Ramses II was the most magnificent of all the Egyptian pharaohs.
After taking the throne in 1279 B.C., he lived to be 90 and ruled for 66 years. He fathered more than 100 children.
Most rulers become known as “the Great” only after they leave the scene. Ramses, however, wouldn’t have hesitated to put those words on his business card.
During the height of his power he was worshipped as a god, and left behind massive works of art to celebrate his own magnificence. Even today, 3000 years later, you can see them scattered across the Egyptian landscape.
Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, points out: “He was a consummate self-publicist. And he had no scruples.” He confiscated the greatness of others, erasing the inscriptions on existing sculptures and carving his own name instead.
Ramses ordered the creation of two massive temples at Abu Simbel. The larger of the two, the Great Temple, is like an ancient Egyptian Mount Rushmore, with four 60-foot statues. But instead of a quartet of famous pharaohs, all four depict Ramses.
The great pharaoh also doctored the official records of his reign. According to his scribes, he won every battle. Every victory was a knockout. He created the myth of his own invincibility in order to convince the world of his unrivalled greatness.
It’s the colossal statuary with Ramses’ serenely smiling face, however, that chiefly wows people in the 21st century. MacGregor declares, “His purpose was to create a legacy to speak to all generations of his greatness.” He richly deserves to be in the running as history’s GOAT: the most Grandiose of All Tyrants.
But the irony is that everything we see and know of Ramses today is in ruins. After his reign, Egyptian culture entered a decline from which it has never recovered.
His legacy is rubble – a visible reminder that human achievement is fleeting.
And what of another great leader who lived out his years in the ancient Middle East?
Jesus left no statues of himself. We don’t even know what he looked like.
As far as we know, he wrote nothing. He never commissioned a temple in his own honor, and never launched a media campaign aimed at self-promotion. Jesus died in weakness, abandoned by his own apprentices.
So what was his legacy?
All Jesus left was the changed hearts of his followers.
You don’t have to visit a museum or travel to a distant location to see what he left behind.
If you dare, just look in the mirror. His legacy is transformed lives.
His legacy, believe it or not, is us.
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