Essay on The Talents of Ramses the Second - 594 Words

Architecture, literature, and the sculpture of 7.25 ton granites busts are all talents of Ramses II, and all of which paved his way to fame, power, and an eternal profile that was misunderstood by historians around the world. A man of many talents and achievements, Ramses II was as calculating as he was skilled. He managed to raise an empire to greatness, promote himself to a position of power so that no opponent would ever dare to challenge his reign, and (accidentally) fool historians everywhere centuries after his death. How did he do it? He did it through public promotions, careful calculating and planning, and the sheer power of Egyptian intelligence. Ramses II has plenty of historians fooled that he was a pride drinking ruler, hungry†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ramses II presided over and era known as the New Kingdom, a golden age of great wealth and prosperity for the Egyptians.† All of these great spoils for the Egyptians were made possible through Ramsesâ€⠄¢ self-promoting campaigns. These campaigns do not prove that he was guilty of hubris. In fact, they do quite the contrary. Any quick glimpse into history will elaborate to you that civilizations with a hubristic leader who ignored the needs of his/her people would not enjoy such spoils. In addition to this theory of careless foolish leaders, many examples exist. In a picture of a statue of Sadam Hussein being taken down by his former citizens, viewers can infer that he was not the greatest of leaders. His people resented him because of his actions. Ramses II did not have to watch his statues be torn down, nor see his people rise up against him, and for good reason, too. Ramses II was not a foolish or self-absorbed leader. He was not a negative ruler, misunderstood maybe, but not negative. In a passage from National Geographic, reporter Rick Gore quotes Kenneth Kitchen, the Egyptologist from the University of Liverpool, calling him â€Å"the world’s leading authority on the man.† With the â€Å"man† being Ramses II, Kitchen also said about Ramses II, â€Å"Our man never sneers. Look at his lips. He smiles. Gently.† In this quote, Kitchen is referring to one of the pharaoh’s statues, a statue on which his lips are indeed forming a sm ile. This fact shows us