In 1817, the English poet Shelley wrote the poem Ozymandias in response to viewing the damaged colossi of Memnon in the British Museum. The title of the colossi “Ozymandias” was a Greek name for the pharaoh Ramses II.
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings.”
Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that Colossal Wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away....”
Archaeologists know him from his incessant propaganda (his name is incised on nearly every extant monument throughout Egypt. He never saw a monument that he didn't put his name on, regardless of who built it). Barbara Mertz makes some critical, but funny references to him in her two books on Ancient Egypt. Modern audiences know him from Yul Brynner's arrogant portrayal in Cecil B. DeMille's, "The Ten Commandments." Needless to say, that movie is not historically accurate. His mummy now resides in the soon-to-open enormous Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids of Giza outside Cairo. You can still make out his imposing nose and a few whips of hair, red with henna.
If Shelley were able to visit the De Young Museum in 2022, he would feel much less reason to despair. While Ramses’ tomb was looted in antiquity, the museum has, with the aid of Egyptian archaeologists, put together an extensive collection of artifacts from the time of Ramses.
The artifacts on display in Ramses the Great range from stone cartouches and life-sized statues to delicate jewelry and exquisitely detailed coffins. In one room, an unusual collection of animal mummies that were recently discovered in the ancient city of Memphis—cats, lion cubs, mongoose, crocodiles, and scarab beetles—appear for the first time in a traveling exhibit. In another, they recreate the crypt of Sennedjem, a royal artist and the builder of Ramses’ own tomb, surrounding his real, lavishly painted coffin with images of the afterlife projected on the walls and ceiling; these images are the same as those that were found painted in the actual tomb.
The ancient Egyptians loved both their gods (an amazing pantheon) and life and wanted it to continue into eternity. A mummy to honor Sobek the crocodile god.
They fervently believed in resurrection. So those who could afford it filled their tombs with everyday objects that they would need later – beds, chairs, and cedar chests; chariots, weapons, game boards, unguent jars and cosmetics, wine and beer jugs, musical instruments, pen and papyrus, clothing, food stuffs, pets. Anything they used in life they wanted in death along with the peasants who did all the work and created all the wealth.
There is a video (yet another one) of the Battle of Kadesh which Ramses claims to have won. But the Hittites say differently and it's too bad that isn't more critically presented. Barbara Mertz, in her book on Ancient Egypt, "Red Land, Black Land" has quite a few pages devoted to Ramses and his many military mistakes (pp 145-146). But one does not criticize the pharaoh, not then, and apparently, not now. Ramses the Great was what he called himself and since he was one of the longest reigning pharaohs and was a god – as were all Egyptian pharaohs – nobody was going to disagree. It’s a pity that the museum decided to portray the myth, rather than the historical reality.
In an interview with the SF Chronicle, René Dreyfus, the curator of ancient art for the SF museums explained: "Ramses the Great is regarded as the most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of the new kingdom. That was Egypt’s golden age, and that meant that he was overseeing a very wealthy and powerful empire. The exquisite sculpture and the great architecture, the monumental temples that he built to himself and to the gods, were meant for the ages." It should also be noted that his long reign gave him plenty of time to
“Dreyfus added that this exhibition includes some high-tech aspects, including drone footage of the actual monument sites and an immersive video room that will give museumgoers a better sense of the scale of the buildings that Ramses had built in his lifetime.
The exhibition artifacts are fascinating and beautifully presented with commentary in both English and Spanish. The rest is more like a visit to Disneyland than a serious, if gorgeous museum show.
Entering the exhibit gateway feels like stepping into a Hollywood movie set. The lighting, music, the rows of replica columns — we’re off to Disneyland, and this is where I (and serious museum goers and those interested in History) will part company. The exhibit is divided into tiny rooms, all painted black and with poor visibility. There is very little seating which is going to be a problem for those with disabilities. Or just those who want to take a rest from the barrage of videos, all lauding Ramses and historically inaccurate as well. But those who can stand it will be well educated on what it would take to be a courtier in his court; praise the pharaoh endlessly and never call attention to his exaggerations (as in his proclamation that he won the Battle of Kadesh). The Hittite sources say differently. in fact, the lack of critical analysis is the poorest part of the exhibit. What a wasted opportunity. The catalogue fills in the gaps and is well worth buying.
The virtual reality is the most hyped part of the exhibit and should appeal to a generation of gamers. All one needs is the gaming stick to feel right at home. But if you don’t like to read captions, if real history bores you, if you have no use for timelines, or good maps, the VR part of the show will have the greatest appeal. In fact, the images of the VR room rival the images of the exhibit which were included in the museum press release.
The exhibit, which opened Saturday, runs through Feb. 12, 2023. Tickets cost $35 on weekdays or $40 on weekends for adults. There is a separate price for the VR room.
More information on tickets, including discounted rates for children, seniors and students, can be found online.
https://deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/ramses-great-and-gold-pharaohs
Images from the DeYoung Press release and the catalogue. The catalogue is well worth the price - it fills in the many gaps left by the show.
