Ramses I, Seti I &
Ramses II
Ramses I
Ramses I continued
• Ramses I was the founder of the 19th
dynasty.
• He was the grandfather of Ramses II.
• His birth name, Ramses means "Re has
Fashioned him".
• Ramses was not of royal blood, but was
an army officer who was the son of a troop
commander and judge. His mother is
unknown.
Ramses continued
• Early on in the reign of Ramses I, his son
Seti was appointed vizier and commander
of Sile.
• After his death, Ramses I was buried in a
small tomb in the Valley of the Kings on
the West Bank of Thebes (modern Luxor).
• Ramses I only ruled Egypt for about two
years, which hardly gave him time needed
to make his mark in Egyptian history.
Seti I
Seti I continued
• Seti I was the father of Ramses II, and
was in his own right also a great leader.
• He ruled Egypt for about 13 years from
1291 through 1278 BC.
• In order to rectify instability he early on set
a policy of major building at home and a
committed foreign policy.
Seti I continued
• Seti was the son of Ramses I and his queen,
Sitre.
• Seti ruled as co-regent before his father’s death.
• In the building projects that Seti I undertook, the
quality of the reliefs and other designs were
never surpassed by later rulers.
• He is responsible for beginning the great
Hypostyle Hall in the Temple of Amun at Karnak.
Ramses II
Ramses II continued
• better known as Ramses the Great, the
third ruler of Egypt's 19th Dynasty during
the prosperous New Kingdom.
Peter A. Clayton on Ramses II:
• "During his long reign of 67 years, everything
was done on a grand scale. No other pharaoh
constructed so many temples or erected so
many colossal statues and obelisks. No other
pharaoh sired so many children. Ramesses'
'victory' over the Hittities at Kadesh was
celebrated in one of the most repeated Egyptian
texts ever put on record. By the time he died,
aged more than 90, he had set his stamp
indelibly on the face of Egypt."
Ramses II
The Battle of Kadesh
• The Battle of Kadesh is one of the most well
known campaigns of history because it is the
earliest battle that can be reliably reconstructed
in detail from various records on both sides of
the conflict.
• Fought between Ramses II and the Hittites
under King Muwatallish, along with his allies.
• The battle was over control of Syrian territory.
Battle of Kadesh
Battle of Kadesh continued
• The Hittite army of 37,000 footsoldiers and 3500 chariots
was hiding behind the tell of Kadesh, but Ramses
believed false rumors that his enemy was still near
Haleb.
• After beating what he thought was the truth out of two
captured Hittites, he held a council of war and the vizier
in a chariot and a rider on horseback were dispatched
south to hasten the progress of the Ptah division.
• While the Amen division was setting up camp, 2500
Hittite chariots attacked the marching Re division in two
waves. The other two Egyptian divisions were still on the
far side of the river Orontes (Arnath) near the town of
Sabtuna.
Battle of Kadesh continued
• The Hittites dispersed the Amen division
and began pillaging the Egyptian camp.
The Pharaoh, fighting among his body
guard with his back to the river, looked
lost.
Battle of Kadesh continued
• Ramses reorganized his forces and the
Hittites escaped being surrounded by the
Egyptians by retreating towards Kadesh.
Battle of Kadesh continued
Results of the battle
• Ramesses II later signed a treaty with the
Hittites which would forever place Kadesh
out of Egyptian hands.
• From this, it is evident that no real victory
took place, or at least not one that gave
Ramesses II an obvious edge over his
enemies.
Your task…
• Research the life of Nefertari, Ramses II’s
favourite wife:
• Who was she?
• Why was she favoured?
• Why is she remembered?
• What did she build?
• Use your text and the Web.