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Primary sourceSculpture1292–1190 BCE

Relief of Ramesses II Slaying an Asiatic Enemy

1292–1190 BCE

A limestone temple relief from Tell el-Retaba showing Ramesses II striking a kneeling captive, a traditional scene of royal victory.

This relief depicts Ramesses II in the traditional pose of a triumphant pharaoh striking down an enemy.

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Photograph of a carved limestone relief. On the right, a tall standing figure in a headdress and kilt holds a sword and an ankh; on the left, a smaller figure kneels with raised arms. Hieroglyphic inscriptions and cartouches surround them on the stone.
Limestone relief of Ramesses II slaying an Asiatic enemy, Tell el-Retaba, 1292–1190 BCE. Penn Museum.

About this source

What it is

This is a section of a limestone temple relief excavated at Tell el-Retaba, dating to the reign of Ramesses II in the 19th Dynasty. It shows the king holding a sword and an ankh over a kneeling captive, while the god Atum offers him the sword of victory. It is held at the Penn Museum.

Why it matters

This type of smiting scene was a standard way for pharaohs, including Ramesses II, to show their power over enemies and their favor with the gods. The relief reveals how Egyptian temple art combined religious ritual with political propaganda to present the king as triumphant and divinely supported.

Look closer

  • What does the difference in size between the king and the captive tell you about how the artist wanted viewers to feel?
  • Why might the god Atum be shown handing the king a sword in this scene?
  • This image shows a ritualized act of violence — what might it leave out about the real experience of war?

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.

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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

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