Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs

By Sebastian Bardelang, Year 11

On Friday 17 May, the Year 11 and 12 Ancient History classes got to view the Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Australian Museum in Sydney. It was an extraordinary experience featuring everything from a colossal head of Ramses II to golden burial masks, ornate coffins and even mummified animals!

Being able to gain a glimpse into Ancient Egypt and its wonders was breathtaking. It was remarkable that these artefacts have survived 3000 years of war, grave robbing and natural decomposition. We should all appreciate these amazing works that have inspired people for millennia after their creation and have influenced western civilisation.

They can teach us (through studying history) what a person such as Ramses II (1303 –1213 BC) would have been like. His statues depict him as a benevolent and great Pharaoh, though other accounts view him as nothing but a propogandist. So, it was (and still is) up to us history students to decide whether he was a man to be praised or despised. If your parents ever forget your name, spare a thought for Ramses who had 150 children!