Ramses II

This beautiful book about Ramses (or Ramesses) II was published by Friedman / Fairfax (USA) and White Star (Italy) in 2002. It is a picture book in large format (also known as a coffee table book). The format is 26 x 36 cm, and the illustrations are absolutely fabulous.

Some are photos, others are drawings. Photos and drawings complement each other very well. All photos are in colour. All drawings are in colour, except for a few which are line drawings in black-and-white.

Most drawings used in this book are made by four Europeans, who visited Egypt during the 19th century (when many reliefs and tomb paintings were in a better condition than they are today):

** Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778-1823) - Italian

** Ippolito Rosellini (1800-1843) - Italian

** Emile Prisse d’Avennes (1807-1879) - French

** Karl Richard Lepsius (1810-1884) - German

Some of the drawings made by Rosellini are published in The Monuments of Egypt and Nubia.

Some of the drawings made by Prisse d’Avennes are published in Atlas of Egyptian Art.

Some illustrations are small, but most of them are large. In many cases one picture gets a whole page; and sometimes one picture gets a double page. A special fold-out system (used two times) means that one picture gets four pages (pp. 11-14 and 99-102).

When you travel to Egypt, you can visit most of the locations discussed and shown in this book. You can bring your camera and take your own pictures, but this book includes some pictures you cannot take yourself. Some pictures are taken from the air. You cannot take pictures like that, unless you can afford to rent a helicopter or a hot air balloon. Other pictures are taken inside an ancient tomb. You are not allowed to use your camera inside. The pictures in this book are taken by a professional photographer, who obtained a special permit to use his camera.

Pictures taken from the air include the following locations: Karnak, Luxor, and Abu Simbel. Pictures taken inside an ancient tomb include the following locations: the tomb of Nefertari and the tomb of Sennedjem.

I could recommend this book just because of the excellent and numerous illustrations, but there is more. There is also an excellent text, which is written by an author who knows his topic very well:

 

T. G. H. James (1923-2009) was educated at Oxford University and worked for many years in the Egyptian Department of the British Museum. For fourteen years (1974-1988) he was the keeper of this department.

Following a preface and an introduction, the main text is divided into 11 chapters. Each chapter covers one aspect of the general topic, for instance Ramesses the military commander (chapter 3) and Ramesses the builder (chapter 4). The question of myth and reality is discussed in chapter 5.

The author covers not only Ramesses and his family (chapter 6-7), but also the society and the state in which he lived and worked (chapters 8-10). In this way Ramesses is placed in his historical context. The legend of Ramesses is discussed in chapter 11.

At the end of the book we find a glossary, an index, a brief bibliography, and a long list with photo credits. Many pictures are taken by the Italian photographer Araldo De Luca, who works with White Star.

Some authors and some publishers are rather careless about the details. This is not the case here. When you read this book, it is evident that a system of quality control was used on every part of this product. It worked almost 100 per cent: I noticed only a few minor cases where something went wrong:

MISPRINTS

“abour” instead of “about” (page 78)

“irecorded” instead of “recorded” (page 103)

“is eldest daughter” instead of “his eldest daughter” (page 306)

A MISTAKE

The caption to the illustration on page 22 says: 

“Painting by François Dubois of the Place de la Concorde on 25 October 1833 at the moment when the Luxor obelisk was finally raised into an upright position.”

The obelisk arrived in Paris on 23 December 1833. It was erected almost three years later, on 25 October 1836. The correct year (1836) is mentioned on page 144. The wrong year (1833) appears again on page 311.

For more information about the ancient Egyptian obelisk in Paris see Obelisk: A History (2009) chapter 10.

AN OMISSION

On page 82 the author explains that the peace treaty concluded by the Egyptians and the Hittites in 1259 BC has survived in two versions: 

“Two monumental inscriptions, one in Karnak and one in the Ramesseum, give the Egyptian version. The Hittite version has survived on a clay tablet found at Hattusas, the capital of Hatti.”

Where are the pictures of the ancient treaty?

In many cases, a statement in the text is documented by an illustration: a photo, a drawing, or both. But in this case there is nothing. Neither the Egyptian nor the Hittite version is shown. There are many pictures of Karnak and the Ramesseum, but the Egyptian version of the treaty is not shown anywhere. The Hittite version of the treaty, currently on display in the archaeological museum in Istanbul, is not shown either.

These flaws are unfortunate, but they are minor and they are the exception.

Ramesses II ruled for 66 years (1279-1213 BC). He wanted to become immortal, and in a way his wish has come true. There are many traces of him and his reign all over Egypt; and his name lives. As James puts it (on page 289):

“His gods have not wholly deserted him.”

When you are going to Egypt, you do not want to take this book with you. It is too large and too heavy. Read the text and study the illustrations before going there. This can help you understand what you see when you get there. When you return from a visit to Egypt, this book will be a wonderful and valuable souvenir.

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T. G. H. James,

Ramses II,

White Star Books, 2002, 320 pages 

 

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