Medinet Habu is the modern name of the area where
Ramses III built his mortuary temple. Ramses III ruled Egypt for 31
years (c. 1183-1153 B.C.). Medina means “city,” and Habu is the actual
name of the city. It is thus “Habu City.” One straight axis runs
through the temple, but originally there were a number of gates. The
entire temple would have been roofed in antiquity.
Soldiers were often rewarded based on how many
men they killed in battle. To prove their valor, these warriors would
present the hands of those they had killed. In some of the
autobiographies that the soldiers left in their tombs, they would claim
to have participated in a certain campaign and have “presented so many
hands” to pharaoh. In return they were often given slaves or a medal of
honor. A similar type of accounting is presented in 1 Samuel 18:27.
In about 1175 B.C. Ramses III successfully stopped the Sea Peoples
(including the Philistines) from invading Egypt. This account is recorded
on the walls of his mortuary temple. The Philistines are known by their
use of feather head dresses, swan decorations, two edged swords, spears,
and rounded shields. The majority of the Sea Peoples are clean-shaven, but
a few Philistines are depicted with beards.
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