The Harem Conspiracy Against Ramesses III: Power and Intrigue

Introduction: Ramesses III and His Dynasty

Of the hundreds of pharaohs who ruled ancient Egypt for three thousand years, only a few are considered truly great and well-remembered. The second ruler of the 20th dynasty, Ramesses III, is among these few and was the last to exercise such greatness. He was born at a time of turbulence in the Mediterranean — during the Trojan War, the fall of Mycenae, and the massive displacement of peoples throughout the region that toppled even great empires. His name meant "Re has fashioned him," and his throne name was Usermaatre Meryamun, which meant "Powerful is the justice of Re, beloved of Amun." His father and immediate predecessor was Setnakhte, whom some Egyptologists believe originated the 20th dynasty. His mother was Queen Tiy-merenese (Alchin 2009; Bible History Online 2011).

Ramesses III had many wives and sons, among them his successors Ramesses IV, V, and VI (Bible History Online 2011; Alchin 2009). While he reigned for 31 years and 41 days, not much is known about his royal family, according to the Great Harris Papyrus. His first wife, Isis, was likely a foreigner from the Asian region. Many of his ten or more sons died before he did, though each held high positions before their deaths. Ramesses III was said to have been deeply devoted to his father; in his honor, he gave his own sons names that followed those used by his father. A minor wife named Tiy figured prominently in the Harem Conspiracy against the pharaoh's life. She wanted her son, Pentewere, to take the throne after his father, rather than the pharaoh's chosen heir — his fifth son by Isis, named Amonhirkopshef. Ramesses III's refusal to name Tiy the "Great Royal Wife" and her son the crown prince created the conditions ripe for conspiracy (Alchin 2009; Bible History Online 2011).

Political Environment During Ramesses III's Reign

Ramesses III began his reign by consolidating the empire and addressing problems his father had encountered in the latter part of the 19th dynasty (Dunn 2011; Alchin 2009; Great Dreams 1997). In his fifth year, however, Libyans attacked Egypt for the first time since Merenptah's rule — the fourth king of the 19th dynasty. The Libyans consisted of the Mshwesh group and the Seped group. Ramesses III easily defeated these invaders, killing many of them and enslaving those who survived. These survivors inhabited the western Delta and gradually increased in number through peaceful infiltration.

In his eighth year of rule, Ramesses III faced threats of far greater intensity. The upheaval was so vast that it destroyed at least the Hittite empire and destabilized the entire region. Historical accounts record that foreign countries conspired together. The lands of the Hittites, Qode, Carchemesh, Arzawa, and Cyprus were dislodged and scattered. The capital of Cyprus, Enkomi, was ransacked. The invaders, known as the Sea Peoples, destroyed the Hittite capital Hattusas and other empires, captured Tarsus, settled in Cilicia in northern Syria, and destroyed the cities of Allakh and Ugarit. The Sea Peoples came in waves from different regions of the Middle East, and earlier rulers, particularly Merenptah, had already struggled against these tribes (Dunn 2011; Great Dreams 1997; Alchin 2009).

Ramesses III's reaction to these invaders was swift and ultimately saved Egypt from the devastation that befell other empires. He immediately sent soldiers to the eastern Egyptian front at Djahy in southern Palestine and ordered them to hold until the arrival of the main Egyptian army. That army overcame the land forces, but Egypt also had to contend with the Sea Peoples' fleet. The Egyptian navy was not particularly powerful, consisting chiefly of infantry archers who were specially trained for sea combat but were not entirely at ease on the water — they called the Mediterranean the "Great Green." Nonetheless, the Egyptian fleet met the Sea Peoples' fleet at the mouth of the Nile. Egyptian archers on shore rained arrows into enemy ships while marine archers aboard Egyptian vessels complemented them from the water. Egyptian ships threw grappling hooks into the Sea Peoples' vessels and flung their crews into the sea. This combination of approaches secured the victory, and the Sea Peoples fled to the Levant (Dunn 2011; Alchin 2009; Great Dreams 1997).

