Egypt - Ramses II

Ramses II, being powerful and ambitious, was the third ruler of the 19th dynasty. Perhaps most famous for allegedly being the pharaoh during the Jewish exodus.

Ramses II, the son of Queen Tuy and Sety I was given the throne at age 20,hence he ruled for 67 years. As most pharaohs, Ramses II had a large harem of wives, his favorite and most famous being Nefertiti. Being a pharaoh, he seemed to have a lot of time on his hands, hence he fathered over 100 children.

Being the most extravagant of known rulers and a lover of power and grand architecture, Hegar dilators he lived a life of extreme wealth and demonstrated a need for divine architecture. (Not sure how one can have extreme wealth being the parent of 100 children), Ramses II erected more temples and monuments than any other Egyptian pharaoh.

Abu Simbel, his most impressive was constructed in southern Egypt on the banks of the Nile.When the Aswan Dam was constructed to alleviate the annual flooding of the Nile River, Abu Simbel was disassembled stone by stone. The stones were consequently numbered, moved and re-constructed on higher ground, where it remains today and is one of the most visited shrines in Egypt.

Along with most pharaohs, he improved the temples at Karnak and Luxor, finished many projects his father had started as well as starting many more of his own. His lust for beauty and power drove the Egyptians heavily into debt and thus the country suffered extreme hardships because of this.

I'm thinking our current government leaders must be descendants of his.

Being a powerful ruler with an army of over 100,000,and in an effort to reclaim Africa and Western Asia for Egypt he attacked his neighbors, the Nubians, Syrians and Hitites many times, with the most famous campaign being the battle of Kadish.

Living to the ripe old age of 90, the last decades of his life he spent suffering from arthritis and walked with a hunched back. His teeth were continuously infected and much evidence points to his teeth as being the cause of death.

Being a redhead his family was associated with the god Seth, the slayer of Osiris. Ramses II's father, Seti I, means "follower of Seth."

Although his tomb, located in the Valley of Kings was found empty and had been continuously looted over the years. It is now slowly being restored.Because of security reasons,his mummy has been moved several times and is one of the best preserved ever found.

Gary has been a photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and event photography.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean, and having studied Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life, photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different cultures!

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