BY DAVE RANKIN

Seti the 1^st returned home from battle against the “vile” Kheta with captives and “the choicest items their country has to offer.” Reliefs from the exterior wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak provide us with some details. It depicts Seti the 1^st “crowned by a solar disk, standing upon his chariot firing arrows.”

On the home front, Seti the 1^st began to rewrite history in his own way. To legitimize his own dynasty, Seti had himself and his son Rameses the 2^nd showing adoration to the shenu or cartouche of sixty-seven previous nesew. A shenu is an oval shaped carving with a vertical line at the end of it. Usually, a name is inscribed within the shape. The word cartouche is French in origin, and was first used by soldiers who said the symbol reminded them of a ‘paper powder cartridge’ used for loading their firearms. The depiction included the list of sixty-seven names beginning with Menes and ending with Seti the 1^st. It is here that I mention that the great nesew Hatshepsut was not mentioned in this list.

Around year three of his reign, Seti the 1^st fought the Libyans who had encroached upon the borders. The reliefs show a number of detailed inscriptions. In one scene, Seti the 1^st threatens a Libyan chieftain. In another, he restrains two other Libyan chieftains while holding a weapon similar to a javelin. Also, there is a mention of the name ‘Horthema’, loosely meaning ‘avenging Heru’ or Horus inscribed among the reliefs. Again, there is a wonderful carving of Seti victoriously returning home, standing in his chariot, adorned with the heads of his captives.

All of this seemed to be a precursor for one of his greatest battles in the city of Qadesh, sometimes spelt Kadesh. Around the 4^th year of his reign, Seti set out on a major campaign to retake the city from the Hittites. Again, we have to give thanks for his war correspondents that the reliefs etched along the north wall of the Hypostyle hall in the temple of Amun located at Karnak.

There is one scene where a ‘fleeing ox driver… is begging for mercy.’ While it’s recorded that Seti was victorious, this was relinquished quickly as the Hittites retook the city. In another scene, a Hittite king, presumably king Muwatallis, stands before Seti like a ‘pylon’ as one author put it. This very important scene informs us of the peace treaty was signed between the two forces. The details are fragmented; however, they do advise that the cities of Qadesh and Amurru were retained by the Hittites as long as they did not interfere with the Kemetian interests in Canaan and other neighboring cities.

Near home, Seti the 1^st held control of the turquoise mines in Sinai. There were also gold mines to the east of Edfu that were under the empire. The construction of wells in Wadi Mia and Wadi Abbad took place in his ninth year. In Nubia, Seti launched a minor campaign into Irem, which is located in Upper Nubia, to confiscate the gold mines of Wadi Allaqi.

BY DAVE RANKIN

From the very onset Rameses the 1^st was appointed the new ruler of ancient Kemet, he had one thing in mind, to uphold the tradition of having his heir succeed him on the throne. As we have seen with the pharaohs of the late 18^th Dynasty, namely King Tut, Aye, and Horemheb, a nesew without an heir leaves the nation in great peril. History would not repeat itself this time as we introduce this week’s subject, Seti the 1^st.

Unlike his father, who was clearly aged at the time of his ascension. Seti the 1^st was in the prime of his adult years, something that Kemet hadn’t witnessed in a while. Rameses the 1^st made sure Seti was schooled in the ways of kingship. Rameses the 1^st appointed his son to hold various positions of office during his short reign. The two positions that should stand out to us are the following.

The first, Seti the 1st, was acting general of foreign policy. However, the second and more important one, was a position similar to that of a vizier. As vizier, Seti the 1^st would be privy to major nation building discussions while his father was alive. But as nesew, Seti the 1^st displayed what he had learned during his time in office, coupled with his military experience. This laid the foundation for one of Kemet’s greatest dynasties.

With his visions set on the glorious days of Thutmosis the 3^rd, Seti the 1^st set out on a campaign to reclaim the empire once established in Asia. Similar to Tuthmosis the 3^rd, Seti had his feats of war etched on the North Wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, a magnificent structure that has stood the test of time. He departed from the “border fortress of Tjel” and headed straight to Raphia, a Palestinian city located somewhere along the Gaza Strip.

