Ramesses I

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Menpehtyre Ramesses I (also written Ramses and Rameses) was the founding Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's 19th dynasty. The dates for his short reign are are not completely known but the time-line of 1292-1290 BC is frequently cited. He is assigned a reign of 16 Months by Manetho but almost certainly ruled Egypt for a minimum of 17 Months on the basis of the date of his Year 2 Buhen stela.

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Origins

Originally called Paramessu, he was of non-royal birth, born into a noble family from the Nile delta region, perhaps near the former Hyksos capital of Avaris. He was a career soldier, originally the chief of the archers (a position he inherited from his father, Seti), and ultimately general of the armies. He found favor with Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the tumultuous Eighteenth dynasty, who appointed Ramesses as his vizier. He also served as the High Priest of Amun – as such, he would have played an important role in the restoration of the old religion following the Amarna heresy of a generation earlier, under Akhenaten.

Horemheb himself had been a nobleman from outside the immediate royal family, who rose through the ranks of the Egyptian army to serve as royal advisor and, ultimately, Pharaoh. Having no son of his own to continue his own lineage, Horemheb chose Ramesses to be his heir in the final years of his reign presumably because Ramesses I was both an able administrator and had a son and a grandson (the future Ramesses II to succeed him and avoid any succession difficulties.

Upon his accession, Ramesses took a prenomen, or royal name, which is written in Egyptian hieroglyphs to the right. When transliterated, the name is mn-pḥty-r, which is usually interpreted as Menpehtyre, meaning "Established by the strength of Ra". However, he is better known by his nomen, or personal name. This is transliterated as r-ms-sw, and is usually realised as Ramessu or Ramesses, meaning 'Ra bore him'. Already an old man when he was crowned, Ramesses appointed his son, the later pharaoh Seti I, to serve as his co-regent. Seti undertook several military operations during this time– in particular, an attempt to recoup Egypt's lost possessions in Syria. Ramesses appears to have taken charge of domestic matters: most memorably, he completed the second pylon at Karnak Temple, begun under Horemheb.

Ramesses died after a brief reign and was succeeded by his son, Seti I. His Highest Year date was a Year 2 II Peret day 20 stela from Nubia which ordered the provision of new endowments for the Temple of Buhen. Ramesses I died just 5 Months later on III Shemu day 23 since his son Seti has his accession the next day. The aged Ramesses I was buried in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb--discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817 and designated KV16--is small and gives the impression of having been completed with haste.

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Rediscovery

His Mummy was stolen by the Abu-Rassul family of grave robbers and brought to North America around 1860. He was then placed in the Niagara Museum and Daredevil Hall of Fame in Ontario, Canada. Ramesses I remained here, his identity unknown, next to other curiosities and so-called "freaks of nature" for more than 130 years but was eventually sold in 1999 to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. His royal identity was conclusively determined through various CT Scans, X-Ray's and Radio-Carbon dating tests by researchers at the University and his Mummy was returned to Egypt on October 24, 2003 with full official honors.

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