Delta Blues: A day at Pi-Ramesses and Tanis
I inspect Ramesses’ giant feet; they are cracked and worn, and his toenails are as big as my head.
It’s a little against decorum for a commoner like myself to get so close to the Good God’s toes, but I suspect he won’t mind, he has bigger things to worry about after all, including the loss of his entire body above the ankles.
That, and he’s stuck in a field, surrounded by crops, farmers and an inquisitive gamoosa. “What happened to my fabulous city?” he might say, if he had a mouth.
Rawi: Egypt's Heritage Review
June 18, 2012
© Henning Franzmeier
Ramesses’ colossal feet are the only significant visible remains of the ancient city of Pi-Ramesses, one of the most important royal cities of New Kingdom Egypt. It was founded by Seti I of the Nineteenth Dynasty on the site of his family’s hometown in the northeast Delta, but was expanded significantly by his son Ramesses II into a massive cosmopolitan centre, with monumental temples, luxurious palaces, homes for visiting foreign dignitaries, administrative buildings, and workshops for all types of craft.
Related articles
BAR International series
Rawi: Egypt's Heritage Review
- Akhenaten's Akhetaten: A day at Tell el-Amarna (June 2012)