Along the way, he battled with the Shasu Bedouin. The semitic speaking nomads were pests along the eastern Palestinian frontier and needed to be dealt with. This inscription from the Great Wall tells us the following. “Their tribal chiefs are gathered together… They have taken to cursing and quarreling, each of them slaying his neighbor, and they disregard the laws of the palace.”

What the Shasu didn’t know was that there was a reason why Seti the 1^st was named the “Powerful bull that give life to the Two Lands after having been crowned at Thebes.” Seti the 1^st captured Raphia relatively easy. Kemetian military fortified this giving the Kemetians a strategic foothold, as it secured fresh water from the wells along the trade route through Gaza called “The Ways of Horus.”  It is here where I will insert a small passage from the chiseled reliefs at Karnak that tell us of the victory. “The destruction which the mighty sword of the Pharaoh made among the vanquished of the Shasu… his majesty marched against them like a fierce-eyed lion, making them carcasses in their valleys…”

He then went on to capture Gaza and sent the army of Ra, ‘Plentiful of Valor’ to Beth Shan and Reheb. He also sent the armies of Amen, ‘Mighty of Bows’ and Seth, ‘Strong of Bows’ to Hamath and Yenoam. Successful in their battles, they also captured Acre, and Tyre and had sights on Lebanon. The nesew beat the local Lebanese chiefs into submission, and as one author put it, ‘they were compelled to cut down valuable cedar woods as tribute.’

Tremendous achievements for the 1^st year nesew who adopted the name ‘Repeater of Birth.’ It points us to a new beginning adding to the greatness of Kemet’s legacy.

BY DAVE RANKIN

If a pharaoh has no heir, it’s his position as leader of the nation to appoint a successor. This has to happen for a number of reasons. For starters, a nation without a leader would crumble. Second, states under the empire would rebel without consequences. As we have read, there have been numerous occasions where nation-states under the empire have rebelled as soon as the nesew passed, only to be brought in line by the succeeding pharaoh.

Stability would have been a major factor as Pharaoh Horemheb was approaching his twilight years. He knew he had to choose someone who would bring that stability to the nation. It is here where I welcome our next feature in this series, the nesew who ushered in the 19th Dynasty, Rameses the 1st.

Upon researching the life and times of Rameses the 1st, the first question that came to mind was why would he be chosen to be the next nesew? Similar to his predecessor Horemheb, Rameses the 1st was a career military man and most likely served in the army with him. As Horemheb became the nesew, Rameses was given several titles until he selected as Vizier. A likely choice since Rameses was already married. He had a son, whom we will expound upon later in the series.

Coming from a long line of soldiers, Rameses was born of non-royal blood somewhere near the Delta region. His father, Seti was a troop commander and his uncle Khaemwaset was also an army officer. So, following their footsteps he also joined the military from an early age.

When Horemheb had passed and Rameses ascended to the throne, he was advanced in years. Although no definite age was given, I’ve read reports that he was well into his fifties when he finally became the nesew. Upon coronation Rameses added the name Menpehtyre, which meant “Born of Ra, Established by the strength of Ra” to his name.

One of the first orders of business Rameses completed was to appoint his son, and future successor Seti 1, vizier and next in line to the throne. This proved to be wise since Rameses the 1st was only on the throne for about two years. The next order of business was to have an expedition sent into Palestine. Again, there are very little details pertaining to what happened during this time. What we do know is that his son Seti 1 would also lead an expedition into the same area years later.

Like all nesew before him, Rameses the 1st was able to add his mark by completing the second pylon of the Temple of Amun at Karnak. His son later finished his other piece of construction, a temple and chapel.

While there are no reports of how he died, his mummy was buried in an unfinished tomb and placed in the Valley of the Kings under KV16. The Italian archaeologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni around 1817 first discovered it. The tomb was decorated with scattered pieces of scriptures from The Book of Gates.

During political upheaval, the mummy was removed to a secret resting place until rediscovered later on in the 19th century. In a strange twist, Rameses’ mummy became part of a collection that was located in Niagara Falls, Canada at the Niagara Falls Museum and the Daredevil Hall of Fame during the mid-19th century. It wasn’t until 2003 that Rameses body was returned back home to his final resting place.