View source for Ramesses I

{{Short description|Founding pharaoh of 19th dynasty of Egypt}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| name           = Ramesses I
| alt_name       = Menophres
| image          = Tumba de Ramsés I, Valle de las Reyes (cropped).jpg
| image_alt      =
| caption        = Portrait of Ramesses I from his tomb in [[KV16]].
| role           =  <!-- Defaults to: [[Pharaoh]] -->
| reign          = 2 regnal years<br>1292–1290 BC<br>1295–1294 BC
| coregency      =
| predecessor    = [[Horemheb]]
| successor      = [[Seti I]]
| notes          =
| prenomen       = ''Menpehtyre''<br>Eternal is the Strength of [[Ra|Re]]<ref name="clayton">{{Cite book|title=Chronicle of the Pharaohs the reign-by-reign record of the rulers and dynasties of ancient Egypt|last=Clayton|first=Peter A|date=2012|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0500286289|oclc=869729880|location=London|language=en|page=140}}</ref>
| prenomen_hiero = <hiero>ra:mn-F9:t*t</hiero>
| nomen          = ''Ra-messes''<br>[[Ra]] is the one who bore him<ref name="clayton"/>
| nomen_hiero    = <hiero>ra-ms-s-sw-w</hiero>
| horus          = ''Kanakht Wadj neswt''<br/>Mighty bull, he who rejuvenates the royalty
| horus_prefix   = <!-- Defaults to: <hiero>G5</hiero> -->
| horus_hiero    = <hiero>E1:D44-M13-M23-t-i-i-Y1:Z2</hiero>
| nebty          = ''Kha m neswt mj jtm''<br/>He who appears as a king, like [[Atum]]
| nebty_hiero    = <hiero>N28:D36:Y1-m*t-M23-A44-W19-i-t:Aa15:U15</hiero>
| golden         = ''Smn m3't khetawy''<br>He who firms Maat throughout the land of the two banks
| golden_hiero   = <hiero>s-mn:n-U32-Aa11:M3-Aa1- (-t-D54 - N23)</hiero>
| spouse         = [[Sitre]]
| children       = [[Seti I]]
| dynasty        = [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th Dynasty]]
| father         = [[Seti (commander)|Seti]]
| mother         = 
| birth_date     =
| death_date     = 1290 BC or 1294 BC<br>(aged {{circa}} 50s)<ref>{{Cite web | title=Ramses I {{!}} Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs | url=https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ramses-I.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428201404/http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com:80/ramses-I.html | access-date=2025-08-24 | archive-date=2015-04-28}}</ref>
| burial         = [[KV16]]; Mummy found in the [[Deir el-Bahri]] [[Royal Cache|royal cache]] (Theban Necropolis)
| monuments      =
}}

[[File:StatueHeadOfParamessu-TitledFrontalView-RamessesI_MuseumOfFineArtsBoston.png|thumb|right|Stone head carving of Paramessu (Ramesses I), originally part of a statue depicting him as a scribe; on display at the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]]]
[[File:Abydos KL 19-01 n75.jpg|thumb|231x231px|Cartouche of Ramesses I on the Abydos King List. ]]
'''Menpehtyre Ramesses I''' (or '''Ramses''') was the founding [[pharaoh]] of [[ancient Egypt]]'s [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th Dynasty]]. The dates for his short reign are not completely known but the timeline of late [[1290s BC|1292–1290 BC]] is frequently cited<ref name="beckerath">{{Cite book |last1=Beckerath |first1=Jürgen von |author-link1=Jürgen von Beckerath |title=Chronologie des pharaonischen Ägypten : die Zeitbestimmung der ägyptischen Geschichte von der Vorzeit bis 332 v. Chr. |last2=Zabern |first2=Verlag Philipp von |date=1997 |publisher=Mainz am Rhein |isbn=3805323107 |page=190 |oclc=932193922}}</ref> as well as [[1290s BC|1295–1294 BC]].<ref>{{WhosWhoInAncientEgyptReference}} p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nfiFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA165 165].</ref> While Ramesses I was the founder of the 19th Dynasty, his brief reign mainly serves to mark the transition between the reign of [[Horemheb]], who had stabilized Egypt in the late 18th Dynasty, and the rule of the powerful pharaohs of his own dynasty, in particular his son [[Seti I]], and grandson [[Ramesses II]].

