For centuries, Ramses II has been celebrated as one of ancient Egypt’s greatest builders and rulers. But behind the grandeur lies a controversial truth — much of what he claimed to have built may have actually belonged to earlier pharaohs, particularly Amenhotep III.
Amenhotep III, who ruled from 1390 to 1353 B.C., commissioned numerous monumental statues during his reign, using a distinctive cream-colored stone that he favored. One such statue, originally created in his honor, was later altered and reused by Ramses II, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 B.C. This was not just a simple reuse; Ramses II effectively rebranded the statue as his own.
The statue’s details reveal the deception. The head, once adorned with a broad beaded collar and nemes-headcloth, was altered to reflect Ramesside preferences. A vertical recess was carved to allow for the addition of a new nose, and the original features were modified — including the transformation of a wide mouth into a smaller one, favored by Ramses. Drilled recesses around the ears, a feature unknown in royal art before the time of Akhenaten, Amenhotep’s son, suggest further changes made during or after Akhenaten’s era.
These deliberate modifications point to a broader pattern: Ramses II frequently took credit for monuments built by predecessors. While he certainly commissioned his own projects, his legacy also leans heavily on appropriation and modification.
In the end, while Ramses II may have been a master of propaganda and image, the evidence suggests that some of the splendor credited to him rightly belongs to Amenhotep III — the true architectural visionary of the 18th Dynasty
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