Skip to main content

Secondary sourceSculptureRelief from reign of Ramesses II (temple completed c. 1265 BC); photographed 2 April 2022

Relief of Ramesses II on His Chariot at Kadesh, Great Temple of Abu Simbel

Diego Delso · Relief from reign of Ramesses II (temple completed c. 1265 BC); photographed 2 April 2022

A bas-relief in the Great Temple of Abu Simbel showing Ramesses II charging into battle on his chariot during the Battle of Kadesh.

Depicts Ramesses II charging into the Battle of Kadesh, part of the temple he built to honour his own reign.

Ask Ramses II (Ramses the Great) about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Sandstone bas-relief of a pharaoh in a chariot drawn by a galloping horse, with a lion running below and a figure with a spear and bow beside, flanked by hieroglyphic columns.
Diego Delso, photograph of a bas-relief of Ramesses II at the Battle of Kadesh, Great Temple of Abu Simbel, 2 April 2022.

About this source

What it is

This is a modern photograph, taken in 2022, of a sandstone bas-relief on the south wall of the Hypostyle Hall in the Great Temple of Abu Simbel. It shows a pharaoh in a chariot drawn by a galloping horse, with a lion running below, flanked by hieroglyphic columns. The temple took about twenty years to build and was completed during the reign of Ramesses II.

Why it matters

The relief depicts Ramesses II's chariot charge at the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittite king Muwatalli II. The Great Temple was dedicated to major Egyptian gods as well as to the deified Ramesses himself, showing how he linked his own image to divine power. It is considered one of the most impressive temples of his reign.

Look closer

  • Why do you think Ramesses chose to decorate his temple with a scene of this particular battle?
  • What details in the relief emphasize speed and power?
  • What might this image not tell us about how the battle actually ended?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ramses II (Ramses the Great) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Ramses II (Ramses the Great) sources

Meet the AI Ramses II (Ramses the Great) →
Two clay cuneiform tablets on a clear acrylic stand against a red background. The larger tablet is broken into several fragments, covered in dense wedge-shaped writing. A smaller tablet fragment sits at lower right, also inscribed.Document

Primary source

Egyptian–Hittite Peace Treaty

c. 1258 BCE

Sepia photograph of the facade of the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt, with four seated colossal statues of Ramesses II carved into the rock. A small standing man at lower left shows scale. A doorway lies between the middle statues, and hieroglyphs are carved across the upper wall.Photograph

Secondary source

Abu Simbel Temple Colossi

Pascal Sébah · 1875

Facade of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel carved into a sandstone cliff under a clear blue sky. Four seated colossal statues of a pharaoh flank the central doorway, with a sand-covered walkway leading up to the entrance.Artifact

Primary source

Abu Simbel

Ramesses II · c. 1273 BCE

Sepia photograph of the Abu Simbel temple facade in Egypt. A colossal seated stone statue of a pharaoh with a striped headdress dominates the right. Beside it stands a statue of a falcon-headed god wearing a sun disk. Relief carvings and hieroglyphs cover the wall, and a small seated man at the bottom gives scale. Caption reads Abou Simbel, Gd Temple, Le dieu Soleil Ra et Rhamses II, P. Sébah.Photograph

Secondary source

Facade Detail of Abu Simbel Showing Ramesses II and Ra

Pascal Sébah · 1875

Sepia photograph of the ruined Ramesseum temple at Luxor, Egypt. Four fallen-headed colossal seated statues stand before a sandstone gateway with carved hieroglyphs on its lintel. A broken statue lies in the foreground, and a small figure sits near the base of the statues. Desert and a column are visible on the left.Photograph

Secondary source

Ramesseum Colossi in Ruins

Pascal Sébah · c. 1875

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Ramses II (Ramses the Great) now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions