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Primary sourceSculpturec. 1300 BCE

Stele of the Scribe Rames

c. 1300 BCE

A painted limestone stele dedicated by a scribe to Ramesses II, showing the king striking an enemy.

This stele, dedicated by the scribe Rames, shows Ramesses II smiting an enemy, evidence of private devotion to the king.

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Photograph of an arch-topped painted limestone stele against a dark background. Carved figures include a seated figure with a raised arm and a large headdress, offering figures below, and rows of hieroglyphic inscriptions and cartouches.
Stele of the scribe Rames, dedicated to Ramesses II, c. 1300 BCE. Louvre, Department of Egyptian Antiquities.

About this source

What it is

This arch-topped painted limestone stele, dated around 1300 BCE, was dedicated by a scribe named Rames. It shows Ramesses II striking an enemy with a mace, along with offering figures and hieroglyphic inscriptions. It is held in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre.

Why it matters

The stele is evidence of how an ordinary official, the scribe Rames, personally honoured the living king. It shows the common Egyptian image of the pharaoh smiting an enemy, a symbol of royal power and the triumph of order over chaos, and reflects private devotion to Ramesses II during his lifetime.

Look closer

  • Why might the king be shown defeating an enemy rather than doing something peaceful?
  • What does it tell us that an ordinary scribe made this dedication?
  • What is left out of this image of the king — what don't we see?

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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