this case, probably did happen at Karnak. It shows Ramesses, wearing the Red Crown, running before a god. The king clutches a flail and a small sceptre (called mks), and he runs in front of the deity Montu. Montu (or MnTw, the Wanderer) is a human male with a falcon’s head; and he is one of the lords of the city Waset (Thebes/Luxor). In fact, the temple of Montu is located in the northern part of Karnak. So, there’s a decent chance that Ramesses performed this rite near Montu’s temple.

Ramesses Purified (Plate 105)

After his running, you can imagine Ramesses might be a bit sweaty. Good thing, then, that the gods were ready to purify him. The next scene shows the King standing between two deities: Horus on his left, Djehuty (Thoth) on his right. The gods reach up, holding vases, and pour streams of water over the King. The water is depicted as symbols, specifically the ankh (meaning “life”) and the wAs (meaning “dominion” or “power”). Ramesses wears a long, straight beard, and his name appears in its early form: User-Ma’at-Ra. So, the scene must have been carved in Year 1, when he was fresh and new to rule.

As Ramesses enjoys his shower, the gods speak to him. Horus says (quote) “I have purified you (Ramesses) with life and dominion (ankh and was), so that your limbs may be rejuvenated forever… Power and victory belong to your strong arm. May our name endure like those of Shu and Tefnut. May ou be young like Khepri… as Ra endures in his rising and setting… for your person is Lord of the Black Land [Kemet]…”

Meanwhile, Djehuty / Thoth says the following to the King, quote: “Your purity is that of Horus, and his purity is yours. Your purity is that of Seth, and his is yours… Be pure, be pure, o King, Lord of the Two Lands, master of strength, Usermaatra! You shall live continually and be foremost of the Ka-spirits of… the living, you will appear on the throne of Horus, like Ra, forever.”

Establishing the Crowns (Plate 74)

Now, in the third scene, Ramesses undergoes a coronation. We see the King enthroned, with four deities (two on either side of him). From left to right, the gods are Horus, Nekhbet, Wadjet, and Djehuty. The male deities are standing, striding forward, reaching out with their hands to touch the ruler’s crown. The female deities are seated, upon thrones, and they reach out to embrace the King’s body. The scene appears to show one of the coronations; and the hieroglyphs communicate that.

“Words spoken by Djehuty, master of divine words (hieroglyphs): ‘Oh my son of my body, whom I love, the master of victory, Ramesses-Beloved-of-Amun, I establish (smn) for you the Double Crown upon your head…’”

“Words spoken by Horus of Edfu… ‘I establish (smn) for you the White Crown of the South (rsyt) and the Red Crown of the North (mHw), they being established upon your brow…’”

Receiving Sed Festivals (Plate 52)

On the right, Ramesses kneels in front of the god Amun-Ra, who sits upon a throne. The king is clad in his regalia, including the Blue Crown, and holding the crook and flail in one hand. In the other hand, Ramesses reaches out to receive a blessing from Amun. And it’s one heck of a blessing. Amun-Ra offers Ramesses a symbol: a small shrine, with two chairs inside, atop a semi-circle. This symbol is the heb-sed, or Sed Festival, the grand jubilee that a monarch celebrated after thirty years of rule (and then every few years after). To offer a heb-sed effectively means that the god gives the King a long life, and a long tenure. In this case, Amun-Ra makes his wishes clear.

“Words spoken by Amun-Ra… ‘Oh my son, whom I love, Lord of the Two Lands, User-Ma’at-Ra Setep-en-Ra [note: scene was carved in Year 2 or later], receive for yourself the crook and the flail, and years, and multitudes of sed-festivals (Hbw-sd), you appearing as King of Southern and Northern Egypt.

The god’s gift, symbolic or otherwise, would turn out startlingly effective. Ramesses would celebrate a Sed-Festival, the thirtieth year of his rule. Then another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And – you get the point. In the coming years, Ramesses would hold thirteen Sed-Festivals, one every three to four years. A staggering achievement; and a grand testament to the love that Amun-Ra held for him.

Finally, the left part of the scene shows something interesting. A series of deities, seated together in rows. There are fifteen of these gods, each holding their sceptres and watching the event. This group is an Ennead, a divine council with authority over the universe. It includes gods like Montu, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Usir, Aset, Seth (called “The One of Nebu / Ombos” instead of his name); Nephthys; Horus; Hat-Hor, and more. A real party of the great and powerful. They watch Ramesses, as he kneels before Amun-Ra (Lord of the Gods). And they speak, collectively, for the benefit of the King. 

“Words spoken by the Great Ennead who reside in Ipet-Sut (Karnak), ‘One acts in accordance with all that you (Amun-Ra) have decreed, for your son, who came before you. As for (the son), one acts for a doer, being effective for the one who has performed good things… We (the Ennead) have given to (Ramesses)… multitudes of Sed Festivals, as for a son who is as effective as he.’”

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In 1292 BCE, Ramesses II became the King of Egypt. He buried his father, Sety, in the Valley of the Kings; performing the duty of a pious son (Horus) for his father (Osiris). Ramesses chose and announced his names, most notably User-Ma’at-Ra, “The Order of Ra is Powerful,” and Ramesses-Mery-Amun “Ramesses, Beloved of Amun.” Then, the King visited the temples, to receive blessings and confirmation from the great and powerful gods.

With those three steps, the succession was complete. The time of transition ended, and the reign began in earnest. Ramesses was pharaoh.

The next few weeks were going to be busy. There were monuments to establish, servants to reward, and royal portraits to create. The first months of Ramesses’ reign are surprisingly well-documented, and we can even track his movements, week-by-week, as he begins his reign. We will embark on that journey in the next chapter.