Colossus of Ramesses II

Tanis, Egypt

Ramesses' cartouche is on the base. Its deep carving was intended to prevent later kings from overwriting Ramesses' name, a process called usurpation. Ramesses himself was a dedicated usurper, and he did not wish his successors to do to him what he had done to his predecessors.

In Egyptian thought, a name literally equated to the thing named. Therefore, if a king overwrote an earlier name on a statue, the statue would then represent the usurper. Obelisks, sarcophagi, tombs, carvings, and even entire temples could be usurped. It was considered perfectly legitimate, since the king was the living god and owned everything in Egypt.

Sometimes a king would have his name carved underneath the bottom of his statue, where a would-be usurper might overlook it. As long as his name remained on earth, the king himself would still be present and recognized before the gods.

On the side of the statue can be seen the standing figure of Ramesses' seventh queen, a Hittite princess. The next photo shows a closeup.