Monday 28 September 2009

Harim Plot to murder Ramses 111 at Medinet Habu


During the rule of Ramses 111 there was a plot to murder him which involved his harim, like all Egyptian kings had his own Harim of wives that lived at Medinet Habu. As I walked between the defensive walls of the Migdol wrapping around each side of me, my eyes were drawn to the high windows of the Kings harem, its deep fortified walls rose high above me travelling before me to cross the top of the shaded portal gateway, I imagined the king standing in the window above me, looking down from the windows of his harem, symbolically defiant as his foot rested on the head of one of the prisoners protruding from the base of the windows.
Towards the end of Ramses 111 rule, a Lower wife Tiy was found to be the main culprit in a death plot against Ramses; she had hoped to see her son Pertwere succeed to the throne. A priest who practiced the arts of magic created wax figurines potions and wrote magical spells, In ancient Egypt words were magical, and had the power to evoke the of power life and death. The spells cast against Ramses and the black magic did not kill him unfortunately for the conspirators of this devious plot, their intentions were considered as deadly and as serious as an actual physical assault on Ramses, the magic invoked was as terrible a threat as trying to cut him down with a sword. Thirty conspirators of the harem were put on trial at the kebnet (the court) which was also in Medinet Habu, they were sentenced to death and told to commit suicide in front of the court or in their cells, after their trial, ten judges also faced trial for having taken meals with the accused during the trials, they were condemned to have their ears and nose cut off.

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