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Dynasty XIX - 1293-1185

Much of the literature of Egypt which has been preserved to modern time, that is, in the historical and poetical papyri, appears to date from the grandest period of Egyptian history, the reigns of the great Ramesside kings of the nineteenth dynasty, under whom Asia had been opened up to the Egyptian people by a series of brilliant and victorious expeditions. Under these kings, whose renown was connected by the Greeks with the name of Sesostris, there flourished in Egypt, and particularly at Thebes, the then metropolis of the empire, Egyptian writers of works of history and fiction, on morals and on art.

Ramesses I
(Menpehtyre)
1295-1294 B.C.
The first king of the 19th Dynasty was the son of a military commander named Seti. Ramesses entered the military service and worked his way up to commander of troops, superintendent of the cavalry and eventually general. A short time later he became vizier to King Horemheb.

He was also Primate of Egypt, which was the high priest of Amon, and was in charge of all the temples in Egypt. Horemheb died with no heir so Ramesses assumed the throne.

His queen, Sitre, was the mother of Seti I, who was already a veteran military commander. Ramesses was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was later vandalized so the priests removed the body to Deir el Bahri.

(Menmaatre) 1294-1279 B.C.
The second king of the 19th Dynasty was the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre. Like his father before him, Seti was a good military leader. On a campaign in Asia, Seti took three divisions of 60,000 men each into battle. He reoccupied Egyptian posts and garrisoned cities in the Syrian territory. He plundered Palestine and brought Damascus back into Egyptian control.

He reconciled with the Hittites who were becoming the most powerful state in the region. Seti I and his heir, Ramesses II campaigned against Kadesh. In Karnak he completed his father’s plan by converting the court between the second and third pylons into a vast hypostyle hall. He built his vast mortuary complex at Abydos.

In Thebes, he built his tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings. Cut 300 feet into the cliffs, it was the largest tomb in the area. Buried with him were over 700 Shabti. These were carved stone or wooden figures that were to accompany him to the afterlife to comply with the requests from the gods. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings was vandalized and his body was relocated to Deir el Bahri.

(Usermaatresetepenre)
1279-1213 B.C.
The son of Seti I and Queen Tuya was the third king of the 19th Dynasty. Called Ramesses the Great, he lived to reach 96 years old, had 200 wives and concubines, 96 sons and 60 daughters.

One son, Prince Kha-m-was, was a high priest of Ptah, governor of Memphis, and was in charge of the restoration of the Pyramid of Unas. This son was buried in The Serapeum.

Ramesses II outlived the first thirteen of his heirs. Ramesses was named co-ruler with his father, Seti I, early in his life. He accompanied his father on numerous campaigns in Libya and Nubia. At the age of 22 Ramesses went on a campaign in Nubia with two of his own sons. Seti I and Ramesses built a palace in Avaris where Ramesses I had started a new capital. When Seti I died in 1290 B.C., Ramesses assumed the throne and began a series of wars against the Syrians. The famous Battle of Kadesh is inscribed on the walls of Ramesses temple.

Ramesses’ building accomplishments are two temples at Abu Simbel, the hypostyle hall at Karnak, a mortuary complex at Abydos, the Colossus of Ramesses at Memphis, a vast tomb at Thebes, additions at the Luxor Temple, and the famous Ramesseum. Among Ramesses’ wives were Nefertari, Queen Istnofret, his two daughters, Binthanath and Merytamon, and the Hittite princess, Maathornefrure.

Ramesses was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings. Because of the widespread looting of tombs during the 21st Dynasty the priests removed Ramesses body and took it to a holding area where the valuable materials such, as gold-leaf and semi-precious inlays, were removed.

The body was then rewrapped and taken to the tomb of an 18th Dynasty queen, Inhapi. The bodies of Ramesses I and Seti I were done in like fashion and all ended up at the same place. Amenhotep I’s body had been placed there as well at an earlier time.

Seventy-two hours later, all of the bodies were again moved, this time to the Royal Cache that was inside the tomb of High Priest Pinudjem II. The priests documented all of this on the linen that covered the bodies. This “systematic” looting by the priests was done in the guise of protecting the bodies from the "common" thieves

Merenptah
(Baenrehotephirmaat)
1213-1203 B.C.
The fourth king of the 19th Dynasty was in his fifties when he assumed the throne. His father, Ramesses, was long-lived and outlived his first 13 sons.

Merenptah, the fourteenth son, was militarily active while a prince. Famine had driven the Sea Peoples and the Libyans across the Egyptian borders. Egypt retaliated with vengeance, overcoming the threat. The battle is recorded at Karnak. The Israel Stela is associated with Merenptah.

The stela records a skirmish in Palestine and mentions Israel. This is the only known mention of Israel in Egyptian monuments, and confirms that Israel was established in their own domain at the time of Merenptah’s reign. Merenptah’s tomb is in the Valley of the Kings.