The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II thought so much of himself that he had numerous structures served up in his honor, including many monuments that captured his physical features. One, the colossal statue of Ramesses II, stands thirty-six feet tall and weighs eighty-three tons in all its red-granite glory. Age wasn’t kind to the proud ruler, however. In fact, when he died he was suffering from bad teeth, arthritis, and chronic heart problems. Some of his monuments might last for a while, but—like all mortals—he himself passed.
Absalom, one of King
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