Medinet Habu
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Medinet Habu is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt. Although other structures are located within the area and important discoveries have also been made at these sites, the location is today associated almost synonymously with the largest and best preserved site, the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III.
Temple of Ramesses III
Great church in Medinet Habu before it was destroyed during the excavation
Quartzite statue of a Pharaoh excavated from the ruins of the Ay and Horemheb temple in the 1930s. Traces of previous cartouches on the statue confirm that the statue was originally of Tutankhamun, which the later pharaohs thought to repurpose.
Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt
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The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt is the third and last dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1189 BC to 1077 BC. The 19th and 20th Dynasties together constitute an era known as the Ramesside period. This dynasty is generally considered to mark the beginning of the decline of Ancient Egypt at the transition from the Late Bronze to Iron Age. During the period of the Twentieth Dynasty, Ancient Egypt faced the crisis of invasions by Sea Peoples. The dynasty successfully defended Egypt, while sustaining heavy damage.
Portrait of Ramesses IX from his tomb KV6.
Sea Invading from Sea Peoples
Ramesses III was the son of Sethnakht. During his reign, he fought off the invasions of the Sea Peoples in Egypt and tolerated their settlement in Canaan. A conspiracy was hatched to kill him, but it failed. He was later murdered. His mummy, long an inspiration for the scary Hollywood films, showed his throat was slit.
Ramesses IV was the fifth son of Ramesses III. He assumed the throne after his four older brothers had died.