Bas-relief of Ramses II found at Saqqarah, Egypt, photographed by Maison Bonfils, circa 1867-1885. Saqqara is an ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. During the New Kingdom Memphis was an important administrative and military centre, second only to the capital. From the Eighteenth Dynasty onwards many high officials built tombs at Saqqara. Ramesses II was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. He built extensively throughout Egypt and Nubia, and his cartouches are prominently displayed even in buildings that he did not actually construct. He built on a monumental scale to ensure that his legacy would survive the ravages of time. He used art as a means of propaganda for his victories over foreigners, which are depicted on numerous temple reliefs. He also erected more colossal statues of himself than any other pharaoh. He also usurped many existing statues by inscribing his own cartouche on them.