==Origins==
{{see also|Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt family tree}}
[[File:Stela of Ramesses I with Seth.jpg|thumb|Stela of Ramesses I with the god [[Set]], for whom he was once the [[High Priest]] of under Amenhotep III.]]

Originally called '''Paramessu''', Ramesses I was of non-royal birth, being born into a noble military family from the [[Nile Delta]] region, perhaps near the former [[Hyksos]] capital of [[Avaris]]. He was a son of a troop commander called [[Seti (commander)|Seti]]. His uncle [[Khaemwaset (Nubian official)|Khaemwaset]], an army officer, married [[Taemwadjsy|Tamwadjesy]], the matron of [[Tutankhamun]]'s<ref>Kawai, N., 2015: ''The Administrators and Notables in Nubia under Tutankhamun''. In: R. Jasnow and K.M. Cooney (Ed.) with the assistance of K.E. Davis, Joyful in Thebes Egyptological Studies in Honor of Betsy M. Bryan (Material and Visual Culture of Ancient Egypt 1), Atlanta.</ref> Harem of [[Amun]], who was a relative of [[Amenhotep called Huy|Huy]], the viceroy of [[Kingdom of Kush|Kush]], an important state post.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cruz-Uribe|first=Eugene|date=1978|title=The Father of Ramses I: OI 11456|jstor=544684|journal=Journal of Near Eastern Studies|volume=37|issue=3|pages=237–244|doi=10.1086/372654|s2cid=162197658}}</ref> This shows the high status of Ramesses' family. Ramesses I found favor with [[Horemheb]], the last pharaoh of the tumultuous [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty]], who appointed the former as his [[Vizier (Ancient Egypt)|vizier]]. As Paramessu, Ramesses also served as the [[High Priest]] of [[Set (deity)|Seth]] under [[Amenhotep III]]<ref>P. Montert, ''Everyday Life in Egypt in the Days of Ramesses The Great'', 1974, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-Hk58E8jVPkC&pg=PA197 197].</ref>—as such, he would have played an important role in the restoration of the old religion following the [[Atenism|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 the royal advisor to [[Tutankhamun]] and [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]] and, ultimately, pharaoh. Since Horemheb had no surviving children, he ultimately 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 ([[Seti I]]) and a grandson (the future [[Ramesses II]]) to succeed him and thus avoid any succession difficulties.

==Reign==
[[File:Ramses I.jpg|thumb|left|Ramesses I making an offering before [[Osiris]], [[Allard Pierson Museum]]]]
Upon his accession, Paramessu changed his [[Nomen (Ancient Egypt)|nomen]], or personal name to Ramesses. This is transliterated as ''rʿ-ms-sw'', and is usually realised as Ramessu or Ramesses, meaning 'Ra bore him'. Ramesses also assumed a [[Prenomen (Ancient Egypt)|prenomen]], or royal name. When transliterated, the prenomen is ''mn-pḥty-rʿ'', which is usually interpreted as Menpehtyre, meaning "Established by the strength of [[Ra]]". However, he is better known by his nomen of Ramesses. Already an old man when he was crowned, Ramesses appointed his son, the later pharaoh [[Seti I]], to serve as the Crown Prince and chosen successor. Seti was charged with undertaking several military operations during this time—in particular, an attempt to recoup some of Egypt's lost possessions in [[Syria]]. Ramesses appears to have taken charge of domestic matters: most memorably, he completed the second [[pylon (architecture)|pylon]] at [[Karnak|Karnak Temple]], begun under Horemheb.

