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Discovered in an Egyptian burial chamber in 2009, the sarcophagus had a complicated history: Ancient inscriptions on the stone container showed that the sarcophagus was used twice; but while its second occupant, the 21st dynasty high priest Menkheperrê, is known, the sarcophagus of its first owner has remained a mystery until now.
New clues emerged after Frédéric Payraudeau, an associate professor of Egyptology at the Sorbonne University in Paris, re-examined a piece of the granite sarcophagus and deciphered the hieroglyphs engraved on it. Inside the cartouche, an oval-shaped ornament often found in tombs, he found the name of a very recognizable figure: Ramesses II.
Payraudeau said the inscription was proof that the artifact originally came from the famous pharaoh’s tomb and was reused after being looted.
“Obviously this was the sarcophagus of a king,” Payraudeau said. “The cartridge dates back to its first use and contains the throne name of Ramesses II, Usermaatra. “He was the only pharaoh in his time to use this name, which eliminates any doubt that it was his sarcophagus.”
The findings, published in the journal Revue d’Egyptologie, add to the knowledge of Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, one of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs. This also fills a gap in our understanding of how sarcophagi were used to bury kings.
fit for a king
Ramesses II was the third king of the 19th dynasty, and his reign – from 1279 to 1213 BC – was the second longest in Egyptian history. He was known for his successful military campaigns and his interest in architecture, which led him to erect important monuments and statues. His mother is in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.
II. Another coffin belonging to Ramesses was discovered near Luxor in 1881, but the sarcophagus fragment analyzed in the study was found in Abydos, a city about 40 miles (64 kilometers) to the northwest in a straight line.
“This is less strange than it seems,” Payraudeau said, “because we know that his tomb was plundered in antiquity, perhaps two centuries after his death, and he was certainly not the only king to be plundered.”
The granite piece that forms almost the entire long side of the sarcophagus was previously thought to have belonged to a prince. “But I always found it strange, because the decoration on this elaborate piece was indicative of a king and had traditionally regal elements,” Payraudeau said.
According to Payraudeau, another clue pointing to the true origin of the work is that the second owner of the work, the high priest Menkheperrê, had a half-brother named Psusennes I, who became the pharaoh. Kings – II. Kings belonging to none other than Merneptah, son and successor of Ramesses.
According to Payraudeau, the reuse of funerary goods served two purposes. On the one hand, it was dictated by frugality in a time of economic crisis, but at the same time, its subsequent rulers were Henry II, who is considered the glorious age of ancient Egypt. He attributed it to the New Kingdom period of Ramesses.
Protection against looting
Payraudeau, II of this piece. He said the confirmation that it was part of Ramesses’ funerary items meant that the king was buried in three nested sarcophagi. The first was probably made of gold like Tutankhamun’s, but was lost during an early plunder. During the restoration work carried out in the Pharaoh’s tomb in the 1990s, traces of the second sarcophagus were found in the form of alabaster pieces. According to the source of the granite fragment discovered by Payraudeau, both sarcophagi were inside a larger stone sarcophagus.
“This also tells us when pharaohs started using more than one stone sarcophagus,” Payraudeau added. “On time Ramesses IWe only see one, but II. Ramesses’ successor already had four stone sarcophagi to provide greater resistance to widespread plunder. Going directly from one to four was strange; “Now we have two to four, which is a more logical progression.”
Payraudeau said the piece was still in a warehouse in Abydos, but he had informed Egyptian authorities about the discovery and hoped to have the piece moved to a museum.
Researchers in the same field who were not involved in the study largely praised the finding.
Joann Fletcher, an Egyptologist and professor in the department of archeology at the University of York in England, called it a fascinating detective work that shows how the story of Egypt’s ancient past is still emerging with new discoveries and interpretations.
“The final find spot is also very intriguing; Ramesses’ sarcophagus was not only reused but was at one point moved to Abydos, considered the most religious site in Egypt and the spiritual home of the Egyptian kingdom,” Fletcher said.
Jean Revez, a history professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, agrees. “Payraudeau’s reading of the cartouche seems correct, and the parallels he suggests with the sarcophagi of another 19th dynasty king, Merneptah, the son and successor of Ramesses II, are relevant.”
According to Peter Brand, professor of Egyptology and Ancient History at the university, the coffins of New Kingdom pharaohs were always sealed inside stone sarcophagus boxes, usually made of granite, but no trace of Ramesses II or his father Seti I has ever been found. From Memphis.
“This suggests that both were ‘recycled’ by later Egyptians,” Brand said.
He added that it was no surprise that the stone sarcophagus of Ramesses II was taken after his tomb was robbed and his mummy safely hidden in a secret cemetery, and that a later high priest borrowed this highly prestigious item for his own tomb. his own funeral. He suggested that Egyptians had a strange sense of ownership over ancient monuments and considered this recycling “fair use.”
“Dr. Payraudeau’s detective work in discovering Ramesses as the original owner is a remarkable and important discovery,” Brand said, “and a textbook example of sorts for the ‘forensic’ study of erased or altered inscriptions that Egyptologists—including myself— “We will examine the complex histories of ancient artifacts and better understand the long and colorful history of ancient Egypt.”
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