Ancient Egypt – Rise of the 19th Dynasty
- dwworldhistory
- 17 hours ago
- 9 min read
DW | Ancient Egypt
19 – Rise of the 19th Dynasty
Welcome to the DW World History Series. In the last episode, we focused on Tutankhamun and the turbulent times after his death. We left off with the death of Horemheb and the succession of his vizier, Ramesses I. We’ll focus on the first two kings of the 19th Dynasty and one of the most mysterious structures in the world, the Osireion.
19.1 - Pharaoh Ramesses I (1292-1290 BC)
Known originally as Paramessu, Ramesses I was born into a noble military family from the Nile Delta region. He was the son of a troop commander, named Seti. Being a close friend and confidante to Horemheb while in the army, he was promoted to Vizier once Horemheb became pharaoh. He was eventually chosen as successor toward the end of his friend's reign.
Assuming the name Ramesses I, he became king, in 1292 BC, and immediately established his son, Seti I, to be crown prince and successor. His two year reign was brief, but he managed to complete the Second Pylon at Karnak, which had begun under Horemheb.
Tomb (KV16)
Already in his fifties, Ramesses I began work on his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Known as (KV16) this small tomb was discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817 and showed all the signs of a hasty interment. The burial chamber was unfinished, in fact it had been intended to be merely the antechamber to a much larger tomb. As so often, the tomb had been robbed in antiquity. There is evidence that the robbers actually hurled some of the smaller statuettes against the walls of the tomb during a destructive fury, since tiny slivers of gold foil have been found attached to the painted plaster. Seti I would later build a small chapel with fine reliefs in memory of his father at Abydos.
Queen Sitre
The burial tomb of Ramesses' wife, Queen Sitre, was the first to be placed in the Valley of the Queens, at Thebes. This broke with earlier tradition where the queen was apparently buried in her husband's tomb at a later date if she outlived him. Her tomb, known as (QV38), was unfinished with only a few paintings on the walls of the first chamber.
19.2 - Pharaoh Seti I (1290-1279 BC)
While crown prince, Seti was placed in charge of the army and sent to recoup some of Egypt's lost possessions in Syria. As king, ruling from 1290-1279 BC, Seti I continued to confront the Hittites in battle. Without succeeding in destroying the Hittites as a potential danger to Egypt, he reconquered most of the disputed territories of Egypt and generally concluded his military campaigns with success. These military victories are preserved on the outer north and east walls of the Temple of Amun at Karnak.
At some unknown point in his reign, Seti I defeated Libyan tribesmen who had invaded Egypt's western border. Although defeated, the Libyans would pose an ever-increasing threat to Egypt during the reigns of Merenptah and Ramesses III. The Egyptian army also put down a minor "rebellion" in Nubia in the 8th year of Seti I. Seti himself did not participate in it although his crown prince may have.
His greatest achievement in foreign policy was the capture of the Syrian town of Kadesh and neighboring territory of Amurru from the Hittite Empire. Egypt had not held Kadesh since the time of Akhenaten. Tutankhamun and Horemheb had failed to recapture the city, but Seti I was successful and entered the city in triumph, together with his son, the future Ramesses II. This success was not long lived, as Egypt was unable to hold a permanent military occupation at the site and it returned to Hittite control. Ramesses II would later return after his succession and fight one of the largest battles in Egyptian history.
19.3 - Seti I's Hypostyle Hall
Some of the most exceptional building projects were started during Seti I's reign. At Karnak, he began construction of the great Hypostyle Hall in the Temple of Amun. This was to be completed by his son. Hypostyle means 'supports a ceiling'. One of the wonders of ancient architecture and planning, the Hall covers an area of 335 x 174 feet. It has 134 gigantic columns of which the inner 12, slightly higher than the outer rows at 75 feet high, had overstory lighting via stone grills through which light entered the Hall. These columns are so massive that one hundred men can stand on the top of one.
Temples were usually off limits to the common people. You might be able to go to the temple during festival days, but you'd most likely only be able to enter the open courtyard, at best. Here the priests would carry out the statue of the god where the people might be able to see it, depending on the amount of people attending.
Large temples had an enclosure wall that protected the temple from trespassers. Between the temple area and the enclosure wall was where the priests actually lived and where the temple workshops were located.
Temples had four main areas. The first was the Pylon – the gate where the king could post all the great deeds he had done. The second was the open courtyard, the large open area sometimes available for commoners. The third was the enclosed courtyard, with a ceiling, causing the temple to become darker. Then finally was the holy of holies, where the statue was kept. This statue was considered the 'actual god', not just a statue, but the deity itself. These statues were usually bronze, sometimes gold, which were kept in a little shrine with doors that opened and closed. Only the high priests were allowed into the holy of holies, where the god lived.
There were rituals, usually twice a day, where the priests would open the doors, say some prayers, and place some food before the god. They would also put cosmetics on the eyes and use some perfumes. Priests only wore white linen, usually white linen robes, which were made from the faux plant. Cotton was not available in Egypt. The High Priest could wear a leopard skin, like the sandal bearer on the Narmer Palette. The workshops between the temple and the enclosure wall was where the priests wove the linen.
Do not think of these priests as holy people who had a higher calling, this is not the Roman Catholic Church. Priests in Ancient Egypt were not people dedicated to one god in a religious sense. Originally in the early days of Ancient Egypt, the pharaoh himself would go up and down the Nile preforming all the ceremonies. He was considered the god on earth. However, as the country grew, he needed stand-ins to go about saying the various prayers and performing the different ceremonies. Thus, the Egyptian priesthood was born; men who were basically stand-ins for the pharaoh in order to perform the various ceremonies. The people were professionals, like actors, standing in for the pharaoh, who was really the only person connected to the gods. The priests didn't have any real convictions. They were not spiritual or spiritually connected to the specific god. Egyptologist Bob Brier remarks, “They were just ordinary people doing a job, a really good one.”
