Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This seven-ton statue (c. 1250
B.C.
), made from two different colors of granite, is a
fragment from a temple in Thebes. It shows Ramesses with the traditional features of a
pharaoh—goatee, cloth headdress, and cobra diadem on his forehead. Ramesses was a
great builder of temples, palaces, tombs, and statues of himself. There are probably more
statues of him in the world than there are cheesy fake
David
s. He was so concerned about
achieving immortality that he even chiseled his own name on other people's statues. Very
cheeky.
Picture what the archaeologists saw when they came upon this: a colossal head and
torso separated from the enormous legs and toppled into the sand—all that remained of
the works of a once-great pharaoh. Kings, megalomaniacs, and workaholics, take note.
•
Say, “Ooh, heavy,” and climb the ramp behind Ramesses, looking for animals.
