Ramses III is considered the last great Pharaoh of the New Kingdom. His long reign coincided with a period of decline in Egypt, hastened by a series of external invaders and socio-economic problems. As the final ‘warrior Pharaoh’, he fought off a series of invasions from the Sea Peoples, a mysterious band of pirates probably originating in the Aegean, who had brought about the collapse of a number of other Bronze Age empires. Ramses’ successful defence of the Empire prolonged its survival, but left Egypt with a chronically depleted military, and a struggling treasury. Ramses was also a great builder, who conducted repair and expansion works at the great Temple of Amun at Karnak, the largest religious complex in the world. He also built the last great mortuary temple – a temple dedicated to his own memory, where offerings were made to the god-king after his death – at Medinet Habu. This temple remained an important centre in the religious and economic life of Western Thebes long after Ramses’ eventual death. His demise came in one of the most intriguing events in Egyptian history: a coup organised by his secondary wife Tiye, and supported by other members of his harem, whose details have been passed down to us in a long papyrus recording the trial and eventual execution of the conspirators.

This striding statue of Ramses depicts him as the standard-bearer of Amun. This ceremonial role involved carrying a tall pole with a head of the god’s avatar, a ram, in temple processions. In choosing to depict himself in this role, Ramses hoped to demonstrate his piety to the god. Such statues were dedicated at the Temple of Amun at Karnak, and perhaps at other Amun temple sites in Egypt, in order that the king may be present in spirit, even when not able to carry out his functions within the priestly hierarchy in person. The Pharaoh is identified by the uraeus, a rearing symbol of the cobra goddess Wadjet, on his brow; we can identify Ramses personally through the style of the statue, of which comparables may be found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 38682/CG 42150) and the Egyptian Museum in Barcelona (04 E 695), as well as through the hieroglyphic inscription on the back pillar. Each Pharaoh had five names, and at the top of this very fragmentary inscription is Ramses’ Horus Name, Ka-nakht-aa-nesyt (‘The Great Bull, Great of Kingship’), and at the bottom is his Throne Name, User-ma’at-ra Mery-amun (‘Strong is the justice of Ra, beloved of Amun’).

The king has the rounded, oval face traditional of Rammeside sculpture. His wide, almond-shaped eyes, outlined in kohl, are alert and watchful; his mouth reveals a serene expression. He wears a wig common in Rammeside depictions of both the Pharaoh and commoners, though his is embellished by a small striking uraeus. His torso is softly muscled, emphasising his athleticism and physical perfection. His hands are by his side; his right hand clenched in a fist, and his left supporting the Standard of Amun, which rises above his height. The standard takes the form of a square pole, bearing a fragmentary inscription, and terminates in a head of Amun as a ram, wearing a broad beaded collar, and surmounted by a solar disk with an uraeus. He wears a pleated kilt, with an elaborate arrangement of leather straps hanging from the front. Atop this arrangement is the face of a leopard, and a row of uraei wearing sun disks. This statue is a beautiful example of late Rammeside sculpture, executed in incredibly hard stone with skill and deftness.

References: comparable examples are found in Cairo (Egyptian Museum JE 38682/CG 42150) and Barcelona (Egyptian Museum 04 E 695).