This week, archaeologists announced an exciting finding from the Wadi Rum protected area of southern Jordan. Together, they unearthed a remarkable inscription that lists the name of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses III. This discovery sheds light on Ramesses III’s military campaigns and his interactions with the region during a tumultuous historical period.
The inscription includes the words “Sa-Re,” or “son of Re.” As one of the archaeologists who discovered it described, they found it near a natural spring in an area that’s extremely difficult to access. Ramesses III’s military operations directly extended into Jordan to ensure control over desirable resources during his reign. This era was the beginning of the death pangs of heavy hitting powers like the Mycenaeans and Hittites.
Zahi Hawass, a former minister of antiquities in Egypt, is currently collaborating with researchers in Jordan to study the inscription. But until recently, only a handful of people knew about the find. After waiting nearly a decade for it to happen, scientists have finally been able to document it.
The inscription in Jordan further develops a significant previous find at Tayma. This ancient site, located in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia, further bears witness to the legacy of Ramesses III’s army. Together, both inscriptions display the glory of this pharaoh’s incredible strength. In this case, they suggest his influence at the time of the “Sea People” invasion that swept across the Middle East, including Egypt.
Ali Al-Manaser, an archaeologist working on the project, noted how important this discovery was.
“This discovery is particularly significant as the inscription is the first of its kind found in Jordan — a royal Egyptian inscription carved into a fixed, large stone that is part of a mountain formation,” – Ali Al-Manaser
Al-Manaser further noted the challenging location of the inscription, stating it was found “near a natural spring, in a location that is extremely difficult to access.” This lends even greater weight to its historic significance and reveals the battle tactics employed by the forces of Ramesses III.
The scholars are hopeful that they will be able to find further evidence of Ramesses III’s campaigns in this area. Taken together, these discoveries may provide greater understanding of the trade-military power nexus in operation during Augustus’s reign. The desert surrounding the inscription is teeming with archaeological finds. These new discoveries show that it was an extremely important city that once fulfilled an important role in ancient trade routes.
Just a few months ago, researchers found the first Egyptian inscription in northern Jordan. That inscription was carved into a portable stone—not like the recently discovered one, which is inscribed on a bedrock outcrop. This new discovery marks an important breakthrough in piecing together the historical context and territorial extent of Ramesses III.
