Through the Eras

Visual ArtsLinen chest of Tutankhamun, showing the king in his chariot, riding into battle and defeating his enemies of the North and South.THE ART ARCHIVE/EGYPTIAN MUSEUM CAIRO/DAGLI ORTI.scenes of this sort represent a return to the king’s traditionalrole as Egypt’s protector.RAMESSIDE PERIOD. In 1292 B.C.E., GeneralRamesses ascended the throne and founded the NineteenthDynasty. The royal family of the EighteenthDynasty had died out with Tutankhamun. Until 1075B.C.E. through the Twentieth Dynasty, kings reverted tothe old ideal. Kings such as Ramesses II created vastamounts of art that both looked back to the early EighteenthDynasty for inspiration but also bore the influencesof more recent Egyptian art. A relief depictingRamesses II combines features of kings such as ThutmoseIII with Amarna details. The king wears a Nemes kerchiefwith a Uraeus snake over his forehead. His eyebrowarches similar to early Eighteenth-dynasty models.His eye is wide but still tilts slightly toward his nose,much as was true of Amenhotep III’s sculpture. Yet thecosmetic line is long and parallel to the extension of theeyebrow as found at the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty.His nose is slightly aquiline. His sensitively carvedlips curve down slightly, reminding the viewer of theAmarna period. Yet the chin is round. Though his neckis muscular it still has the grooves carved in it that firstappeared in the Amarna period. Thus through a combinationof characteristics, Ramesses II’s artists created animage of the king that provided some continuity withthe recent past but still recalled the glorious early EighteenthDynasty and its warrior kings. This message musthave been reassuring to his contemporaries who had witnessedmany violent changes in policy during their lives.TOMB OF SENEDJEM. The paintings found in tombsduring the Ramesside period differ from EighteenthDynasty and earlier tombs because the subject matter ismore clearly religious. Rather than scenes of fishing andfowling that must be interpreted to find their religiousmeaning, Ramesside artists portrayed the next world306 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)