I MADE FOR YOU: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF RAMESES III (1187-1157 BCE) TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEBAN MEMORIAL LANDSCAPE IN THE ANCIENT EGYPT OF THE XX DYNASTY
Theban memorial landscape; Ramesses III; memory; Thebes; Ancient Egypt
The ancient city of Thebes, located in Upper Egypt, was one of the most important cities in the entire history of this country. From being the administrative and religious capital of Egypt, to the home of Amun-Ra, and the burial place of the monarchs of the New Kingdom (1539-1077 BCE), it assumed and carried various assignments and meanings, with great emphasis on the construction of dozens of temples on both banks of the Nile - erected throughout its millennial existence - which, among other functions, perpetuated the memories of the pharaohs who acted there. This thesis aims to analyze the monumental contribution of Ramesses III (1187-1157 BCE), the second king of the XX dynasty (1190-1077 BCE), to this place, understood as a Theban memorial landscape, in constant becoming and collectively elaborated. To this end, we propose to investigate the existence of this memorial landscape in the long term, from the first indications of local occupations to the end of the XIX dynasty (1292-1191 BCE), in order to identify the genesis and the main characteristics of this landscape propagated over the course of several centuries. From this context, as a way to scrutinize the individual contributions of the third Ramesses to the development of the Theban memorial landscape, we start from a large documentary scope, composed of written documents, especially the Papyrus Harris I, and materials, such as, for example, the monuments built by the king himself. Once the extent of the monarch’s involvement is delimited, we seek to ascertain, through the wall reliefs that decorated his monuments, the core of the memories that Ramesses III wished to propagate, intentionally, for all eternity