19.4 - The Temple of Seti I
At Abydos, the ancient cult center of the god Osiris, Seti I built what is known as the Temple of Seti I. This was the first major project since Akhenaten's el-Amarna, his city of Akhetaten. According to Archaeologist Peter Clayton, it is undoubtedly the most remarkable temple in all of ancient Egypt. The L-shaped temple has seven sanctuaries, dedicated for the deified Seti, himself, who actually died during its construction. The temple is made of white limestone and each chapel is roofed with flat corbelling slabs decorated with royal cartouches and stars. The temple was dedicated to the gods Ptah, Ra-Harakhte, Amun-Ra, Osiris, Isis, and Horus. One of the chambers contained a shrine dedicated to his father, Ramesses I.
It is said that Seti’s stone reliefs are some of the finest and most detailed in any Egyptian temple found. A few notable images in the temple are Seti before Osiris as he pours libations to the deities and the image of Ramses and Seti roping a bull.
The highlight of this temple is the 'Hall of Records'. Here, Seti I is shown with young Ramesses before long official lists of the earliest times to his own reign. Known as 'The Royal List of Abydos', it excludes most of the kings of the Second Intermediate Period and the names of the Amarna Pharaohs, jumping from Amenhotep III to Horemheb.
An interesting side note... A "helicopter" image on the tomb wall is visible and is the result of carved stone being re-used over time. The initial carving was made during the reign of Seti I and translates to "He who repulses the nine [enemies of Egypt]". This carving was later filled in with plaster and re-carved during the reign of Ramesses II with the title "He who protects Egypt and overthrows the foreign countries". Over time, the plaster has eroded away, leaving both inscriptions partially visible and creating what appears to be a helicopter, a submarine, and a zeppelin or plane.
19.5 - The Osireion
At the rear of the Temple of Seti I, is one of the most mysterious structures ever found in Egypt. Known as the Osireion, it is located 30 feet below the Temple of Seti I and was constructed by huge blocks of granite that are not typical for the period. The Osireion consists of large square rose granite pillars, most of which are completely void of any carvings or inscriptions. Some of the pillars are as heavy as 100 tons and had to be transported all the way from Aswan.
The building's name is derived from legend. The location is said to be the burial place of the god Osiris after Isis reassembled him. Another version states that his head was buried here. Most Egyptologists believe that Seti I built the temple at the same time he built his Temple to Seti I. They note the religious texts discovered in the tunnel leading to the monument are inscribed with his names.
Egyptologist Bob Brier disagrees. He believes the Osireion is much older, based on the lower level of construction and the large granite stones used in its creation. Brier believes the temple was most likely built during the Old Kingdom and may be related to the Great Pyramids of Giza. He notes the Temple of Seti I doesn't follow the usual building plan, shaped as it is like an L instead of on a single axis. It may be that they discovered this monument while building the temple, then turned left to avoid it. The nature of the repair work done on one block also suggests how Seti I might have sought credit for work not actually done. Whatever the case, Seti I most likely left his sarcophagus in the Osireion while awaiting burial in the Valley of the Kings.
19.6 - Tomb KV17
Seti I was buried in the one of the best decorated tombs in the Valley, tomb (KV17). It was discovered by Belzoni on October 16, 1817. When he first entered the tomb, he found the wall paintings in excellent condition with the paint on the walls still appearing fresh and some of the artists' paint and brushes still on the floor. This tomb proved to be the longest, at 446 feet, and deepest of all the royal tombs. (KV17) was also the first tomb to feature decorations on every passageway.
One of the back chambers was decorated with the ritual of the 'Opening of the Mouth', which stated that the mummy's eating and drinking organs were properly functioning. Believing in the need for these functions in the afterlife, this was a very important and common ritual. The 'Book of the Cow' was also recorded on the walls of the tomb for the first time. Previously discovered in the outermost gilded shrine of Tutankhamun, it explained the reasons for the imperfect state of the world in terms of humankind's rebellion against the supreme god, Ra.
A very long tunnel led away deep into the mountainside from beneath the location where the sarcophagus stood in the burial chamber. Work on the corridor was just abandoned upon the burial of Seti I and did not lead to a secret burial chamber. Various stratagems were employed in an endeavor to defeat the tomb robbers. This included a deep shaft in the beginning of the tomb, a painted false door, a concealed stairway, and a false burial chamber. These of course, did not defeat the tomb robbers.
In the burial hall, Belzoni discovered the magnificent translucent alabaster sarcophagus of the king, which as Belzoni remarked,
'Merits the most particular attention not having its equal in the world'.
-Giovanni Belzoni
The sculpted lid had been badly damaged by ancient robbers, but the lower chest was largely intact. Inside and out, the sarcophagus was carved with hieroglyphs, once filled with blue-green paint. On the inside of the walls and exterior of the chest are texts from the 'Book of Gates'. On the floor of the chest and the outside lid are texts from the 'Book of the Coming Forth By Day'. Also in the burial chamber was a unique astronomical ceiling that showed the constellations of the Northern sky.
Seti I's mummy was the finest of the surviving royal mummies. He was among the Great Cache of Mummies revealed at Dier el-Bahari in 1881. Seti I’s wife, Queen Tuya, would outlive him by several years and spend the remainder of her long life with her son, Ramesses II.
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