Egypt enjoyed roughly three years of peace following these initiatives. It was Ramesses III's eleventh year of rule. Immigrants had gradually infiltrated the western area of the Canopic portion of the Nile from the western border. Then, suddenly, the Libyans — supported by the Meshwesh and five other tribes — launched another full-scale attack. Ramesses III's forces countered and crushed the enemies, leaving 2,000 dead. Their leaders were captured and executed, and the spoils were sent to the treasury of Amun. Details of this battle are preserved on the inner north wall of the First Pylon at Medinet Habu. Many other conflicts occurred during Ramesses III's reign, especially in the deserts around Thebes, but these were considered minor in significance (Dunn 2011; Alchin 2009; Great Dreams 1997).

These major battles took a heavy toll on Egypt's treasury, ultimately exhausting it. This drain contributed greatly to the decline of the empire in Asia and conditions deteriorated so severely that they led to what is considered the first known labor strike in history, in year 29 of Ramesses III's reign. Even the food rations to the favored royal tomb-builders and artisans at Set Maat were affected. Sunlight and tree growth were reportedly disturbed for almost two full decades until 1140 BCE. There was significant inflation in grain prices, which persisted into the reigns of Ramesses VI and VII. The conditions in the last years of Ramesses III's rule hampered his ability to maintain a steady supply to the workers of the Deir el-Medina community. These difficulties were excluded from his official monuments, which document only his father's deeds and project an impression of continuity and stability. The uncertainty of the era is, however, inferred from the strong fortifications built to enclose the empire — no other Egyptian ruler before him had required such extensive protection (Dunn 2011; Alchin 2009; Great Dreams 1997).

Economic Environment and Domestic Building Program

Ramesses III's funerary temple and administrative complex at Medinet Habu is among the largest and best-preserved monuments in Egypt (Great Dreams 1997). He also made important additions to the temples at Luxor and Karnak and established many foreign trade contacts, especially with the old trading partner Punt — apparently Egypt's first contact with Punt since the famous expeditions of Hatshepsut in the 18th dynasty. Historical records also document his sending an expedition to Atika, where the copper mines of Timna are located (Great Dreams 1997).

Ramesses III is remembered for his extensive domestic building program, which helped consolidate law and order (Great Dreams 1997; Alchin 2009). When he inherited the empire from the 19th dynasty, it was beset by corruption and abuses. He immediately investigated and reorganized the country's many temples. The Great Harris Papyrus provides evidence that he made large donations of land to the most prominent temples in Thebes, Memphis, and Heliopolis — so large that, by the end of his reign, a third of the country's cultivatable land belonged to temples, with two-thirds of that share going to the temple of Amun at Thebes. He also sent relief decorations and two small new temples to his mortuary temple at Medinet Habu, one of which was dedicated to the moon god Khonsu. Building work was ordered at numerous centers, including Piramesses, Athribis, Heliopolis, Memphis, Hermopolis, Lycopolis, Abydos, and Edfu.

For many generations, Egypt had been governed by two viziers — one overseeing Upper Egypt and the other Lower Egypt. A serious problem arose involving the Lower Egyptian vizier of the time. To resolve it, Ramesses III consolidated the high office under a single person named To (Great Dreams 1997; Alchin 2009).

Bibliography

Alchin, LK. Ramses III. King Tut, 2009. Retrieved on March 24, 2012 from http://www.king-tut.org.uk/egyptia-pharoahs/ramses-iii.htm

Bible History Online. Ramesses III. Tour Egypt, 2011. Retrieved on March 24, 2012 from http://www.bible-history.com/links.php?cat=46&sub=3448&cat_name=People+-+Ancient+Egypt&subcat_name=Ramesses+III+(Usermaatremeryamun)+

Dunn, Jimmy. Ramesses III: Egypt's Last Great Pharaoh. Tour Egypt, 2011. Retrieved on March 24, 2012 from http://www.bible-history.com/links.php?cat=46&=3448

Great Dreams. Ramesses III: The Last Great Pharaoh. Great Dreams, 1997. Retrieved on March 24, 2012 from http://www.greatdreams.com/thebes/ramiii.htm

Mudloff, Thomas. Ancient Egypt and the Near East, 2012. Retrieved on March 29, 2012 from http://www.abrock.com/MudloffSite/Ancient-Egypt.html

Reshafim. Ancient Egypt: An Introduction to Its History and Culture. Reshafim.org, 2004. Retrieved on March 28, 2012 from