Editing Ramesses III (section)

==Economic turmoil==
The heavy cost of these battles slowly exhausted Egypt's treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of the Egyptian Empire in Asia. The severity of these difficulties is stressed by the fact that the first known labour strike in recorded history occurred during Year 29 of Ramesses III's reign, when the food rations for the favoured and elite royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of ''Set Maat her imenty Waset'' (now known as [[Deir el-Medina]]), could not be provisioned.<ref>William F. Edgerton, The Strikes in Ramses III's Twenty-Ninth Year, JNES 10, No. 3 (July 1951), pp. 137-145</ref> Something in the air (possibly the [[Hekla 3 eruption]]) prevented much sunlight from reaching the ground and also arrested global tree growth for almost two full decades until 1140&nbsp;BC. The result in Egypt was a substantial increase in grain prices under the later reigns of Ramesses VI-VII, whereas the prices for fowl and slaves remained constant.<ref>Frank J. Yurco, "End of the Late Bronze Age and Other Crisis Periods: A Volcanic Cause" in Gold of Praise: Studies on Ancient Egypt in Honor of Edward F. Wente, ed: Emily Teeter & John Larson, (SAOC 58) 1999. p.456</ref> Thus the cooldown affected Ramesses III's final years and impaired his ability to provide a constant supply of grain rations to the workmen of the Deir el-Medina community.

[[Image:RamesesIII.JPG|right|220px|thumb|Osirid statues of Ramses III at his temple in Karnak (in the first courtyard of the Great Temple of Amun).]]

These difficult realities are completely ignored in Ramesses' official monuments, many of which seek to emulate those of his famous predecessor, [[Ramesses II]], and which present an image of continuity and stability. He built important additions to the [[Egyptian temple|temples]] at [[Luxor Temple|Luxor]] and [[Karnak]], and his funerary temple and administrative complex at [[Medinet Habu (temple)|Medinet-Habu]] is amongst the largest and best-preserved in Egypt; however, the uncertainty of Ramesses' times is apparent from the massive fortifications which were built to enclose the latter. No temple in the heart of Egypt prior to Ramesses' reign had ever needed to be protected in such a manner.