There still remain the scenes on the outside walls of the temple, which,
as usual, are of much greater interest than the ritual scenes within .
Passing back through the outer courts, we leave the temple by the first
pylon, and turn to the north, walking round to the back of the pylon, which
projects beyond the line of the temple wall . Here, in the upper register, is a
scene showing the king in his chariot attacking two Syrian cities .
And below it is a scene from the Libyan campaign, in which Ramses,
alighting from his chariot, binds two Libyan captives, while his troops attack
the foe .
Next on the north wall of the first court are scenes from a war with the
Amorites, in which cities are attacked, and prisoners taken and offered to Amûn
.
Below these are scenes from the Libyan war, in which Ramses charges the
enemy, and is supported by Egyptian archers who shoot from the walls of two fortresses
.
Then the king, with his fan-bearers, inspects three lines of prisoners,
and says to an officer : " Say to the vanquished chief of the Libyans, '
See how thy name is blotted out for ever and ever ' ", which would seem to
indicate that the Egyptians, though not a cruel people, were by no means a
chivalrous one either .
Farther on, Ramses drives the usual procession of captives before Amûn
and Mût .
Passing the projection of the second pylon, we have before us the scenes
relating to the memorable conflict with the Sea-People, the great event of the
reign which for a time held back the development of the new age in the eastern
Mediterranean . It is best to view these scenes beginning at the east, or
farther end of the north wall . The king, on the balcony of his palace, reviews
recruits, and distributes arms, sets out in his chariot for the war, with his
Sardinian guard and native infantry, and charges the enemy, who consist in this
scene mainly of Philistines, with their feathered helmets . The two-wheeled
ox-carts of the enemy's transport wait near the battlefield .
Next comes what in perhaps the most interesting scene in the whole
series, the first picture of a naval battle extant . It is pity that the relief
is so indistinct that it can only be well seen by oblique light, and also that
the complicated scene of ships ramming one another, being capsized and turning
their crews out into the water, and so forth, was rather too much for the
powers of the artist who was responsible for the work . Still, with all defects
and inconveniences, this is a remarkable historical document, if its artistic
merit is small .
Next, the king receives his prisoners, and presents them to the Theban
triad, and receives the sword of victory from Amûn, to whom he offers three
rows of captives . The lower row has scenes from the Libyan campaign .
The west wall of the temple has scenes from the Nubian war, much damaged
.
Passing to the west end of the south wall of the temple, we have first
lists of temple gifts, with the king in the presence of the gods .
Outside the first court is a stairway leading up to the window which we
have already seen from the inside of the first court . On the sides of it the king
slays a negro and an Asiatic .
Finally we have, on the back of the south tower of the first pylon, one
of the finest inspirations of the Egyptian sculptor of the Later Empire, and
one of the few instances in which Egyptian relief-sculpture can show anything
in the way of the depiction of violent action which can be compared with the
masterpieces of Assyrian art in this kind . The hunting scenes here,
particularly that in which Ramses is spearing wild bulls, are among the finest
things which were ever done in this kind in ancient days, in spite of the fact
that tradition still constrained the artist to depict his chariot horses with
the action of a nursery rocking-horse .
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