Ramesses I reigned briefly, as evidenced by the lack of contemporary monuments mentioning him: the king had little time to build any major buildings in his reign and was hurriedly buried in a small and hastily finished tomb.<ref name="tyldesley">{{Cite book|title=Ramesses: Egypt's greatest pharaoh|last=Tyldesley|first=Joyce|year=2001|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=9780140280975|oclc=932221233|pages=37–38}}</ref> According to the Jewish historian [[Josephus]], in his book [[Contra Apionem]] which translated [[Manetho]]'s Aegyptiaca, Manetho assigns this king a reign of 16 months, but this pharaoh certainly ruled Egypt for a minimum of 17 months based on his highest-known{{Clarify|reason=Define what is meant by highest|date=May 2024}} date which is a Year 2 II Peret day 20 (Louvre C57) stela which ordered the provision of new endowments of food and priests for the [[Egyptian temple|temple]] of [[Ptah]] within the Egyptian [[Buhen#Fortress|fortress of Buhen]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The monuments of Seti I: epigraphic, historical and art historical analysis|last=Brand|first=Peter J|date=2000|publisher=Brill|isbn=9004117709|location=Leiden; Boston; Köln|language=en|pages=289, 300 and 311|oclc = 247341737}}</ref> In contrast, Ramesses I's son and successor, Seti I, assumed the throne five months later after the erection of this stela on III Shemu day 24 which means that Ramesses I had a minimum reign of 17 months (or one year and five months).<ref name="beckerath"/> However, based on a papyrus document published by Robert J. Demarée in a 2023 publication, Demarée argues that Ramesses I's predecessor, Horemheb, died on III Shemu 22 based on evidence in Papyrus Turin Cat. 1898 + Cat. 1937 + Cat. 2094/244, which is a journal diary.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Demarée |first1=Robert J. |title=Two Papyrus Fragments with Historically Relevant Data |journal=Rivista del Museo Egizio |date=2023 |volume=7 |doi=10.29353/rime.2023.5078 |url=https://rivista.museoegizio.it/article/two-papyrus-fragments-with-historically-relevant-data/ |access-date=25 November 2023|doi-access=free }}</ref> If confirmed, this would mean that Ramesses I actually had a reign of approximately two full years since he would have ascended to the throne around III Shemu 23 soon after Horemheb's death on III Shemu 22 and died about two years later around the very same day since Ramesses I's son, Seti I, succeeded his father on III Shemu 24.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070610181114/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0009/NQ35116.pdf The Monuments of Seti I and their Historical Significance: Epigraphic, Art and Historical Analysis (PDF) 1998 pp.339-341] by Peter Brand</ref>

[[Image:Abydos chapel reliefs of Ramesses I by John Campana.jpg|thumb|Reliefs from the Abydos chapel of Ramesses I. The chapel was specifically built and dedicated by [[Seti I]] in memory of his late father.]]
Ramesses I's only known action was to order the provision of endowments for the aforementioned Nubian temple at Buhen and "the construction of a chapel and a temple (which was to be finished by his son) at Abydos."<ref>{{Cite book|title=A history of ancient Egypt|last=Grimal|first=Nicolas-Christophe|date=1992|publisher=Blackwell|isbn=0631174729|location=Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts|language=en|page=245|oclc = 872585819}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:The tomb of Ramses I (KV16) 1.jpg|left|thumb|Depiction of Ramesses I (middle) being accompanied by [[Horus]] (left) and [[Anubis]] (right) in [[KV16]].]]
Ramesses was buried in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb, discovered by [[Giovanni Belzoni]] in 1817 and designated [[KV16]], is small in size and gives the impression of having been completed with haste. [[Joyce Tyldesley]] states that Ramesses I's tomb consisted of a single corridor and one unfinished room whose walls, after a hurried coat of plaster, were painted to show the king with his gods, with Osiris allowed a prominent position. The red granite sarcophagus too was painted rather than carved with inscriptions which, due to their hasty preparation, included a number of unfortunate errors.<ref name="tyldesley"/>

[[Seti I]], his son and successor, later built a small chapel with fine reliefs in memory of his deceased father Ramesses I at [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]]. In 1911, [[John Pierpont Morgan]] donated several exquisite reliefs from this chapel to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ranke|first=Hermann|date=1939|title=Review of The Temple of Ramesses I at Abydos|jstor=594071|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=59|issue=2|pages=272–274|doi=10.2307/594071}}</ref>

===Rediscovery and repatriation===
[[File:Ramses I Mummy.jpg|thumb|[[Mummy]] of Ramesses I]]
[[File:Reliefs from a Chapel of Ramesses I MET 12.186.1 01.jpg|thumb|Relief of Ramesses I from the Abydos Chapel]]

