How the governor of God fell victim to a "harem" conspiracy: Ramses III

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

We know about the reign of this pharaoh, who lived more than three thousand years ago, thanks to an old document - the Harris Papyrus. It tells in detail, on behalf of Ramses III himself, about the incredible prosperity of the country as a result of his wise reign:. Despite the rosy picture, Ramses III became a victim of murderers, although such a crime against the governor of God was almost unthinkable for those times.

For several thousand years, a huge number of rulers have changed on the thrones of ancient Egypt, only there are more than two dozen dynasties. However, such a rampant passions, which we know in the struggle for power in later periods, did not exist in antiquity. The murder of the pharaoh was considered a crime against God, and the punishment for this could not be an ordinary human punishment, but disasters for the entire people or a universal catastrophe. Therefore, the ancient Egyptian rulers killed by their subjects can be counted on one hand.

In total, scientists know only four such cases: these are the pharaohs Teti, Amenemhat I, Ramses III and Bokhoris. And of them only about Ramses III, historians have no doubts. In 2012, the mummy of this pharaoh was carefully examined using modern technology. The tomography showed a deep wound on the neck and several minor injuries, so that the fact of sacrilege can be considered proven. About who could decide on such a terrible crime, you can learn from the Turin judicial papyrus.

This unusual old document was also written on behalf of the pharaoh himself, who after death was "seen from above everything." The Divine Prosecutor listed several groups of suspects in his murder. In total, almost a hundred people were involved in the case. The main suspect is the wife of the pharaoh Tia, who was worried about the fate of her son and wanted to put him on the throne. In addition to her, there are a huge number of people on the lists: other wives, the head of the treasury, butlers, the head of the guard, scribes and others.

All the accused are divided according to their guilt into the direct participants in the conspiracy and those who knew about it, but did not warn the ruler. A separate list lists unjust judges who, during the process, abused their position and arranged a drinking party with the participation of women from the harem. Probably, the Turin document was the result of the second trial. The perpetrators suffered terrible punishments, depending on the measure of the guilt: they were sentenced to death, suicide, and cutting off their nose and ears.

The son, for the sake of whose reign the murder was committed, according to the papyrus, allegedly committed suicide - he received such a favor from the judges, but historians have their own opinion on this matter. For many years, Egyptologists have been studying an unusual mummy dating from about the same historical period. She was buried without honors, and is held according to documents called "unnamed prince E". This is not even a classic mummy, but a partially mummified body, it was simply wrapped in a goat's skin and placed in a sarcophagus intended for another person.

Thanks to genetic analysis, it became known that the nameless prince was most likely the son of Ramses III. The fate of the young man turned out to be terrible, apparently, the unfortunate was tightly tied up and buried alive. The forensic papyrus does not report what happened to the main instigator of the conspiracy.

It is difficult to judge the judicial system that operated three thousand years ago, but it is known for sure that the concept of protection did not exist then. After all, justice was done by Pharaoh himself, looking at how his murderers are judged:

Ancient Egyptian culture keeps many secrets and mysteries. So, it is still not entirely clear how the Egyptians worshiped a god with a reptilian head and why they needed thousands of crocodile mummies