Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1292 BC–1189 BC | |||||||||
 Egypt and theHittite Empire around the time of theBattle of Kadesh (1274 BC) | |||||||||
| Capital | Thebes, laterMemphis andPi-Ramesses | ||||||||
| Common languages | Egyptian language | ||||||||
| Religion | Ancient Egyptian Religion | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||
| Pharaoh | |||||||||
| Ramesses I (first) | |||||||||
| Seti I (second) | |||||||||
| Ramesses II (third, most well-known) | |||||||||
| Twosret (last) | |||||||||
| Historical era | New Kingdom of Egypt | ||||||||
• Established | 1292 BC | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1189 BC | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheNineteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XIX), also known as theRamessid dynasty,[1] is classified as the second Dynasty of theAncient EgyptianNew Kingdom period, lasting from 1292 BC to 1189 BC. The 19th Dynasty and the 20th Dynasty furthermore together constitute an era known as theRamesside period. This Dynasty was founded byVizierRamesses I, whomPharaohHoremheb chose as his successor to the throne.
The warrior kings of the early18th Dynasty had encountered only little resistance from neighbouring kingdoms, allowing them to expand their realm of influence easily, but the international situation had changed radically towards the end of the dynasty. TheHittites had gradually extended their influence into Syria andCanaan to become a major power in international politics, a power that bothSeti I and his sonRamesses II would confront in the future.
The New Kingdom of Egypt reached the zenith of its power under Seti I and Ramesses II ("The Great"), who campaigned vigorously against theLibyans and the Hittites. The city ofKadesh was first captured by Seti I, who decided to concede it toMuwatalli ofHatti in an informal peace treaty between Egypt and Hatti. Ramesses II later attempted unsuccessfully to alter this situation in his fifth regnal year by launching anattack on Kadesh in his Second Syrian campaign in1274 BC; he was caught in history's first recorded military ambush, but thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin (a force allied with Egypt), Ramesses was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against the Hittites. Ramesses II later profited from the Hittites' internal difficulties, during his eighth and ninth regnal years, when he campaigned against their Syrian possessions, capturing Kadesh and portions of Southern Syria, and advancing as far north asTunip, where no Egyptian soldier had been seen for 120 years. He ultimately accepted that a campaign against the Hittites was an unsupportable drain on Egypt's treasury and military.[2] In his 21st regnal year, Ramesses signed theearliest recorded peace treaty withUrhi-Teshub's successor,Hattusili III, and with that act Egypt-Hittite relations improved significantly. Ramesses II even married two Hittite princesses, the first after his secondSed Festival.
This dynasty declined as infighting for the throne between the heirs ofMerneptah increased.Amenmesse apparently usurped the throne from Merneptah's son and successor,Seti II, but he ruled Egypt for only four years. After his death, Seti regained power and destroyed most of Amenmesse's monuments. Seti was served at court byChancellor Bay, who was originally just a 'royal scribe' but quickly became one of the most powerful men in Egypt, gaining the unprecedented privilege of constructing his own tomb in theValley of the Kings (KV13). Both Bay and Seti's chief wife,Twosret, had a sinister reputation in Ancient Egyptian folklore.[3] AfterSiptah's death, Twosret ruled Egypt for two more years, but she proved unable to maintain her hold on power amid the conspiracies and powerplays being hatched at the royal court. She was likely ousted in a revolt led bySetnakhte, founder of the20th Dynasty.
Thepharaohs of the 19th Dynasty ruled for approximately 110 years: fromc. 1292 to 1187 BC. Many of the pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes (designated KV). Royal brother-sister marriages were observed, as a means to strengthen the royalty by echoing the practices in their creation myths.[4] More information can be found on the Theban Mapping Project website.[5]
| Pharaoh | Image | Prenomen (Throne name) | Horus-name | Reign | Burial | Consort(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramesses I | .png) | Menpehtyre | Kanakhtwadjnesyt | 1292–1290 BC | KV16 | Sitre |
| Seti I |  | Menmaatre | Kanakhtkhaem Wasetsankhtawy | 1290–1279 BC[6] | KV17 | (Mut-)Tuya |
| Ramesses II | .jpg) | Usermaatre Setepenre | Kanakhtmeryre | 1279–1213 BC | KV7 | Nefertari Isetnofret Maathorneferure Meritamen Bintanath Nebettawy Henutmire |
| Merneptah |  | Baenre Merynetjeru | Kanakhthaemmaat | 1213–1203 BC | KV8 | Isetnofret II Takhat? |
| Seti II |  | Userkheperure Setepenre | Kanakhtwerpehty | 1203–1197 BC | KV15 | Takhat? Twosret? Tiaa |
| Amenmesse |  | Menmire Setepenre | Kanakhtmery Maatsementawy | 1201–1198 BC | KV10 | Tiye or Tiy?[citation needed] |
| Siptah |  | Sekhaienre Meryamun (originally) Akhenre Setepenre (later) | Kanakhtmeryhapy Sankhtanebemkaef | 1197–1191 BC | KV47 | Unknown |
| Twosret |  | Sitre Meryamun | Kanakhtmerymaat | 1191–1189 BC | KV14 | Seti II? (Before Reign) |
Although the Nineteenth Dynasty is well-recorded, they aren't fully featured in many Egyptian king lists, mostly due to the surviving ones being written by the early Nineteenth Dynasty pharaohs. TheAbydos king list was finished during the reign of Seti I while theSaqqara andRamesseum king lists were finished during the reign Ramesses II, and so don't record the later pharaohs.
The only 2 survivng king lists that fully feature the Nineteenth Dynasty are theMedinet Habu king list from the time ofRamesses III of theTwentieth Dynasty, andManetho, who lived during thePtolemaic Kingdom. The Medinet Habu king list omits Amenmesse, Siptah and Twosret. Manetho's now-lost workAegyptiaca also provided individual reign lengths, however the lengths seem to be inaccurate and laterEpitomes of the work were misunderstood by various writers who conflated multiple kings into a single figure, failed to understand the number of kings in this dynasty.[7][8]
| Historical Pharaoh | Abydos King List | Saqqara King List | Ramesseum King List | Medinet Habu King List | Manetho[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramesses I | Menpehtire | Menpehtire | Menpehtyre | Menpehtyre | Ramesses |
| Seti I | Menmaatre | Menmaatre | Menmaatre | Menmaatre | Sethos |
| Ramesses II | Usermaatre setepenre | Usermaatre setepenre | Usermaatre setepenre | Armesses Miamun | |
| Merneptah | Baenre meryamun | Ammenemes | |||
| Seti II | Userkheperure setepenre | Thouoris | |||
| Amenmesse | Omitted | Omitted | |||
| Siptah | Omitted | Omitted | |||
| Twosret | Omitted | Alkandra |
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