A mummy currently believed to be that of Ramesses I was displayed in a private Canadian museum for many years before being repatriated. The mummy's identity cannot be conclusively determined, but is most likely to be that of Ramesses I based on CT scans, X-rays, skull measurements and radio-carbon dating tests by researchers at [[Emory University]], as well as aesthetic interpretations of family resemblance. Moreover, the mummy's arms were found crossed high across his chest which was a position reserved solely for Egyptian royalty until 600 BC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0430_030430_royalmummy.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030502083753/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0430_030430_royalmummy.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2003|title=U.S. Museum to Return Ramses I Mummy to Egypt|publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]|date=April 30, 2003| access-date=2008-04-13}}</ref>

The mummy had been stolen from the [[Royal Cache]] in [[Deir el-Bahari]] by the Abd el-Rassul family of grave robbers and sold by Turkish vice-consular agent Mustapha Aga Ayat at [[Luxor]]{{sfn|Hawass|Saleem|2016|p=32}}{{sfn|Wilson|1964|p=74}} to Dr. [[James Douglas (businessman)|James Douglas]] who brought it to North America around 1860. Douglas used to purchase Egyptian antiquities for his friend Sydney Barnett who then placed it in the [[Niagara Falls Museum]]. At the time, the identity of the mummified man was unknown.<ref name=Gorr/> The mummy remained in the museum through moves to [[Niagara Falls, New York]] and [[Niagara Falls, Ontario]] next to other curiosities for more than 130 years.<ref name=Gorr/> The mummy was displayed as a "A Prince of Egypt" but despite occasional speculation from visitors that he might be exactly that nothing further was done.<ref name=Gorr/>

When the owner of the museum decided to sell his property, Canadian businessman [[Billy Jamieson|William Jamieson]] purchased the contents of the museum and, with the help of Canadian egyptologist Gayle Gibson, identified their great value.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2015/04/20/canadas-favourite-mummy-hunter-returns|title=Canada's favourite mummy hunter returns|website=Niagara Falls Review|language=en-CA|access-date=2017-05-17|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204121542/http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2015/04/20/canadas-favourite-mummy-hunter-returns|archive-date=2017-12-04}}</ref> In 1999, Jamieson sold the Egyptian artifacts in the collection, including the various mummies, to the [[Michael C. Carlos Museum]] at Emory University in [[Atlanta]], Georgia for US$2 million.<ref name=Gorr>{{cite news |last=Gorr |first=Robbie |date=Winter 2022–23 |title=The Pharaoh of Niagara Falls |work=History Magazine |pages=28–32}}</ref> The mummy was returned to Egypt on October 24, 2003, with full official honors and is on display at the Luxor Museum.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3215747.stm|title=Egypt's 'Ramses' mummy returned|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=October 26, 2003|access-date=2008-04-13}}</ref>

== Portrayals in film ==
* In the film [[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|''The Ten Commandments'']], he was played by [[Ian Keith]], as the Pharaoh of the Oppression.
* In the miniseries [[In the Beginning (miniseries)|''In the Beginning'']], he was portrayed by [[Christopher Lee]], as the Pharaoh encountered by [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]]. Lee had previously played Ramses' grandson [[Ramesses II]] in the miniseries [[Moses (miniseries)|''Moses'']].

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Hawass |first1=Zahi A. |author-link=Zahi Hawass |last2=Saleem |first2=Sahar |title=Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2016 |isbn=9789774166730}}
* {{cite web |last=Wilson |first=John A. |url=https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/signs.pdf |title=Signs & Wonders upon Pharaoh |website=The University of Chicago Press |year=1964 }}

{{cc|Ramses I}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050406014358/http://carlos.emory.edu/RAMESSES/ Ramesses I: The search for the Lost Pharaoh]

{{Pharaohs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramesses 01}}
[[Category:Ramesses I| ]]
[[Category:13th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Viziers of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:13th-century BC deaths]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian mummies]]
[[Category:Art and cultural repatriation]]
[[Category:People from Avaris]]