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During
Ramses II's reign, the kingdom of Egypt has grown wealthy beyond imagining.
This prosperity has resulted from Ramses's mastery of Ma'at,
sekhem,
and Heka.
Through
his attentive and pious preservation of Ma'attruth, harmony, and justiceour
dear departed ruler bestowed on his subjects the blessings of domestic tranquillity
and economic prosperity.
Through
sekhemwarfare and conquestRamses has protected Egypt's riches
from invaders and allowed him to collect tribute from conquered lands.
Through his energetic fulfillment of his Heka obligations-
his
unerring performance of religious rituals
his
lavish offerings to the gods
his
splendid new year's ceremonies and sed
festivalsRamses has also ensured the gods' consistent blessings on
the land.
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The
flooding of the Nile improved our farmland.
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The
gods rewarded Ramses for his first sed festival, mounted in the 30th year
of his reign, by sending a beneficent flooding of the Nile, which deposited
upon the fields an unusually thick layer of life-giving silt. Thereafter,
Ramses held an unprecedented 13 more sed festivals.
The great Ramses's many construction projects provided work for countless
Egyptians. He rewarded the loyal service of officers and soldiers through
generous land distributions, and increased salaries for artisans and reduced
their work hours. He made many agricultural reforms, increasing the yield
of the land. He improved the lives of the miners who work Egypt's precious
gold mines by digging wells in the desert of Nubia.
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