Qantir-Piramesse

Pi-Ramesse – Capital of Ramesses the Great When Ramesses II took power in 1290 BC he chose to build a new capital in the North of Egypt. Located in the fertile Eastern Nile-Delta, about 120 km North-East of modern Cairo during his reign a huge city was constructed on an island in the easternmost branch of the Nile. He named it after himself “Pi-Ramesse”- the “house of Ramesses”. Covering an area of approximately 15-20 square kilometers it was one of the largest cities of its age not only in Egypt but all over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. It was described in ancient Egyptian hymns as most splendid and incredibly rich. Inhabited by Egyptians and foreigners alike, who imported their lifestyles as well as their material cultures, Pi-Ramesse became a unique and cosmopolitan melting pot. For about two centuries Pi-Ramesse played a pivotal role in Egyptian history before a sudden decline, most probably due to the silting up of the branch of the river Nile. Nowadays the remains of the city rest almost invisibly underneath agricultural land around the modern village of Qantir. On the surface just a pair of feet in limestone, once part of a 10 m high colossal statue of Ramesses II, attests the place's great past as most of its monuments carved in stone were used by later generations as an easily accessible quarry. For almost 40 years the remains of Pi-Ramesse are being systematically investigated by a project which is currently a collaboration between the Roemer- and Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim, the Humboldt Universität Berlin and the Università di Bologna. Amongst the most important features revealed during this research are the largest foundry for bronze-production ever excavated in Egypt, the best-documented Late Bronze Age glass making and glass colouring workshops, specialising in ruby-red glass, and huge faience factories for architectural pieces and decorative objects such as jewellery and ornaments. A chariotry with adjacent workshops, training ground and unique stables for more than 480 horses allow a deep insight into a subject known to us otherwise from contemporary literature only.