Ramesses I

About Ramesses I

Ramesses I Menphetyre was believed to be the first pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty. His name meant "Born of Ra and Established by the strength of Ra." Most Egyptologists have recorded Ramesses I as the founder of the nineteenth dynasty, but a few people in ancient Egypt gave Horemheb this honor. The reign of Ramesses I was short but he laid the foundation of an exceptionally powerful dynasty, which can be clearly seen by his two successors: his son Seti I and his grandson Ramesses II.

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The original name by which Ramesses I was known was Paramesses. He seems to have come from the northeastern Delta and Seti who was the troop commander is believed to be his father. A stele dedicated to his father clarified his genealogy and also confirmed that his uncle, Khaemwaset, was married to a relative of Huy, the Viceroy of Kush, so his family clearly had some political influence.

More About Ramesses I's Rule

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The early career of Ramesses I was recorded on two seated statues found at Karnak on which he is referred as the General and Vizier. Another stone statue which is now in the Edinburg Museum showed him as a General and an Overseer of the royal Granaries. Before Horemheb emerged as a king, Ramesses I served with him in the army and like his father he acquired the place of the commander at the fortress of Sile. After Horemheb came to power, Ramesses I was given the positions of the Vizier and the Overseer of the priests in the Upper and Lower Egypt. When it was confirmed that Horemheb couldn't produce an heir to his throne, Ramesses appears to have been named Paramesses and he succeeded Horemheb who may have been ruled with him as a co-regent.

When Ramesses I grew to power, he may have been in his fifties and already had a son and a grandson which made him a sensible choice for a pharaoh. An expedition to Palestine during his reign was probably led by his son, Seti. Like his father, Seti also acquired the positions of the Vizier and Commander of Sile and he was named as the co-regent of his father to succeed the throne after him.

Completion Of The Work

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Ramesses I is associated with the completion of the second pylon of the temple of Amun at Karnak which was initiated by Horemheb. Also, a stele was placed at Wadi Halfa by him. The pharaoh is also known to have started a temple and a chapel at Abydos which were later on completed by Seti. The hastily-made tomb, KV 16, belonged to Ramesses I and was never finished, but he was buried there nevertheless. The wife of Ramesses I is believed to have been the first queen to have been buried in the Valley of the queens, in another tomb that was not completed. Recent findings show that the mummy at the Niagara Falls Museum and Daredevil Hall of Fame is that of Ramesses I.