Four years after the success of the exhibition dedicated to Tutankhamun, a new sumptuous event dedicated to ancient Egypt began Friday in Paris. Highlight of the show, until September 6, the sarcophagus of Ramses II.
“Exceptional”, “extremely rare”, “incredible”: in the mouth of Bénédicte Lhoyer, Egyptologist and scientific advisor to this exhibition at the Grande Halle de la Villette, the qualifiers are never too many.
“Paris will be the only city in Europe to host this exhibition and, above all, the only one to show the sarcophagus of Ramses II thanks to an unprecedented cooperation between France and Egypt”, she explains to AFP.
In 2019, more than 1.4 million visitors visited the exhibition dedicated to Tutankhamun. Place now in the life and work of the one who is often called “king of kings”, even sometimes “Sun King”: Ramses II, pharaoh of the 19th dynasty.
The enthusiasm is already evident: the organizers announced Thursday that more than 145,000 tickets had already been sold, more than for Tutankhamun before the opening to the public.
“He was the pharaoh who reigned the longest (66 years), who married – among other things – the most beautiful woman in the world (Nefertari, literally ‘the most beautiful’), who had the largest family (a minimum 50 sons, 60 daughters)… In short, he was an extraordinary king”, continues Ms. Lhoyer.
The last “visit” of the pharaoh in France dates back to 1976. That year, the French scientific community was given a mission: to save the mummy, eaten away by mold. Since this rescue, the links between the two countries have been strengthened, insists the Egyptologist.
“Emotion indescriptible”
After a passage through the United States – before Australia – place in Paris where the organizers did not skimp on the means: background music, neat scenography, abundance of objects (statues, jewels)… The exhibition offers a dive into more than three thousand years of history.
In total, more than 180 original pieces, some of which never left Egypt, are shown to the public.
Everything is done to capture the life of this pharaoh. A 3D animation even transports the visitor to one of the king’s greatest battles: that of Qadesh (in present-day southern Syria), which pitted Egypt against the Hittite Empire.
The salt of the project is none other than the visit to the mortuary chamber of this builder king. Unlike the Tutankhamun exhibition, the organizers had to show imagination for that of Ramses II, which was some 820 m2 and was completely looted under Ramses IX.
To do this, they went to look for precious objects (masks, jewelry, etc.) discovered in other funerary chambers, in particular those of Egyptian princesses.
Among them, the imposing mask from the coffin of King Amenemope.
Still, THE star of the event is none other than the magnificent painted wooden coffin (without the mummy) of Ramses II.
“This represents an extraordinary opportunity for children but also for the public of all ages. It is an indescribable emotion,” Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak told AFPTV on Monday during the unveiling of the coffin. in the presence of the Egyptian ambassador.
Immortal
This sarcophagus depicting the king – arms crossed on his chest, holding the heqa scepter and the nekhakha whip, and wearing a nemes adorned with an erect cobra and a false beard braided under his chin – is actually not the original sarcophagus of Ramses II.
“When the looting of the tomb was confirmed, it was urgent to put the mummy under cover. It remained for nearly a century in the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I (the father of Ramses II, editor’s note)”, says the Egyptologist.
It was not until much later that she was installed in the sarcophagus shown in the exhibition, where she remained for more than 2800 years. “Ramses II beat time. He, like Tutankhamun, became immortal”, sums up Ms. Lhoyer.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp